Santé alimentation - WE ARE CLEAN - CLEAN EATING

Clean Eating, is good health

Why go without eating clean? It’s so good for your health!
While Clean Eating and the healthy trend are little by little becoming part of daily life, to the point of prompting new consumer habits, it’s worth looking again at why clean eating is the basis of good health.

Eating clean is not just about putting pretty, girly-looking dishes together. While it’s appetising to look at, it’s first and foremost our health that reaps the benefits of it, in terms of both illness prevention and consolidation.

Which makes sense, as the very principles of Clean Eating give off healthy vibes!

1- Steer clear of processed foods.

Basically, wholefoods are simple, healthy, and become “processed” at the point where they no longer look like they did to begin with. Subject to factory processing, they get loaded with sugar, salt, (poor-quality) fats, preservatives and all kinds of additives. This is how they lose many of their nutrients.

What makes it healthy?

Processed foods promote inflammation and increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders. Conversely, eating simple unprocessed wholefoods reduces the risk of being affected by these ailments. The simpler the food, with a short ingredients list, the easier it will be to digest and assimilate. Simple does not mean paltry.

2- Drink water!

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Following on from reining in sugar intake, cravings for carbonated drinks and fruit juices can be reined in by drinking water. You should drink at least a litre per day (don’t forget to drink a glass every hour, outside of mealtimes and nighttime!). Because while carbonated drinks and fruit juices seem to quench your thirst, it only disappears for a short while. Assimilated by the body in the same way as foods (unlike water), they don’t provide the rehydration sought, either in terms of sensation or result.

What makes it healthy?

Sugary drinks lead to overweight, are liable to increase levels of bad cholesterol and promote diabetes. Conversely, drinking water limits such risks. Better still, water is considered a clean, transparent cell messenger, unlike juices and other sugary drinks that carry other “information” from cell to cell, and from organ to organ. And if you do give in to some fruit juice, favour the homemade variety and add in vegetables, preferably green vegetables, which are very alkalinising and high in minerals.

3- Drop refined sugar!

At the very least, cut down your intake considerably. In foods that seem healthy, like white rice, bread and pasta… There’s white sugar lurking (more or less unobtrusively!). The result: while thinking that you’re eating healthily, you make your blood sugar level rocket. Not to mention pastries (whether mass-produced or from a bakery), which are real simple carbohydrate bombs.

What makes it healthy?

Ces sucres, pleins de calories vides, ne présentent aucun intérêt nutritionnel. Pas de vitamines,

These sugars, which are packed with empty calories, have no nutritional value. No vitamins, minerals, fibre or good protein come with the intake of refined sugar – just a likelihood of weight gain (or even obesity, in the long term). Cutting them out is an excellent way to prevent ailments related to diabetes. By favouring barley or oats over wheat, by swapping out white rice in favour of wholegrain or semi-wholegrain rice, by favouring rye or buckwheat bread, you drastically cut your intake of well-hidden simple carbohydrates and take in complex carbohydrates, which have proven nutritional value (not least a role in protecting intestinal flora).

4- Lay off the alcohol.

As a logical consequence of being encouraged to drink water more than any other beverage, reining in alcohol intake is one of the fundamental tenets of Clean Eating.

What makes it healthy?

If in your view, a good meal is always paired with a glass of high-quality wine, keep it up. It’s about favouring quality, pleasure and the exception to the rule. However, stiff drinks and habitual drinking change everything. A daily aperitif delivers only empty calories. The large amount of sugar and alcohol that it contains will end up taking their toll on the arteries! Alcohol promotes inflammation, is detrimental to the liver and liver function. Since the body is smart, it tries to get rid of the excess alcohol as quickly as possible and, while it’s busy doing that, it pauses its fat-burning function. This leads to overweight and stored fat deposits (especially in the abdominal area). Conversely, the occasional drink in a relaxing, cosy atmosphere makes you feel good. And if you feel on top of the world, the secretion of dopamine and endorphins (happy hormones) has positive effects on your entire metabolism.

5- Read the labels, even if they are in very, very fine print!

So you like the look of this food item? And it’s even marked organic? That’s not necessarily a guarantee of anything. Look out for certifications (like Nutriscore, the NOVA classification, etc.). They will tell you a lot about what’s in that food item, and whether it’s slightly or very processed. And easier still, if the ingredients list includes unfamiliar words, and a string of E numbers…. Don’t buy the product in question. Except in case of dire emergency!

What makes it healthy?

