The Foundation of Clean Eating
The foundation of clean eating is to choose unrefined foods packaged in their most natural and nutrient-rich state. This means you want to go for corn instead of corn flakes or steel cut oats instead of a granola bar that is “made with oats” (but also made with a bunch of junk like high fructose corn syrup, processed corn oil, etc.)
Basically, you want to choose whole foods that are unadulterated, all-natural, and nutrient-rich …just the way nature intended. “Clean eating foods” used in your clean eating diet recipes come straight from the plant or animal (and preferably an animal that hasn’t been treated with hormones and antibiotics, and one that has been raised on food nature intended the animal to eat).
Although you can still enjoy modest amounts of high-quality animal foods (such as grass-fed beef) on a “clean eating” diet, the bulk of your calories should come from plant-based unrefined foods (lots of vegetables, fruits, unrefined whole grains, beans, seeds, nuts, legumes, etc.) Adding sustainable seafood to your clean eating recipe is a good way to boost anti-inflammatory and metabolism-supporting omega-3 essential fat intake. And of course you should avoid processed foods completely (a large part of clean eating is avoiding stabilizers, preservatives, and artificial flavors found in processed foods.) Most important, you should know as much about the food you are eating as you possibly can.
“If you are what you eat and you don’t know what you’re eating, do you know who you are?”
—Claude Fischler
What is The Clean Cuisine Diet?
The Clean Cuisine Diet bridges the gap between what we should eat, what tastes good, what is best for our bodies and what is actually doable in the real world. The Clean Cuisine Diet encourages a sustainable way of eating that is in sync with the needs of our bodies and the environment. This way of eating stands apart from other “diets” in four important and distinct ways:
- The Clean Cuisine Diet is much more than an all-natural diet that encourages unprocessed foods; The Clean Cuisine Diet is based on nutrient-dense and anti-inflammatory foods that have intrinsic healing and health-promoting properties. Not only does eating a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet prevent disease and help control the symptoms of numerous inflammatory diseases (asthma, allergies, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, etc.) Choosing clean eating diet recipes also supports a healthy metabolism, curbs food cravings and results in hunger-free weight loss. The Clean Cuisine Diet reflects the latest research on the understanding of the science of appetite that nutrient-dense foods have the power to “turn off” hunger and cure food cravings. Following the nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory Clean Cuisine Diet will not only lead to weight loss and reduced inflammation but will also regenerate healthier, stronger, smoother and more elastic cells, thus slowing the aging process. The body regenerates nearly all of its cells (7 to 10 trillion) every 90 days and the quality of the cells that are regenerated depends on the food eaten. In 90 short days of eating clean you can expect to look younger, feel better and be slimmer. In short, clean eating will change the way you age, look and feel. Most important, results are achieved without deprivation and without going to extremes.
- The Clean Cuisine Diet features the sensibility, wisdom and benefits of veganism along with the pleasures of the omnivore way of eating and cooking by encouraging the consumption of ethically conscious and sustainable food choices. Choosing more unprocessed plant-based “whole” foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, “whole” soy, etc.) and less animal foods (eggs, dairy, meat, chicken, etc.) in your clean eating recipe is not only healthy for the environment, but is the key to consuming a high intake of anti-aging, disease-fighting and fat-burning antioxidants and phytonutrients found only in unprocessed plant-based foods.
- The Clean Cuisine Diet does not place the emphasis on “counting food” in the form of macronutrients (carbs, fats and protein) but rather on “making food count” through optimal intake of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients) found primarily in plant-based unrefined “whole” foods. Instead of restricting calories or portions, The Clean Cuisine Diet changes the proportion of the dinner plate to emphasize plant-based foods (particularly vegetables) and deemphasize animal foods. In a clean eating recipe, foods such as meat and chicken are used more as condiments and flavor-enhancers rather than taking center stage at the dinner plate.
