I first heard the phrase “clean eating” about a year ago at my local CrossFit gym. I immediately liked the term. It was a concise way of saying that someone wanted to consume whole, unprocessed, straight from nature foods. This is by no means a new concept, but I love that this phrase “clean eating” is circulating around the health conscious community. It’s helping to energize and give focus to the next generation of educated consumers.

Clean eaters strive to daily incorporate vegetables, fruit, whole grains, healthy proteins and fats. They also strive to limit refined grains, trans fats, added sugars and colorings/dyes added to packaged food. Consuming clean foods is not a diet trend, it’s more of a philosophy of meal planning. It doesn’t revolve around consuming more or less of a specific food group. Clean eating simply challenges consumers to pick more farm fresh foods, and when purchasing packaged items reading the ingredient list.

When adapting a clean eating lifestyle strive to incorporate plant based foods at every meal and snack. When shopping for foods located in the main aisles of your store simply look at the ingredient list to ensure that it’s relatively short and free of unidentifiable additives. Purchasing foods with the certified organic label is a great way to ensure you’re staying clear of artificial coloring and flavors. Clean eating can be a rewarding way to simplify your meal preparation and enjoy more of what nature has to offer.