Clean Diet Basics
The scope of what a clean diet is is subjective, but moderation and portion size can be a good start. Making your own food can be a key to reducing the chemicals you consume in processed foods. Pesticides and preservatives can unduly unbalance your body and digestive system.
So when people decide to reduce fat the low-fat siren goes off. For years we have been told to reduce fat intake, and in some instances quite incorrectly, the storing of fat in the body is usually triggered by increased blood sugar levels, this can be from the intake of high levels of Starchy Carbohydrates (Refined Sugars, Potatoes, Rice, Flour), but they are not the only issue, Artificial sweeteners with tiny calorific profiles don’t raise the blood sugar levels, but they do tell the body that it needs to deal with a high blood sugar level, to which the body tries to moderate it by either releasing adrenaline to try to burn off the excess blood sugar (or perceived excess), in children, this can be the first way that the body reacts which can cause an increase in a need to be active – or hyperactive – until the blood sugar level have been reduced to a safe level. As we get older and our bodies react differently we can tend to release insulin to convert and store the excess or perceived excess away ad body fat. More and more, in children, due to the increase in simple carbohydrate and artificially sweetened food intake, it is causing us to store our excess as fat. So the trigger to soring as fat is normally high blood sugar, this sugar elevation tends to be driven by excess sugar, other starchy carbohydrates, or artificial sweeteners.
It is my opinion that the UK government has accepted that increasing artificial sweeteners reducing sugar intake will reduce obesity and the associated health problems that brings. The other side of that decision is that they have decided the increased levels of hyperactivity in children and those issues, along with the increased level of type 2 Diabetes that will follow (find an article on Metabolic Syndrome)
1) Remove Toxins
- Drink good clean fluids like water (unflavoured or flavored with natural fruit juices)
- Reduce processed foods like ready meals and reconstituted meats and carbohydrates
- Increase vegetable and fruit intake, being careful not to over-do the fruit intake and the Fructose sugars can be just as problematic as refined sugar in high quantities.
- Take a moment to find out what categories foods fall into – Simple Carbohydrate – Complex Carbohydrate – Fats – Proteins. Understanding what is in each group will help understand what you are trying to control.
2) Restore what is lacking
- Vitamins and Minerals also play a part in the body’s function. Lacking of either can cause undesirable effects in the way other body systems work, Click this link to blog on vitamins and minerals
- Take a break, take a breath and relax, sometimes an increased level of wellbeing can be restorative in itself.