- Clean Cuisine is everything any foodie could ask for—flavor-forward, fresh food that is unspeakably good, guilt-free and easy to prepare. Put together simply, but with flair, cooking clean eating diet recipes requires no fussy cooking methods; robust flavors come not from added fats and sugar but rather from herbs, spices and simple culinary techniques. The culinary herbs and spices used in Clean Cuisine dishes are both flavorful and functional, contributing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory healing properties to the recipes. Clean Cuisine gives readers from every walk of life (including omnivores) something to sink their teeth into. Even the wine lovers will be excited to discover following The Clean Cuisine Diet allows for a glass of wine a day.
Food Matters
Today, more than ever before, Americans are beginning to realize food matters. Despite the intrigue surrounding a more eco-conscious “cleaner” way of eating, America’s current diet patterns are by no means “clean” and they certainly are not healthy; the average American still consumes way too many animal foods, too many calories, an abundance of processed junk foods, far too few vegetables, too little fiber, too few whole grains, and far too few plant-based disease-fighting phytonutrients. This way of eating is not sustainable for the environment and it’s not sustainable to human health.
The animal-food rich, processed junk-food rich S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) most Americans eat today is making them fat and sick. Americans are in need of a drastic dietary overhaul…and many are actively looking for a sustainable way of eating that doesn’t require extreme measures or deprivation but that can still change their bodies, both inside and out. It’s time to clean America’s plates; eating Clean Cuisine is the long-term sustainable answer to eating for optimal health, disease-prevention, weight loss, vitality, longevity and good taste too!
Eat Clean Foods in their “Whole” Form to Get REAL Nutrients
Unlike the vast majority of highly processed foods overflowing on today’s supermarket shelves, clean eating diet recipes made with “whole foods” will be brimming with nutrients in a natural and bioavailable form that your body can actually recognize and utilize.
Eating ”real” nutrients from “whole foods” will help keep your body younger and healthier. Since a nutrient-deficiency can also cause food cravings and interfere with your body’s ability to burn fat, “real’ nutrients from whole foods can also help you manage your weight. Some “real” nutrients (such as certain antioxidants, phytochemicals and essential fats) are highly anti-inflammatory and can help you control symptoms of inflammatory conditions (such multiple sclerosis, asthma, allergies, fibromyalgia, etc).
In comparison to “real” nutrients from real whole foods, your body can’t necessarily assimilate or recognize synthetic nutrients found in “enriched” processed foods. The word “enriched” is actually a keyword telling you the food has been processed and refined (start reading food labels and you’ll notice many manufactures of breads, cereals, pastas, etc actually promote the fact that their foods are “enriched”— as if it’s a good thing!)
Keep in mind whole foods don’t need to be “enriched” with synthetic vitamins and minerals because whole foods already contain these nutrients intact and in a bioavailable (useable) form!
One of the most important steps you can take to optimize health from a nutritional standpoint is to start preparing more of your foods at home. And you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to eat clean either. Having a clean eating recipe collection with just a handful of quick and easy go-to meals that can be made in 20 minutes or less will help you eat healthy every day.
What Can You Eat on the Clean Cuisine Diet? And What Goes Into a Clean Eating Recipe?
One of the great things about clean eating is that it really is not that difficult to do. Since whole foods are unrefined “real” foods you have tremendous choices. This means “real” foods like potatoes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, unrefined oils, beans, nuts, corn, “whole” soy, and fish are all allowed.
Although you don’t have to be a vegan to eat clean, we do strongly encourage you to choose mostly unrefined plant-based foods over animal foods (aiming for 80% plant based foods is a good goal.) Basically, any food that is not derived from an animal is a plant-based food (animal foods include meat, eggs, milk, cheese, chicken, etc). However, you want to make sure you are eating plant based foods in their most natural form (that means corn not corn flakes!!)
An overwhelming number of studies prove an all-natural, nutrient-rich, whole foods diet made up largely of unrefined plant based vegan foods is the optimal diet for preventing disease, maintaining good health and managing your weight.
Plant based foods are very rich in anti-aging antioxidants, fiber and phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are plant sterols and flavonoids that are similar to antioxidants, but are only found in plant-based foods. Scientific evidence points to phytochemicals helping to prevent cancer, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Similar to antioxidants, phytochemicals also help reduce inflammation and improve the body’s ability to burn fat.
