Clean Eating! What the heck is it?!

First, I would like to start by saying that I have no medical, scientific or any other important degree.  I'm just a mom who wants to make her family as healthy as possible.  The information found in this blog is from my own research or experience.  On to the good stuff...

You guys probably hear me talking about clean eating all the time.  If you've ever wondered what the heck I'm talking about, here's your answer.

Clean eating means different guidelines to different people. To some, it means absolutely nothing that isn't in its whole form-fresh fruit and vegetables, whole chunks of meat, etc.   To others, it is just cutting out the chemicals, preservatives, and just plain unnecessary crap.  I more follow the second method.  I try to buy organic when feasible and possible, but in our rural area, it isn't always the affordable or possible option.  We also raise our own chicken and beef, so I don't so much worry about the hormones that they inject into the animals that are butchered for the grocery stores.  If I were buying my meat in the store, this is one place I would probably try to buy organic despite the price.  I also try really hard to avoid GMO products. If you are local to me, Harmony Foods Co-op in Bemidji carries a lot of these brands.  Some can even be found at Walmart or Target, but not very many of them.

A major component of clean eating is cutting out chemical-laden, overly processed foods.  This includes most foods in a box or can, white flour, and sugar (white and brown).  An important part of clean eating is READING LABELS. If there are more than 5 ingredients, things you can't pronounce or identify, then it's not clean.  When shopping, it's best to shop the perimeter of the store-avoid going down the aisles.  The foods that are good for you are generally on the outside perimeter (think fresh produce, dairy (which some clean eaters cut out, but I don't...I just use in moderation), meat).  If you have a smartphone, an app called Fooducate is an excellent helper with shopping.  A friend told me about this app, and I love it.  You can scan barcodes on packaging and it will give the food a grade of A+ through F.  It will also tell you if the food is a GMO containing food or not.  You should aim to get nothing less than a B.  However, this does NOT necessarily mean the food is clean.  It could still contain preservatives or sugar.  This is why reading labels is so important.  Even things that may seem like a good choice aren't always as clean as you would think.  I personally try to avoid things like canned fruit and vegetables.  I buy either fresh or frozen.  Canned are much more likely to contain added **stuff** that isn't a necessity.

If you have any questions about anything, you can always feel free to contact me.