Clean Eating Canines The Benefits of Organic Nutrition

Clean eating: The good and the bad

Clean eating has been a trend for the past decade, although there's no official definition of just what "clean eating" means. In fact, it's more a dietary approach than a specific diet, although quite a number of cookbooks have spun off of this trend.

The foundation of clean eating is choosing whole foods and foods in their less processed stateschoosing from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses (beans, lentils, and peas), dairy, nuts, seeds, and high-quality animal and plant proteins. When possible, food choices are organic and based on what's in season in your geographic region. When choosing packaged foods with a label, foods with shorter ingredient lists are preferred, and added sugars are limited.

So far, so good. However, the movement can go to extremes. Many clean-eating advocates aim to avoid all traces of added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, and other additivesa position that might be admirable but is too stringent for most people. In many cases, a cultlike extremism is encouraged by wellness bloggers and celebrities who have no nutrition qualifications or evidence to back up some of their promises, including claims that their version of clean eating will change your life or cure your health issues.

Increasingly, food companies are picking up on the trend, using language in their marketing like "food should be clean" and "don't eat ingredients you can't pronounce." This not only taps into safety fears, but it implies that if food isn't "clean," it's dirty, or that if it's not chemical-free, it's chemical-laden. The truth is that foods don't fall into black-and-white categories. For example, even organic agriculture uses pesticidesmost are natural, but some are manufactured.

The good: Some versions of clean eating offer a genuine way to eat a nutritious diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, with healthy fats and either plant- or animal-based protein food for balancewhile reducing sugar and ultra-processed foods.

The bad: Other interpretations of clean eating can lead to a rigid diet that bans entire foods or food groups like grainsespecially gluten-containing grains soy, legumes, and dairy. These extremes are not supported by research, and you can develop nutrient deficiencies if your food choices are too limited. In some cases, clean eating, especially in its more rigid forms, can become less of a diet than an identity and could lead to disordered eating.

The mixed bag: There's real benefit in eating more whole and minimally processed foods, but not in fearing others that are nutritious. Because many consumers perceive that "clean" foods are safer and higher quality, "certified clean" labels are starting to appear on some processed foods, although there's no standard definition behind them. Even the least extreme version of clean eating typically requires cooking most meals at home, which isn't feasible for everyone.

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Clean Eating Food List: What to Eat and What to Avoid

Looking to clean up your diet? Or perhaps you're just not quite sure what "eating clean" really means? We've got you covered with the best clean foods to add nutrition to your meal prep and expert tips to help you crush your fitness goals.

Heres your ultimate clean-eating grocery list:

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is traditionally defined as eating simple, whole foods without any artificial ingredients. This typically involves the elimination of most processed foods, trans fats, heavily saturated fats, added sugar, and refined grains. And some choose to take clean eating a notch further by also eliminating gluten, dairy, and soy as well.

For those looking to clean up their diet, learning how to eat clean can be a great place to start. Especially when whole, nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and quality proteins are emphasized, as these make up the bulk of a well-balanced diet. But it is also important to note that just because a food doesnt qualify as clean doesn't automatically mean they are dirty or bad for you in any way.

Moreover, some research suggests that the quality of your food choices may matter when it comes to weight loss (1,2,3,4). However, eating less processed foods does not outweigh the need for calorie control in the first place.

Clean Eating for Beginners

Learning how to start eating clean is fairly simple. Use the following suggested guidelines to help you identify which healthy foods would fit into your clean eating diet:

• Eat foods your great great grandmother would recognize.
• Eat more whole foods you can identify without having to read the ingredient labels. This includes foods you would find in the produce section and perimeter of the grocery store.
• Eat minimally processed foods with little to no ingredients.
• If there is an ingredient list, aim to stick to ingredients you recognize as food.
• Pay attention to the food's nutrition and look for calorie-controlled options that are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Lastly, if you are looking to lose weight, calorie control is still essential. To get the most out of your clean-eating meals, track your daily food intake and ensure you are staying on top of your daily calorie needs.

Your Clean Eating Grocery List

It is entirely possible to eat clean and still have a poor diet if you aren't paying attention to your overall nutrition intake. That's why the best "clean" foods are not only minimally processed but also high in important nutrients.

To help dial in your macros and nutrition, here are the best clean foods to add to your meal prep broken down by macronutrients.

