Clean Food
By Nancy Addison CHC, AADP
I was reading the other day about “clean eating.” My client had asked me, if I knew what it was and I really didn’t. I supposed it is certainly better than eating dirty food! So, I looked it up on line. Apparently it is a term used for non-processed or “fast” food. I guess it is making a come back because a lady, wrote a book for “idiots.” And their guide to eating “clean.” It is a term that has caught the buzz. Now there are magazines and websites about eating clean The Clean food movement looks like a good movement. It is a movement that was started over the moral values of the times in the sixty’s, when I grew up. Much of what I talk about in my book and really why I became an organic proponent and vegetarian in the first place is because of the amazing amounts of chemicals and preservatives that are added to food at restaurants and packaging plants; as well as the inhumane treatment of these precious, living creatures. The “clean eaters’ support eating whole, real food. Makes sense to me! As people have gotten sicker and sicker from eating processed foods filled with additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers, as well as antibiotics and hormones; as a last resort they have turned to focusing on what they put in their mouth. I know changing what we eat can be really difficult, but when we stick with it for at least two weeks to ninety days, we can regenerate our tastes buds and really made a shift to the new lifestyle, even in our way of thinking. From what I can find on-line, the “Clean Food” movement says they have 7 principles. So, let’s look at those.
Number 1. Eat whole, natural foods and seek to eliminate or minimize processed foods. Well, that is admirable. But watch out for the word “natural.” It can be totally chemically derived and be legally called natural by FDA standards.
Number 2, They say to choose unrefined instead of refined foods. That sounds good.
Number 3. Include some protein, carbohydrates and fat at every meal. That sounds good as well.
Number 4: Watch out for fat, salt and sugar. That is good concept. But really, what you should look for is what kind of fat, salt and sugar it is. So many of these are really not good, but the healthy alternative can be extremely beneficial. I wrote really long chapters on the types of fats, sugars, and salts there are to choose from. I think quality is paramount.
Number 5 They say to eat six small meals throughout the day. I personally disagree with this. This can create weight problems and digestive problems in my opinion.
Number 6 They say not to drink your calories. The basic thought is good, but some of the suggestions for drinks are not a healthy choice in my own personal opinion. I think they can cause allergies and weight gain.
I am not into counting calories. I don’t do it. I think it is really an outdated mode of eating, because it doesn’t take into account the quality of the food as compared the quality of the other food. Calories for white refined flour are the same as calories for whole- grained, organic flour. I don’t believe it is as relevant and people think. I think it also makes eating so much more complicated. I don’t think eating healthy food should be complicated.
Number 7 is to get moving. Well, how can anyone argue with that? Good suggestion.
Well, in conclusion, if you are a clean eater, I would say you are much better off than you might have been previously, assuming you were eating a lot of fast and processed foods and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
I hope this helped you!
If you want to learn more about healing the body and the healing diet, sign up for my seminar March 10th from 1PM to 5 PM! It is an afternoon that you can spend with me. I only have small intimate groups; so you can ask questions and get all the answers you need. You will learn to handle stress, how to eat for candida yeast problems, cancer, diabetes and heart disease problems. What a gift you can give yourself and your loved ones. It is almost full, so, sign up today! It will be the best investment in your health that you can make.
Aren’t you worth it?
Go to www.organichealthylifestyle.com for more information.
