“Clean eating” seems to be the latest buzz word when it comes to making healthier food choices, but unlike “paleo” or “atkins” or “vegan”, it’s really not a complicated concept at all. It’s not about cutting out a particular category of food… it’s about embracing food. REAL food.

Clean eating is about eating whole foods that is either not processed or minimally processed, refined or handled. It’s about choosing foods that are as close to their natural form as possible.

When I began my health journey back in March of this year, I was shocked at the point values of some of the foods that I regularly consumed. Anything that was processed, came out of a bag, “ready to eat”, or frozen (like a tv dinner) were just through the roof. Even food that was marketed as being healthy, really in fact wasn’t. I figured out early on that if I was going to be successful with getting healthier, I had to make a lot of changes.

So, the question is: how bad is bad? One well-known frozen food manufacturer, as an example, sells chicken strips. Below is a chart comparison between 3 chicken strips and the equivalent amount of boneless, skinless chicken breast:

	3 Chicken Strips	3-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast
Calories	240	142
Total fat	13 grams	3.1 grams
Saturated Fat	1.5 grams	.9 grams
Carbohydrates	21 grams	0
Sugar	1 gram	0
Protein	11 grams	26.7 grams

 

As you can see from the above chart, the processed equivalent of a more natural food choice increases things you don’t want in your diet (like fat and sugar), and decreases things you do (like protein). Calories consumed become more empty calories, rather than food that nourishes you. But the question is: how difficult is it to make the switch? Believe it or not, it’s not as difficult as you might think!

I consider myself a clean eating convert by accident. On Weight Watchers points systems, point values are calculated based on calories, fat, carbs and protein. For me, I wanted to maximize the quantity of what I could eat, while still staying within my points. So, without even realizing it, I started choosing healthier options which gave me more points to use in my day. For example, using the chart above, On Weight Watchers new “Freestyle” program, 3 chicken strips are equal to 7 points. However, the 3-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast? A whopping ZERO points. This made the choice easy for me; I would opt for the chicken breast, with a little dipping sauce on the side. (Incidentally, there are several sauces available which equal zero points too! Granted, sauces are processed… but a girl must live a little, right?)

This comparison just became a part of my life. (It really is true when they say that to be successful, it’s not about going on a diet, but making a lifestyle change!) It became a habit for me to just naturally choose whatever I considered in the same “food category” that had the lowest number of points. Chicken strips or chicken breast? Chicken breast. Cauliflower rice or Uncle Ben’s instant? Cauliflower rice.  Regular bacon or turkey bacon? Turkey bacon. Cream cheese or laughing cow? Laughing Cow. (for a larger list of my favourite food swaps, check out “Switch it Up”)

These changes won’t happen overnight, but they can happen. With a little effort, you could be well on your way to enjoying a clean eating lifestyle! Any tips or tricks that have worked for you, for eating healthier? We’d love to hear from you!

 

Image by Jenny Shead from Pixabay