About Our Top 7 Eat Clean Foods
Eat clean foods consist of nutrient-dense foods packaged in their most natural and unrefined state. Although numerous foods could be categorized as eat clean foods, some foods are so incredibly nutrient-dense and have such tremendous anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and disease-fighting properties that they deserve the spotlight.
Some Eat Clean Foods are Superfoods with Super Health-Promoting Properties
Think of the list of eat clean foods below as “Superfoods” that are more than just food. These foods have intrinsic healing properties. You’ll notice each of our top 7 eat clean foods is plant-based and ultra-rich in phytonutrients. Eating these foods regularly can help you manage your weight, fight disease, live longer and feel amazing.
Find a Natural Foods Store & Stock Up On Eat Clean Foods
Although some of the foods mentioned below are available in your typical supermarket, you will need to find a natural foods store for the others. Any well-stocked natural foods store should have these foods available.
#1 Hemp Seeds:
- #1 Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds are actually a “superfruit” and they are an amazing source of complete vegan “clean” protein containing all 10 essential amino acids in addition to providing an ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 essential fats. Hemp seeds are also full of calcium, magnesium, vitamin A and potassium.
Best of all hemp seeds taste great and can easily be blended into soups or smoothies, they make the ideal substitute for eggs in Caesar salad dressings, they are the perfect alternative to mayonnaise in creamy salad dressings and they are delicious sprinkled on salads. You can also buy hemp milk (or easily make your own by mixing hemp seeds with water), which is a much healthier alternative to dairy milk.
#2 Kale:
- #2 – Kale
(and other dark leafy greens including spinach, collards, Swiss chard, and romaine lettuce): Calorie per calorie dark leafy greens deliver the most abundant and broadest spectrum of nutrients of just about any other foods in the world, making them a perfect eat clean diet food. When it comes to ranking foods for antioxidants (which help keep you young while also fighting degenerative disease) kale comes out on top for vegetables. A testing procedure used by the USDA to determine the antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables gives the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) rating of vegetables to kale. The ORAC value of kale is 1770 (the next best vegetable is spinach with an ORAC value of 1260.)
One of the easiest ways to get a daily serving of dark leafy greens is to get in the habit of making a green smoothie everyday (you can mix your green smoothies with fresh or frozen fruit for a bit of sweetness.) All dark leafy greens are also a rich source of chlorophyll, important for cleansing and oxygenating the blood.
#3 - Flax Seeds (in whole form)
#3 Ground Flaxseeds:
These nutty-tasting seeds yield a hefty dose of vegan omega-3 essential fats and actually have a leg up on flax oil because 1) they are fiber-rich 2) they can be cooked at low heat temperatures (add them to muffins, breads, whole wheat pizza crust, etc.) and 3) they are nature’s richest source of lignans, potent phytonutrients that fight free radical damage and offer protection from hormone-sensitive cancers (such as breast cancer and prostate cancer).
Your body can’t derive the full benefit of the omega-3 essential fats found within flaxseeds unless they are ground (milled). You can grind flaxseeds yourself in a coffee grinder or you can buy them already ground. Note: We prefer Barlean’s “Forti-Flax” ground flaxseeds. (www.Barleans.com) In addition to mixing flaxseeds into all sorts of batters you can also sprinkle them on hot whole grain cereals, add them to smoothies, mix them into meatballs, etc.
#4 Chia Seeds:
- #4 – Chia Seeds
These itty bitty teeny tiny seeds are powerhouses of nutrient-dense energy and the ultimate eat clean diet food. Chia seeds have a mild pleasing flavor and deliver a hefty dose of fiber and anti-inflammatory omega-3 essential fats. They are also surprisingly rich in calcium, B-vitamins, easily digestible protein and antioxidants.
Chia seeds are a fabulous food to experiment with in the kitchen because they expand greatly into a gelatinous pudding when soaked in liquid (they also take up a lot of bulk and space in your stomach, so if you are trying to lose weights chia seeds are a must-eat food.)
You can incorporate chia seeds into all sorts of decadent (but healthy!) desserts, use them as a substitute for other fats, binders and thickeners or mix them in hot whole grain cereals for some nutritional oomph.
#5 - Maca
#5 Maca:
This is a root vegetable related to the turnip and grown in the mineral-rich volcanic soil of the Peruvian highlands. It contains amino acids, vitamins B1, B2, B12, C and E and minerals, including calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium, and iron.
Maca is very helpful for improving mood and helping curb food cravings as it possess the building blocks or precursors to serotonin. Maca is also beneficial for regulating hormones, building muscle, enhancing stamina and increasing fertility.
Note: Sequel Naturals (Sequelnaturals.com) distributes an easy to digest gelatinized maca. Try adding ½ teaspoon to your smoothies or “whole” fruit juices daily.
#6 Sea Vegetables:
# 6 - Sea Vegetables
More commonly referred to as seaweed, sea vegetables have been a staple food in Asian cultures for centuries. They are easily digestible and provide an incredibly rich cocktail of minerals and trace minerals and have long been praised for their beautifying and life-prolonging properties. Interestingly, according to ancient Chinese texts, “there is no swelling that is no relieved by seaweed.”
Sea vegetables contain about 10 times the calcium of cow’s milk and several times more iron than red meat. Plus, they taste amazing! There are many different types of sea vegetables (all are healthy) including wakame, nori (used in sushi as a binder for fish and rice), dulse, kelp, kombu, etc. Seaveg.com is an excellent resource for sea vegetable products.
#7 Legumes:
#7 - Legumes (Lentil Recipe)
We try to eat at least 1 serving (1/2 cup) of legumes every single day. Legumes are plants that have pods containing small seeds. Lentils, peas and beans are all in the legume family. Not only do legumes have a superb nutritional profile, they are exceptionally rich in fiber (just ½ cup provides an average of 7 grams of fiber!)
Legumes are also an extremely “clean” source of vegan protein in addition to being a surprisingly good source of anti-aging antioxidants. And of course legumes are inexpensive, easy to find and incredibly versatile. We incorporate beans into a wide variety of our Clean Cuisine recipes including soups, chili, dips, spreads, casseroles, whole grain pilafs, salads, and even desserts (Ivy’s black bean brownies and Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies are to die for delish….seriously!)
