By Teri Mendes

End of summer holidays is here, it’s back to school and the last quarter of the year, why not spring clean your bodies as well by throwing out processed foods in your kitchen and replacing it with fresh fruits and vegetables? Spring clean your metabolism by clean eating and improve your life one meal at a time. “Clean eating” is a trend that is suddenly everywhere, everyone is talking about it and the trick to doing it sustainably is going gradual .but what does “clean eating” really mean?

WHAT EXACTLY IS “CLEAN EATING”?

vegetables

The term means to eat the best and healthiest options in each of the food groups, embracing foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy proteins. This includes staying away from junk foods and processed foods. When you are eating clean, you try to give your body the best fuel that is out there, which are foods that will keep you healthy and at a healthy weight. Clean eating is not necessarily about weight loss, but it focuses on general health.

The current craze of “cleansing” or eating only raw food or fresh juices for a set period of time is not the same as clean eating. In fact, our organs are what cleanses are bodies of toxins. The main idea is to replace processed foods, pastries, and fried foods with more fruits and vegetables. You’ll definitely feel the difference!

Clean eating can also entail looking more closely at where your food comes from. This could mean buying organic produce to avoid pesticide residue, or avoiding meat that comes from large factory farms. It is possible you might spend a little more money on high-quality meat and produce and more time preparing meals from scratch rather than heating up packaged convenience foods. But, as clean eating advocates say, it may be more expensive to eat clean and healthy, but it is an investment in your future health that you may otherwise pay for in the long run.

Here are some tips to get you started on clean eating:

•    Try fresh fruits and vegetables instead of salty and sugary packaged foods to eat as snacks.
•    Instead of buying strawberry yogurt with added sweeteners and less than 5% real strawberries, buy unsweetened yogurt and add your own fresh fruit.
•    Try to buy meat from a farmer’s market in your area, look for grass-fed meat and dairy products without hormones or antibiotics.
•    Instead of packed seasoning try fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary they make a HUGE difference when cooking. They are now readily available and locally grown.
•    If you love to savour the crunch, skip the full-fat chips and try more satisfying crunchy snacks such as pretzel chips, nuts, or whole-grain tortilla chips.
•    Instead of margarine, try substituting it with grass fed butter or avocados to have with your whole grains or veggies.
•    When you’re screaming for ice cream, save calories and fat by drinking a fruit and low-fat yogurt smoothie instead. My favourite substitute is orange juice freshly squeezed. Or I sometime just stick to a good old fruit salad.