Fad diets come and go from the nutrition world. When they come, they come on strong and, oftentimes, they leave millions feeling the pain of realizing the diet which promised so much was just another diet craze.
Many fad diets come with promises of instant weight loss, improved vitality and improved athletic performance. Can these diets deliver on their promises? Results will vary from person to person. Each diet trend needs to be inspected through the lens of some nutrition and human biological knowledge.
‘Clean Eating’ has been growing in popularity for some time now. This diet consists of eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins while excluding highly processed foods, sweets and other packaged foods. That is all the diet requires and suggests. All the foods included in the diet seem to be foods a dietitian or physician would suggest someone would eat. On the surface the diet passes the first test. It does not promise much of anything. It doesn’t exclude fruits for having too much sugar in them, like some diets out there do. It doesn’t restrict any food groups. Cleaning eating follows normal dietary recommendations for humans.
Let’s dig a little deeper
This diet is not getting my approval just yet. The foods included are all what we should be eating. Fruits, yes. They give many of the vitamins and carbohydrates we need to survive while tasting like nature candy. Vegetables provide us with minerals and fiber to sustain healthy bodily functions. Whole grains are great sources of fiber and deliciousness. Healthy fats, of course we need them. Bring on the avocados! Lean proteins give us the protein we need to build and rebuild muscles while not providing us with fats that don’t contribute to our health goals.
Then we get to excluded foods. The excluded foods are where there may be an issue. Limiting processed foods, I completely agree. We could all benefit from limiting frozen pizzas, microwave ready meals and foods with ingredients lists including too many scientific words for most people to understand. Sweets may be great for our mental health but the added sugar and unnecessary calories can add inches to our waist quickly. I agree to limit those. Cutting back on fried foods and highly salted food would benefit those interested in keeping their heart healthy.
That being said, some processed foods may be necessary for some people. Meat alternatives and protein powders may be necessary for some elderly people who struggle to get enough protein. Some children will not eat enough fruits and vegetables in a day and they may need applesauce to get enough fruit in for the day. Highly processed foods may be something we should avoid, but that may not be true for everyone.
I am not saying all processed foods are good for us to eat, but it will take critical thinking to make one’s own decisions on what level of process is acceptable for themselves.
Do your research on food manufacturers and investigate what some of those ingredients are before saying all processed foods are bad.
In summary, clean eating sounds like a diet that anyone could benefit from. The foods included in the diet could promote positive healthy change in a person if done correctly. Diet fads come and go, so be cautious toward anyone or group selling their latest and greatest diet trend. Eating healthy food with a healthy relationship to food is not a fad. It’s biblical and healthy. Obviously, consult your physician or registered dietitian if you have any questions regarding proper dieting.
Bringing all of these thoughts together, I will say, if there are foods considered ‘clean’, does that make all the other foods dirty? No. Clean is just a nice word for getting people’s attention. You can eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins without labeling yourself or your diet as the clean diet and without vilifying other foods.