Proteins

The best proteins are high in quality protein (containing more protein than fat and carbs), lean, and loaded with nutrition. For meat and dairy, this typically means opting for more grass-fed, sustainably caught, andfree-rangeoptions. And for many people, this also means considering more organic proteins.

There is some limited research that suggests grass-fed meat may be lower in fat and higher in vitamin A, and that cage-free eggs are higher in vitamin D and lower in cholesterol (5,6,7). Some studies suggest that sustainably caught fish may have a superior lipid profile, and the USDA national nutrient database also implies some varieties of sustainably caught salmon are higher in certain nutrients compared to farm-raised salmon (8). Research also suggests that organic dairy from grass-fed cows has a more beneficial fatty acid complex, that's higher in heart-healthy omega-3s (9).

Here are some excellentprotein choices to look for:

Grass-Fed Meat

• 100% Grass-fed Beef and Steak
• Bison
• Elk
• Venison
• Goat
• Antelope
• Lamb

Organic and Free-Range Proteins

• Eggs
• Egg whites
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Duck
• Pork
• Quail
• Goose
• Ostrich

Sustainably Caught Seafood

• Fatty Fish: Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sea bass, Sardines, Sablefish, Pompano, Eel, Carp, and Herring
• Lean Fish: Tuna, Basa, Cod, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Tilapia, Pollock, Halibut, Rockfish, Trout, Bass, Catfish, Flounder, Grouper, Haddock, Pike, Snapper
• Shellfish: Sustainably-Caught Shrimp, Oysters, Calms, Muscles, Lobster, Crab, and Scallop
• Squid

Plant-Based Proteins

• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Mycoprotein (corn-based)
• Beans and Legumes: Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Black Beans, Butter Beans, Fava Beans, Chickpeas, Lima Beans, Black Eyed Peas, etc.
• Lentils
• Green Peas
• Nutritional Yeast
• Pea Protein
• Beyond Burger
• Edamame and Tofu (Contain Soy)

Organic and Grass-Fed Dairy

• Cows Milk
• Goats Milk
• Sheep's Milk
• Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Cream
• Butter
• Ice cream
• Yogurt

Get Inspired!

Carbs

Carbohydrates come from a variety of healthy foods including fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grains. But carbs can also come from less desirable choices. For more health benefits, limit more refined sugars like processed grains and table sugar and choose whole food sources of complex, fiber-rich carbs instead (10).

Here are some of the most nutritious carb foods broken out by category, including gluten-free and gluten-containing grains. As well as some more "natural", less-processed sweeteners to use in small quantities.

Gluten-Free Whole Grains

• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Teff
• Millet
• Amaranth
• Sorghum
• Air-popped Popcorn
• Corn

Gluten-Containing Whole Grains

• Wheat
• Pasta
• Bread
• Crackers
• Barley
• Ancient Grains
• Cereal Grains

Starchy Vegetables

• Sweet Potatoes
• Yams
• Yucca
• Other Potatoes
• Corn
• Peas
• Beans
• Legumes
• Lentils
• Acorn Squash
• Butternut Squash

Fruit

• Cherries
• Apples
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Pears
• Oranges
• Tangerines
• Mangos
• Pineapple
• Papaya
• Guava
• Lychee
• Goji Berries
• Black Currants
• Figs
• Dates
• Dried Fruit
• Frozen Fruit
• 100% Fruit Juice

Sweeteners

• Agave
• Raw sugar
• Honey
• Maple Syrup
• Coconut Sugar
• Date Paste

We Make It Easy!

Healthy Fats

Fat is typically eaten as an added ingredient or topping, such as cooking oil, dressings, butter, and sauces. But it is also naturally occurring in many foods, including proteins. The best healthy fats tend to come from plant-based sources and are found in whole foods, packaged with other key nutrients (11).

To get the right balance of fat in your diet, make sure you are tracking your macro intake and portioning high-fat foods to meet your fitness goals.

Here are some great fats to add to your diet:

• Avocados
• Olives
• Cacao
• Coconut
• Tahini
• Peanuts and Peanut Butter
• Nuts and Nut Butters: Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Walnuts, etc.
• Seeds: Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, etc.
• Oils: Flax Seed Oil, Sesame Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, and Canola Oil

Other Clean Foods

The following options don't necessarily fall into a certain macro category, but can still be beneficial to your clean meal plan.

Non-starchy Vegetables

Non-starchy vegetables dont easily fall into any macro category since they tend to be so low in calories and arent a significant source of any macro. They are, however, high in micronutrients that provide essential nutrition and can help with your weight loss or muscle gain diet in a number of different ways. And play a major role in long-term health (12).

