What eating clean means is eating healthy. While there is certainly no ‘dirty’ eating, there are certain food lifestyles that can compromise health and wellbeing over time. Eating clean will make you feel more energized, emotionally more satisfied, give you a clean complexion, and provide you with adequate nourishment. If you stick to some simple clean eating guidelines for a couple of weeks, you will notice a difference in your body and overall energy levels. Here are four simple guidelines you can follow and make the first steps to a healthier diet.

4 Simple Ways to Eat Clean

Cook at Home

Processed food in packages and prepared food in some restaurants is full of different preservatives, colors, and additives that are not natural to the human organism. Food that is processed has usually undergone a couple of refinements and cooking which has taken all the nutrients and enzymes from it. When you cook at home from scratch, you are using the ingredients in their natural form without any conservatives and synthetic additives. Whole foods have all the minerals and vitamins needed in the proper proportion, so the body absorbs them in the best manner.

Eat Lots of Color

Strive to eat more colorful fruits and vegetables in your day. This will ensure that you get enough of your vitamins and minerals from live foods that have not been cooked or processed. Raw food has enzymes that help you digest food and drive certain processes in your body. They are just as important as vitamins and minerals to your health. The antioxidants found in colorful fruits and vegetables fight off free radicals that damage the cells in the body.

Upgrade Your Refined Food

Eating clean does not mean that you have to quit on favorite foods that you are used to eating. There are many healthy alternatives to the standard, refined foods such as sugar, wheat flour, and white salt. Instead of white sugar you can try using honey, maple syrup, or brown, unrefined sugar. Instead of white flour, you can buy whole-grain, spelt, or rye flour. There are many different types of flour and sugars that are healthier and some that are gluten-free.

Keep Hydrated

Drinking sufficient amounts of water and consuming fruits help you stay hydrated. Drinking water whenever you are thirsty throughout the day will help your body function properly.

You can also incorporate a healthy living lifestyle by following simple guidelines. The most important rule is – if you do not want to eat something, do not buy it in the first place. Stack up on healthy food at home so that is all you have available to you whenever you get a craving. I know there have been times I wanted some cookies but did not have any so I had to fruit instead.

Eating clean does not have to be hard but can make a huge difference in your life. I remember when we began to eat clean we made one substitution at a time. Some we liked and some we did not.

Take your time with any changes you make in life. Remember it’s not about perfections.