The clean-eating diet plan

EAT more, weigh less, sounds pretty appealing, right? Well, this is exactly what the trendy clean-eating diet plan promises. And that is not all the plan guarantees, nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant says. This meal plan will help you to look and feel better as well.

“The clean-eating diet plan is pretty straightforward. It is about a natural, healthy way of eating, which means that your diet will include more foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains, plus healthy proteins and fats or foods that are processed minimally, while reducing your intake of processed foods such as refined grains, trans and saturated fats, foods with preservatives, and additives including sugars and sodium. Dieters are also encouraged to be more physically active,” Grant explained.

And the diet, he says, will not only help you to lose weight but will boost your health as well, contributing to overall optimum health. He explained that this is possible because of the benefits associated with consuming whole foods as well as those that come with reducing the number of toxins and free radicals that are ingested by way of processed foods.

“When one eats clean you are taking the best care of your body, so you will be reducing the likelihood of getting a life-threatening medical condition such as diabetes, hypertension and other conditions associated with consuming processed foods in large amounts. However, if you already have one or more than one of these you will be helping to reduce possible flare-ups,” Grant underscored.

In terms of the general composition of these diets, Grant says that a typical clean diet usually consists of three small main meals and two or three snacks every day with a daily calorie guide of 1,200 to 1,800 daily.

“When dieters have five to six portions daily it has a number of benefits for the dieters. For one, it reduces the chances of you being tempted to overeat, and because you get so many portions you don’t have to skip meals which would otherwise make you overeat again and it does other things such as limiting the chances of you feeling fatigued like with other diets,” Grant explained.

Below is a list of tips that should guide your daily meal choices:

•Each meal should be between 200-300 calories.

•Eat a complex carbohydrate with protein (20-21 grams) at every meal.

•Drink at least eight glasses of water daily.

•Make sure that you never miss meals, especially breakfast.

•Consume snacks that are substantial; for example, whole fruits and nuts.

•Consume adequate healthy fats each day.

Grant also shared additional tips on how to maintain your clean-eating diet plan:

Prepare meals yourself

When you prepare your meals yourself, you know the ingredients that are in the meal. You are in total control of what you put in your body and only that way can you be sure that unhealthy additives and preservatives have not been used in the preparation of the meal.

Eat fewer processed foods, but when you do pay close attention to the label

Of course you will still be eating some amount of pre-prepped or packaged foods and even though you may only be having them in small portions, it is important for you to check the nutrition labels thoroughly. You want to make sure that you avoid foods that contain ingredients that you have never heard about as well as foods that have been modified. You also want to choose foods with less sodium and sugar levels.

Eat well-balanced meals

You should also aim to eat a well-balanced diet. Make sure that you eat foods in the right portions of fats, carbs, proteins, vegetables and fruits. Be sure that the foods that you are eating are not modified or processed.

Don’t drink your calories

With the clean eating diet, you want to aim to drink as much water as possible. Avoid drinks and juices such as sodas that are high in sugar. You are already getting enough sugars from the fruits that you are consuming. Not even fruit juices are great choices. Grant says that it is best that you eat the fruits themselves, because the juices carry a lot of calories but fewer nutrients than having the fruit.