Here is your list of non-starchy veggies to load up on at each meal:

• Non-Starchy Veggies: Leafy Greens, Radishes, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Tomato, Eggplant, Zucchini, Cucumber, Peppers, Green Beans, Celery, Bok Choy, Jicama, Mushrooms, Artichokes, Cabbage, Beets, Onions and Carrots.
• Sea Vegetables: Seaweed, Kelp, and Algae
• Melons: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, and Honeydew
• Berries: Acai, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries
• All Fresh Herbs
• Lemons and Limes

Dairy Alternatives

If youre following a dairy-free diet, there are a number of dairy alternatives you can opt for. However, it is important to understand that many dairy-free milks and yogurts, dont have a similar nutrition profile to dairy-based foods - specifically when it comes to protein. Be sure to check the nutrition facts labels for any of the following and look for versions with less added sugar and more protein.

• Almond Milk and other plant-based milk
• Cashew milk
• Oat milk
• Coconut milk
• Rice milk
• Hemp milk
• Flax milk
• Yogurt made from soy, almond, or coconut
• Vegan cheeses made from almond, soy, cashews, or nutritional yeast
• Vegan ice cream

Foods to Avoid

When it comes to what foods you should avoid on a clean diet, the list is mainly comprised of highly processed foods that are high in added sugar, sodium, and trans fats, and low in overall nutritional value. These foods are typically sources of empty calories. Some of these foods can also be associated with potential negative health consequences when included as part of an overall unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

Here are some of the top foods to limit in your clean diet:

Processed Foods and Ingredients

• Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Xylitol, Erythritol
• Refined Sugars: Brown sugar, Table Sugar, Corn Syrup
• Processed Meats: Hot Dogs, Spam
• Packaged Foods and Snacks
• Candy
• Chips
• Soda
• Alcohol

Clean Eating Meal Plan

Sticking to a balanced, clean diet can feel like a lot of work. If youre new to meal prep, or just not interested in spending hours shopping, cooking, and portioning out your food each week, there might be an easier way!

Check out the Trifecta clean meal plan and let us do all of the hard work for you. Or mix and match your favorite pre-cooked clean foods using our A La Carte line.

Our clean meal plan meets the strictest standards making it gluten-free, made with organic whole foods, grass-fed and sustainably caught proteins, and contains zero artificial ingredients or preservatives.

Nutrition and healthy eating

Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

Discover the difference between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts when it comes to nutrition, safety and price.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Once found only in health food stores, organic food is now a common feature at most grocery stores. And that's made a bit of a problem in the produce aisle.

For example, you can pick an apple grown with usual (conventional) methods. Or you can pick one that's organic. Both apples are firm, shiny and red. They both provide vitamins and fiber. And neither apple has fat, salt or cholesterol. Which should you choose? Get the facts before you shop.

What is organic farming?

The word "organic" means the way farmers grow and process farming (agricultural) products. These products include fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products such as milk and cheese, and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to meet the following goals:

• Improve soil and water quality
• Cut pollution
• Provide safe, healthy places for farm animals (livestock) to live
• Enable natural farm animals' behavior
• Promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm

Materials or methods not allowed in organic farming include:

• Artificial (synthetic) fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil
• Sewage sludge as fertilizer
• Most synthetic pesticides for pest control
• Using radiation (irradiation) to preserve food or to get rid of disease or pests
• Using genetic technology to change the genetic makeup (genetic engineering) of crops, which can improve disease or pest resistance, or to improve crop harvests
• Antibiotics or growth hormones for farm animals (livestock)

Organic crop farming materials or practices may include:

• Plant waste left on fields (green manure), farm animals' manure or compost to improve soil quality
• Plant rotation to keep soil quality and to stop cycles of pests or disease
• Cover crops that prevent wearing away of soil (erosion) when sections of land aren't in use and to plow into soil for improving soil quality
• Mulch to control weeds
• Insects or insect traps to control pests
• Certain natural pesticides and a few synthetic pesticides approved for organic farming, used rarely and only as a last choice and coordinated with a USDA organic certifying agent

Organic farming practices for farm animals (livestock) include:

• Healthy living conditions and access to the outdoors
• Pasture feeding for at least 30% of farm animals' nutritional needs during grazing season
• Organic food for animals
• Shots to protect against disease (vaccinations)

Organic or not? Check the label

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set up an organic certification program that requires all organic food to meet strict government standards. These standards control how such food is grown, handled and processed.

