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At its core, clean eating is the practice of eating your food as close as possible to the way nature intended it to be.
Rather than focusing on individual macronutrients — like limiting carbs or fats, adding protein or counting calories — clean eating focuses on being mindful of where your food came from and how it got to your plate.
The best part is, it’s simple to practice.
Here’s all you need to know:
- Choose organic whenever possible. But isn’t everything labeled organic nowadays? Take a look at the Environmental Working Group’s ‘Clean 15’ and ‘Dirty Dozen’ Lists for a good guide on avoiding pesticides in your produce.
2. Stick with humanely raised, organic (preferably grass fed) beef, chicken, milk and eggs. Also, the NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) has a great little wallet guide for avoiding mercury in your seafood. You can download it here.
3. Avoid overly processed foods. It’s time to get really good at reading those labels.
A good rule of thumb: If the package has more than five ingredients, you may want to find an alternative.
Bernadette Smith is an organic gardener, life-long tree hugger and certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach living in Patchogue, N.Y. She offers free 30-minute Health Discovery Sessions and can reached through Facebook or by emailing [email protected].
