Top 7 Tips for Clean Eating

​Most of us by now have heard about the SAD – the Standard American Diet – and how unhealthy it can be. We hear about pesticides, herbicides, and solvents in our food supplies and foods that have been genetically modified, like wheat. So many people are searching for improved eating choices in the hopes of staying healthier longer, and maybe being able to recover from illness more quickly when we do succumb to it!

There may be other hidden benefits in choosing higher quality foods, such as helping us avoid major illness (like metabolic syndrome), keeping our negative genetic “switches” off or at least quiet when they are on, and generally just feeling better. In order to unleash the healing and health-giving properties of food, here are some tips for clean eating:
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1. Choose whole and natural foods whenever possible. Foods that have not been adulterated are always healthier – Mother Nature knows best! 
2. Choose non-processed or minimally processed foods whenever possible. Always read the labels and avoid man-made chemicals used as preservatives and who knows what else?! Get to know companies/manufacturers who practice clean food preparation. Be careful of products claiming to be “natural” as some are better than others! 
3. Drink mostly clean water, such as spring water. If you want to purchase filtered water, triple-filtered is the way to go. Water is the healthiest beverage on the planet – but it must be free of toxins and full of healthful minerals, the way nature intended it to be.
4. Watch how much sugar you are taking in. Read labels - less sugar equals better health! Sugar hides in many forms, and too much is correlated with obesity, high blood pressure, and the silent killer – inflammation. Even be careful of the combination of eating many fruits and other products which contain sugar. Some synonyms for sugar are sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, barley malt, dextrose, maltose, rice syrup, etc. 
5. Start eating more vegetables! I get it - liking vegetables can be problematic for many. However, over time, with cleaner eating habits, you can develop a craving for them. They are tasty, attractive, and jam-packed with healthy nutrients.
6. Eat fewer, or totally eliminate, grains - especially wheat. This one is perhaps the most challenging, but according to the latest research, even the healthier grain choices have been genetically modified and can thus be harmful. 
7. Do eat healthy fats. These do not include words like "partially hydrogenated" (this means that when vegetable oil hardens, by the process of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids form). Remember our brains are made up largely of cholesterol! Coconut oil is an example of a healthy saturated fat. Extra virgin olive oil, especially cold-processed, is another excellent choice.

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If you practice these tips, you will notice that your portion sizes will go down! Wheat and sugar are physiologically addictive, like opiates. When you come back to listening to what your body is craving, you will find it asking for less food and different eating choices – all leading to a healthier you!
 
Have a happy and holistic day!
- Dr. P

HOLISTIC GUIDES