Any product labeled as organic on the product description or packaging must be USDA certified. If it's certified, the producer may also use an official USDA Organic seal.

The USDA says producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic food don't need to be certified. These producers must follow the guidelines for organic food production. But they don't need to go through the certification process. They can label their products as organic. But they can't use the official USDA Organic seal.

Products certified 95 percent or more organic may display this USDA seal.

The USDA guidelines describe organic foods on product labels as:

• 100% organic. This label is used on certified organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat or other foods that have one ingredient. It may also be used on food items with many ingredients if all the items are certified organic, except for salt and water. These may have a USDA seal.
• Organic. If a food with many ingredients is labeled organic, at least 95% of the ingredients are certified organic, except for salt and water. The items that aren't organic must be from a USDA list of approved additional ingredients. These also may have a USDA seal.
• Made with organic. If a product with many ingredients has at least 70% certified organic ingredients, it may have a "made with organic" ingredients label. For example, a breakfast cereal might be labeled "made with organic oats." The ingredient list must show what items are organic. These products can't carry a USDA seal.
• Organic ingredients. If a product has some organic ingredients but less than 70% of the ingredients are certified organic , the product can't be labeled as organic. It also can't carry a USDA seal. The ingredient list can show which ingredients are organic.

Does 'organic' mean the same thing as 'natural'?

No, "natural" and "organic" are different. Usually, "natural" on a food label means that the product has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. "Natural" on a label doesn't have to do with the methods or materials used to grow the food ingredients.

Also be careful not to mix up other common food labels with organic labels. For example, certified organic beef guidelines include pasture access during at least 120 days of grazing season and no growth hormones. But the labels "free-range" or "hormone-free" don't mean a farmer followed all guidelines for organic certification.

Organic food: Is it safer or more nutritious?

Some data shows possible health benefits of organic foods when compared with foods grown using the usual (conventional) process. These studies have shown differences in the food. But there is limited information to prove how these differences can give potential overall health benefits.

Potential benefits include the following:

• Nutrients. Studies have shown small to moderate increases in some nutrients in organic produce. Organic produce may have more of certain antioxidants and types of flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties.
• Omega-3 fatty acids. The feeding requirements for organic farm animals (livestock) usually cause higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. These include feeding cattle grass and alfalfa. Omega-3 fatty acids a kind of fat are more heart healthy than other fats. These higher omega-3 fatty acids are found in organic meats, dairy and eggs.
• Toxic metal. Cadmium is a toxic chemical naturally found in soils and absorbed by plants. Studies have shown much lower cadmium levels in organic grains, but not fruits and vegetables, when compared with crops grown using usual (conventional) methods. The lower cadmium levels in organic grains may be related to the ban on synthetic fertilizers in organic farming.
• Pesticide residue. Compared with produce grown using usual (conventional) methods, organically grown produce has lower levels of pesticide residue. The safety rules for the highest levels of residue allowed on conventional produce have changed. In many cases, the levels have been lowered. Organic produce may have residue because of pesticides approved for organic farming or because of airborne pesticides from conventional farms.
• Bacteria. Meats produced using usual (conventional) methods may have higher amounts of dangerous types of bacteria that may not be able to be treated with antibiotics. The overall risk of contamination of organic foods with bacteria is the same as conventional foods.

Are there downsides to buying organic?

One common concern with organic food is cost. Organic foods often cost more than similar foods grown using usual (conventional) methods. Higher prices are due, in part, to more costly ways of farming.

Food safety tips

Whether you go totally organic or choose to mix conventional and organic foods, keep these tips in mind:

• Choose a variety of foods from a mix of sources. You'll get a better variety of nutrients and lower your chance of exposure to a single pesticide.
• Buy fruits and vegetables in season when you can. To get the freshest produce, ask your grocer what is in season. Or buy food from your local farmers market.
• Read food labels carefully. Just because a product says it's organic or has organic ingredients doesn't mean it's a healthier choice. Some organic products may still be high in sugar, salt, fat or calories.
• Wash and scrub fresh fruits and vegetables well under running water. Washing helps remove dirt, germs and chemical traces from fruit and vegetable surfaces. But you can't remove all pesticide traces by washing. Throwing away the outer leaves of leafy vegetables can lessen contaminants. Peeling fruits and vegetables can remove contaminants but may also cut nutrients.

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April 22, 2022Show references

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