Clean eating: how to support your health
80% of the food offer and promotions in supermarkets is unhealthy. This is the result of research by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research, VU University Amsterdam and Utrecht University. And it is not only a problem in the Netherlands. We can say that a poor, processed diet is a true pandemic. The solution? Clean eating!
What is clean eating? This means food that has not been processed in a factory and packaged in packets and sachets. Follow the steps below to support your health.
Eat food in its natural form
A rule of thumb for clean eating is avoid food from packaging and eat food in its original form as much as possible. If you follow this rule of thumb, you will quickly end up with fruit and vegetables and if you also choose organic, you limit the number of pesticides you ingest. Avoid refined foods, fast carbohydrates, and sugar. More than half of the products in the supermarket contain added sugar. In addition, choose whole wheat over white flour, which contains no nutritional value.
Read labels
If you don't normally do this, it will take some getting used to as it takes a little extra time when you're out grocery shopping. What will you pay attention to? You want your food to contain as few e-numbers, sugar, salt and preservatives as possible. Also pay attention to added vegetable fats, such as sunflower oil, these omega-6 fats can have an inflammation-promoting effect instead of promoting health.
Choose vegetable
Eat the rainbow! Limit (refined) carbohydrates and (processed) meat and eat more vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Vary as much as possible. Combine legumes and whole grains or nuts and seeds for complete protein. Get your healthy fats from nuts, avocados and olive oil and eat complex and fiber-rich carbohydrates such as (sweet) potatoes, whole grain products (brown rice, quinoa, and oats) and vegetables and fruit.
Water, tea, and coffee
Drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day to hydrate your body and alternate with (unsweetened) tea and coffee. After all, coffee and tea come from plants. Stay away from soft drinks and fruit juices, which are sugar and calorie bombs.
Editor’s note: Thank you Beyuna for the article.