Reading the labels will make you a pro when it comes to hidden additives, colourants, salt, sugar and fats. The more you read, the more you’ll steer clear of very processed foods, the more you’ll feed your body with healthy foods containing “useful” calories. Experts recommend avoiding overpackaged food items, as the simplest, healthiest foods are those from the vegetable garden, orchard, butcher or local fishmonger and they don’t need this kind of complex packaging.

6- Cook!

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And that’s at the heart of Clean Eating principles. Going to the market to pick out your fruit, vegetables and perishables allows you to think about what dishes and meal plans you’re going to put together. By definition, it’s about favouring fresh produce and avoiding preservatives and other additives. And most importantly, it’s about being in charge of what you eat and serve up to your nearest and dearest, if you’re cooking for the family.

What makes it healthy?

Fresh produce, sourced locally with short supply chains, is bound to be in season, high in vitamins, and supplies the body with what it needs when it needs it. Cooking is about getting back in touch with the needs of the individual, rooted in their local natural heritage.

7- Favour eating local and organic!Favour eating local and organic!

Acheter bio - WE ARE CLEAN - CLEAN EATING

If you’re going to cook and go and pick out your groceries, it makes sense to shop in your neighbourhood. And to raise the bar a bit higher, organic is best. Because organic produce meets a stringent, precise charter, which excludes GMO and chemical pesticides (instead favouring natural pesticides, for example from plants, through the introduction of certain insects, etc.).

What makes it healthy?

Anything that’s packed with pesticides poisons our cells. So you should steer clear of it for the sake of your health. The same applies when choosing meat and dairy products. Buying produce grown, prepared and cooked by local producers is about getting ever more firmly rooted in your local natural heritage, and forging closer ties with those who form the network of smallholders. It’s about eating mindfully, which creates good vibrations in our cells!

8- Get a good amount of fruit and vegetables.

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We love them! They are our main source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. Whole (first and foremost!) or juiced, they contain a whole line-up of nutrients that the body can assimilate easily thanks to their high fibre content (except in juices, which is why you should team juices with portions of whole fruit and vegetables).

What makes it healthy?

They are the main buffer between cells and free radicals. The antioxidants that we hear so much about, which halt the inflammatory process. So by treating ourselves to their virtues from morning till night, by preparing them in various different ways, cooked and raw, you prevent autoimmune, inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders. Always favour the organic variety that’s locally sourced and in season. Wash them with white vinegar before eating or cooking them. On top of everything else, they are easy to deal with. You can eat them as they are, without the need to add anything at all. In summary they are plain, simple and the real deal. What’s not to like?

9- Put some colours on your plate!

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Not only is it about joy, it’s also about dietary diversity. And since each colour represents a vitamin or family of vitamins, the more colours there are on your plate, the more vitamins are contained in the food.

What makes it healthy?

The body doesn’t like habitual or repetitive intake because it soon gets lazy. If you eat a slice of high-quality organic country ham for breakfast every morning, it’s nutritionally sound but too repetitive, and you’ll end up gaining weight. If you switch between ham, smoked trout, avocado, cheese and potted mackerel… You’ll provide such a smorgasbord that your body will go and draw the nutrients from it, burn the fats and only keep hold of what it needs, making for metabolism that’s in tip-top shape. And to round off the colour board, add spices, fresh herbs, seeds and sprouted seeds. In an even more subtle way, you’ll take variety a little bit further still.

10- Split meals up and treat yourself!

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A Clean Eating suggestion is to have five to six meals a day rather than two or three large ones, which are harder for the body to digest. Basically, breakfast is important and contains animal or plant-based protein. It’s made up of more savoury foods than sweet ones (since it’s proven that upon waking, human metabolism is programmed to deal with salt more effectively than sugar). Lunch is also made up of protein and vegetables. Dinner too, but in smaller amounts. But most importantly, two snacks are recommended: one in late morning and one in the afternoon (that afternoon snack).

What makes it healthy.

The digestive system is not overworked by big calorie intakes, but taxed more reasonably several times. The intake of water (contained in foodstuffs), fibre, vitamins and minerals is more steady, and supplied as and when the body needs it, while stabilising sugar intake and therefore blood sugar levels.

In conclusion, eating healthily has only advantages. Your digestion improves, you have increased energy, you have healthy bowel function, reach a healthy weight… As an aside, don’t get disconnected from pleasure. Eat mindfully, taking the time to look at your plate of food, to smell it and to hear the crunch of your bread. Then get connected to your sensations to listen to your satiety. Since we are all too often conditioned by social cues rather than our own ones. Simply put, Clean Eating is also about listening to yourself. Yes indeed, it’s not a swear word, let alone a selfish concept. Life depends on it!

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