A clean diet incorporates unprocessed, natural foods and eliminates man-made, processed foods. The idea is to choose foods that have all of their nutrients intact, according to the Eat Clean Diet website. The plan is flexible, so it's easy for people with food allergies and vegans to utilize. Discuss this diet plan with your doctor before you try it, especially if you have a health condition such as diabetes.
History
The Eat Clean Diet was penned by Tosca Reno, who transformed her overweight body into that of a fitness icon after realizing she was miserable at age 40. At age 49, she was still enjoying success, entering physique competitions such as Miss Bikini America, writing magazine columns and appearing on TV news shows. In addition to her diet, Reno has a training routine that she follows two days on and one day off, according to the Sandy Braz article, "The Eat-Clean Queen Shares Her Secrets for Success" in Oxygen magazine. Reno advocates a lifestyle change that includes healthful eating and working out as opposed to a classic "diet," notes the Diets In Review website.
Features
The Eat Clean Diet promotes a balanced eating plan that is based on natural and fresh foods. Dieters do not count calories, but do watch portion sizes. The plan is meant to boost health and athletic performance, not just weight loss, according to the diet's website. For those who want to lose weight, it is not a quick fix. Diet literature recommends losing one to two pounds a week. This is also the amount the Mayo Clinic recommends as a realistic and healthy amount of weight to lose.
Theories/Speculation
Under the clean diet theory, the more clean foods you put into your body, the better it will function, says Terry Walters, author of "Clean Food." Clean food advocates say that unprocessed foods give you more bang for your buck because they are nutrient-dense and generally lower in calories than the man-made variety. According to the Mayo Clinic, such foods can provide a larger portion size that has a lower number of calories. They also are good for satiety due to water and fiber. Other purported advantages of clean eating include having fewer toxins in your body and more circulating oxygen, according to Walters.
Identification
When determining whether a food on your grocery store shelf is clean or not, use a simple test, Walters recommends. If you can read and understand all of a product's ingredients, or imagine how they grow, then the item is likely to be "clean." If you cannot, the food is not likely to be clean. Any ingredient list that includes the words poly, modified, mono, hydrogenated, words beginning with di-, high fructose, and, of course, artificial, is not clean. Whole fruits and vegetables and brown rice without added ingredients are clean.
Types
You can prepare a wide variety of foods on the Eat Clean Diet---even chicken nuggets. Instead of breading and vegetable oil, however, you use oat bran, wheat germ, flaxseed, ground almonds and spices along with an egg to stick the coating to the chicken pieces. Recipes also include egg salad, chili-chicken kabobs and Asian noodle bowls. The diet's website offers plenty of recipes at no charge, notes Diets In Review.
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