Easy Doable Daily Goals to Eat Clean & Boost Your Plant Food Consumption
- Eat at least one large serving of vegetables with lunch and dinner
- Drink one ”green” drink each day
- Eat one large raw vegetable salad made with dark leafy greens each day
- Eat at least two pieces of fruit per day
- Eat one serving of beans or legumes each day
- Limit animal food consumption to one or two servings per day
Remember, clean eating isn’t something that needs to happen overnight! You can take baby steps and still get results. Choosing “clean produce” is also very important.
The Research behind Clean Eating
The research on the whole foods diet (and the foods that make up clean eating diet recipes) is tremendous. In our first book, we have over 160 direct references to primary medical literature supporting whole foods nutrition…for numerous conditions. My own neurologist, David Perlmutter, M.D. wrote a fabulous book I highly recommend that is also very well researched called The Better Brain Book.
But it’s not just reading research; we’ve also seen the results with our own eyes. We’ve conducted countless “Health & Body Makeover Programs” (which include nutrition classes and 30-minute, 3 days a week of resistance circuit training exercise) in New Jersey and south Florida and we’ve seen numerous total body health transformations in as little as 5 weeks. We’ve even seen results in less than 5 weeks.
In one 4-week program followed by local Palm Beach County news station, WPBF, we put 40 men on our “Health & Body Makeover Program.” The results were amazing. We had a 38-year old obese man lose a total of 17.5 pounds, decrease his body fat percentage by 6%, lose a total of 11 inches from his waist and hips, decrease his cholesterol from 243 to 180, lower his LDL cholesterol from 243 to 180, and reduce his triglycerides from 177 to 96. Another man in that same 4-week program decreased his blood pressure from 165/90 to 130/85, lowered his triglycerides from 118 to 96, lost 4 1/2 inches from his waist and hips and lost a total of 5 pounds. In an 8-week program, one of our female clients went from 209 pounds to 190 pounds (a 19 pound weight loss) and lost 27.5 inches from her waist, hips, thighs, chest and arms. She also decreased her body fat percentage from 44.9% to 41.9%.
When You Eat Clean You Don’t Have to “Count Your Food” and You Can Still Enjoy Delicious Clean Eating Recipes
Most importantly, the people who have been in our classes have had fabulous weight loss results without “counting their food” (such as calories, carbs, fat grams, “points”, etc.) Instead, we encourage people to make their food count nutritionally. Once you get the nutrients your body needs from “whole foods”, the food cravings stop. In addition, nutrients from real foods support a healthy metabolism and greatly assist your body’s natural fat-burning process.
Although weight loss is a tremendous “side benefit” of following our program, weight loss wasn’t our initial focus. Our initial focus was on reducing inflammation and helping people with inflammatory conditions improve their quality of life. The testimonials we have received from people with MS, asthma, arthritis, psoriasis, etc. are also amazing. We’ve had people with asthma give up their inhalers, people with fibromyalgia experience significant reduction in pain, arthritis patients have reported 80% improvement in their symptoms, and on and on.
Most important, unlike with many of the medications used to treat the symptoms of inflammatory conditions, clean eating has no negative side effects. Just side benefits. And taste benefits too! In fact, after going through our program the vast majority of people actually say they far prefer eating a clean eating recipe to eating the foods they previously ate. The point is, you really do not need to sacrifice or deprive yourself to enjoy good health.
And, if you already take medication for an inflammatory condition starting a healthy diet plan based on clean eating is not an either / or decision—you can do both. You have nothing to lose by giving a healthy lifestyle a try. We can’t imagine any physician arguing with that!
Here at Clean Cuisine and More, you’ll find numerous clean eating diet recipes, clean eating cooking video demos, a healthy product review section where we feature some of our favorite clean eating convenience foods, nutrition guidelines that will help your whole family eat clean, and even fitness advice and workout videos. Importantly, we strive to make all of our advice and recommendations as realistic and doable as possible. If you have any questions feel free to contact us anytime. We’d love to hear from you!
A healthy diet plan is good for everybody…and the foundation of healthy eating starts with clean eating.
(Original Post Sources: Clean Eating Parts 1 and 2)