The Futile Rules of ‘Clean Eating’
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I honestly can’t believe that after nearly 13 years in the industry I’m putting together a list of unnecessary food rules.
There are oodles of food rules, touted from the pages of blogs and websites alike, that have sent many an individual spiralling into a vortex of food guilt and anxiety, all in the name of healthy eating.
Where did all these rules come from? Who was the person who decided that you can’t eat carbs after 4pm or that bread makes you fat? Who was the person who said that broccoli is a ‘clean’ food but washed lettuce in a plastic bag isn’t? Was it the same person who promotes protein powder (a highly processed food) as ‘clean’ and legumes (an unprocessed food) as difficult to digest and not be eaten?
I’d like to sit this person down, order them a coffee, smile nicely and then very gently say, “Shut the f@#$ up”. Seriously. Stop it.
The food rules and ‘clean eating’ recommendations are getting out of hand and it’s time to stop perpetually sharing this unhelpful advice all over the internet. Nearly 90% of it is simply untrue, and in my practice week-to-week, I see the ramifications of this advice first hand. People are stressed. Confused. Anxious. Guilty. They have no idea where to start or who to believe. The mixed messages leave them paralysed and unable to act. They jump from diet to diet. Meal plan to meal plan. Cleanse to detox. Hoping to find the dietary answer and only finding themselves more frustrated and confused.
I’m pleased to report that the clean eating trend is slowly on the decline, but it’s going to take some time before we all gain some confidence around our food choices again.
In the name of sanity, truth and balance, here are the worst food rules of the ‘clean eating’ movement!
Please ignore the following
Eat as much fat as you can.
Umm no, don’t do that.
You don’t need to buy fat-free foods anymore but adding oodles of butter to everything from bacon to coffee is not the ‘secret’ you’ve been looking for. The evidence is still very clear that too much fat is detrimental to health. Just like too much sugar is. Find a healthy balance. Include one or two fat-rich foods at meals like avocado, nuts, seeds, salmon and extra virgin olive oil and you’ll do just fine.
Pre-washed lettuce has been bleached.
Ahhhh no. It hasn’t.
It’s been washed to remove bacteria, dirt and bugs. This is so you don’t get food poisoning. It’s perfectly safe for consumption and a very handy way to get some vegetables into your diet.
Gluten will wreck your whole body, avoid it at all costs.
It actually won’t.
Gluten has been blamed for nearly every ailment. Some blogs I’ve read lately say that if you’ve got headaches, fatigue, tummy troubles and depression then gluten is the culprit. What about ALL the other diseases that have those symptoms? There’s a lot more to disease than just what you eat and there’s a lot more to your diet than just gluten. Anything from dehydration to terminal cancer can cause those symptoms.
Unless you’re a diagnosed celiac, gluten can’t hurt you. If you’re not a celiac but you suspect it upsets you’re stomach, investigate it with a qualified nutrition professional. We blame gluten because the mainstream media does, but the majority of the time it’s actually something else you’re eating. Don’t cut stuff out before chatting it through with someone who knows all the elements of your diet that need to be considered when you remove complete food groups.
Cacao is the best way to consume antioxidants.
Not for $80 a kilo it isn’t!
This ‘superfood’ powder, and many others, are completely unnecessary components of a healthy, balanced diet. They can’t hurt you if you want to use them but don’t get caught up in the hype that you have to eat them. You don’t. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the BEST way to ensure a high intake of antioxidants, not some random powder. It’s also always fascinated me that these powders are completely acceptable within the ‘clean eating’ philosophy of food being natural. Not sure how a processed powder in a bag is natural.
Almond milk is better than cows milk.
Calling it milk is extremely misleading. It’s nothing like milk. It should be called nut juice.
It actually depends on what we’re measuring, but the only time almond milk wins is when we see which one most resembles watered down nut extract. Cows milk is a better source of protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12 and other nutrients. It’s also much less processed. If you can digest lactose and you’re not allergic to the protein, cows milk is the better choice.
Almond milk has minuscule amounts of protein and often contains added sugar. Also, remember ‘clean eating’ being about natural foods? Well have a read of the ingredients list of almond milk next time you’re in the supermarket. It’s a highly processed food and contains barely any of the wonderful health benefits of eating actual almonds.
Now if you choose to drink almond milk, don’t get cross at me. I’m not having a go at drinking it. It’s fine for you to drink. Just don’t drink it because it’s a good replacement for or superior nutritional alternative to cows milk, because it’s not. If you can’t have dairy, try lactose free milk or unsweetened, calcium fortified soy milk.
Treats are bad unless they’re ‘guilt free’.
I think this is how it works: if I eat chocolate slice that’s just called ‘chocolate slice’, then I’m not a clean eater and I should feel guilty for eating it. If I eat chocolate slice that’s called ‘guilt-free chocolate slice’, then I’m totally a clean eater and I don’t have to feel guilty. And if I use the term ‘guilt-free’ in the title of a recipe, all the ingredients in that recipe now become ‘guilt-free’. And despite the ingredients of ‘guilt-free’ recipes having the same amount of fat (coconut oil) and sugar (rice malt syrup) as other recipes, because we use socially acceptable clean foods (coconut oil and rice malt syrup) and say that they’re ‘guilt-free’, that means I can eat these foods and not feel bad about it.
Confused? Me too. Look, you can make foods out of any ingredients you like and regardless of what you make, no foods need make you feel guilty. It’s just food. It holds no moral value. You’re responsible for what goes into your mouth. Own it. Enjoy it. And know that enjoying your favourite foods as part of a healthy balanced diet is where it’s at.
You must cut out bread to lose weight.
It’s simply not true. If you tend to overeat bread, minimising its availability in your day-to-day life can help you manage its intake. However, bread, in and of itself, does not make you fat or stop you from losing weight. I’ve lost weight eating bread before and I’ve even created a nutrition program which includes bread and every week my clients lose body fat. Try swapping to a grainy sourdough or rye style bread and get more nutritional value in each slice!
The bottom line
You don’t need to label your diet or yourself as being ‘clean’ in order to be healthy. Stressing about individual foods or feeling guilty or anxious when you can’t control the food are signs that you’re taking things a little too far. Overall diet quality (the combined effect of everything you eat over time) has the biggest effect on long term health. Focus on nailing the basics:
- get five serves of vegetables every day
- include two serves of fruit
- choose minimally processed meats, chicken and fish
- include nuts, seeds and legumes
- choose whole grains and carbohydrate sources that are rich in fibre
- use herbs, spices and aromatics to flavour your food and make it enjoyable
- eat your favourite foods with mindfulness and enjoy every mouthful – no guilt necessary!
If you need help with nailing the basics my team at The Healthy Eating Hub can help!
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