34 Clean Eating Recipes You'll Actually Want To Eat (2024)

FAQs

What should I eat when eating clean? ›

A clean diet may include whole fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats while limiting highly processed snacks and other packaged foods with added sugar and salt. It may also be associated with terms like plant-based, grass-fed, sugar-free, or gluten-free.

A clean-eating meal plan includes tons of fresh fruits and veggies, high-fiber whole grains and legumes, healthy fats and lean proteins (like fish and chicken). It skips added sugars and minimizes sodium and saturated fats that can damage our hearts when we eat too much of them.

If you're looking to detox and get back to being healthy, you can make yourself a 5 day clean eating plan. Clean eating is a simple concept— you only consume whole foods. By that, we mean foods that aren't processed or refined or are at least minimally processed.

Eggs, dairy, beans and nuts are all suitable protein sources for a clean, vegetarian diet. Choose dairy with no added sugar and simple ingredients.

Peanut butter can be a healthy addition to a meal or snack, but not all peanut butters are the same. Some are full of unhealthy trans fats and hydrogenated oils. Pick natural, simple mixes. By: Dana Angelo White, M.S., R.D., A.T.C.

Breads All grains should be 100% whole grain on a clean eating diet but most store-bought whole grain breads and rolls contain far too many ingredients to be considered clean. Look in the freezer section for sprouted grain breads with no added preservatives and only natural, approved ingredients.

Chemical additives in bacon

The World Health Organization has classified bacon as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means it's known to cause cancer. One of the biggest risks of bacon is associated with two preservatives, nitrates and nitrites, that can form cancer-causing compounds.

The meals and snacks in this plan will have you feeling energized, satisfied and good about what's on your plate. And at 1,200 calories, this diet meal plan will set you up to lose upward of 4 pounds over the two weeks. Need a higher calorie level? See this same clean-eating meal plan at 1,500 and 2,000 calories.

Not only that, but it's well-accepted that cutting down on processed foods is an effective way to lose weight and feel better overall [3]. So, there are definitely aspects of adopting a clean eating lifestyle that are beneficial.

For those who can tolerate dairy, cheeses can be a healthy and nutritious source of proteins and healthy fats if consumed in moderation. Cheese is allowed in the clean eating meal plan, but with an asterisk. Processed cheese slices or other packaged foods that contain cheese should be avoided.

What foods to avoid when clean eating? ›

Higher levels of mental focus and clarity. Any symptoms of brain fog or low concentration should begin to clear as you start noticing you can think more clearly. You'll feel amazed that you can eat so much food without gaining weight. You might even feel overly full for the first couple of days of eating healthy.

Notice the amount of sugar in your packaged foods. Start small – pick one meal a day to be 100% clean. Eat more vegetables and fruits (try to have a vegetable with every meal). Swap one thing at a time – for example, instead of grabbing for a bag of chips, grab a handful of raw nuts or an apple and peanut butter.

Adopting a clean eating plan can be a simple and effective way to lose weight and boost your overall health. Additionally, eating clean means relying less on processed, store-bought items and preparing more meals at home, which could save you money.