Clean Eating – The dirty truth

The definition of clean eating: Eating clean is a good way to refresh your eating habits: it’s about eating more of the best and healthiest options in each of the food groups—and eating less of the not-so-healthy ones. That means embracing foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains, plus healthy proteins and fats. So with this definition in mind, when did a diet rich in fresh seasonal organic fruit and vegetables become so dirty?

Fad diets

Was it when it became the scrutiny of fad diets, the butt of all jokes amongst cross fit and paleo followers, when the media reported on it or when a few wellness warriors used it as a get rich scheme as opposed to a legitimate lifestyle choice? We are often perplexed about a diet rich in wholefoods and foods from Mother Nature and why it gets so much focus and attention and not always in a good way.

It’s like brining your lunch to work; you are almost made to feel subconscious about brining your Tupperware container or lunchbox to the table as opposed to going out to the pub or local sandwich bar. No one every remarks on your food in a paper bag but food in a Tupperware container, well that’s another story. Its funny isn’t it, when we are trying to eat better, eat ‘healthier’ as they say and it seems to be met with resistance, sniggers and less than kind comments. Why is that? Why is trying to live better and longer still seen as something to make fun of?

A real food diet

We have followed what we call a real food diet for over 15 years but now we don’t even know if we even want to call it that, as it all sounds a little cliché. We are not happy with the current marketing of various products sold in supermarkets and those advertised on TV where everything is now labeled –  clean, green, superfood, natural, wholefood, even for us who eats this way, we don’t know what these words mean anymore as they are now often abused as opposed to celebrated. Unfortunately we are made to feel we are following a marketing band wagon, the current diet trend when actually we live, breathe and consume these words as part of our lifestyle – not a short lived fad diet.

Superfoods are not a trend

Kale is not the ‘in’ vegetable to eat; it’s just something we should be eating because it’s just so good for you. A green juice isn’t something you automatically have in your hands as you walk to a spin or stretch class, it’s in your hand because it’s just so dam good for you. A raw protein bliss ball for your mid morning snack doesn’t make you more righteous than the person next to you eating a donut, it just means you really understand the benefits of raw food that includes ingredients such as nuts, seeds, cacao and maybe even goji berries (I hear you snigger!)

It’s such a shame you can’t say you follow a clean real food diet without having people roll their eyes. This way of eating means more than juices, detox, fasting and superfoods. It means limiting illnesses & diseases and our need for prescription medicine, what is so wrong with that? I am proud of the way I eat. Not only because it makes me feel, look and train better but also because I support local farmers and small businesses for food that is grown & made with love & integrity.

Next time you roll your eyes at someone eating a kale salad with chickpeas, sprouts and hemp seeds think about why you have just done that. Their meal choice at the time will see them live life to the fullest in good health.