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

FAQs

What 10 days of clean eating actually does to your body? ›

This elimination challenges you to eliminate certain items from your diet for 10 days: sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and processed grains. Eliminating these things will help break your bad habits, crush your cravings, reduce bloating, improve mood and increase energy.

The more veggies — and the greater the variety — the better. Potatoes and French fries don't count. Choose fish, poultry, beans, and nuts; limit red meat and cheese; avoid bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats. Eat a variety of whole grains (like whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, and brown rice).

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.

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.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat are all recommended for rapid weight loss.

Others adopt a “clean eating” lifestyle because they want to lose weight and body fat. And some even turn to clean eating to gain weight and lean muscle. While eating this way can and does produce weight loss for many people, it doesn't happen that way for everyone.

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

The main concern about bacon is its high levels of saturated fat and sodium, says Kristen Smith, RD, also a spokesperson for the AND. A diet high in saturated fat and sodium is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, per the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Eating cleaner means limiting processed foods like bologna, salami, pepperoni and hot dogs. These—and other processed meat products—are usually high in sodium and may contain artificial colors as well as preservatives. Choosing environmentally sustainable protein when possible can help you with clean eating, too.

Likewise, many whole grains qualify for a clean eating food list even though they may be somewhat processed. For example, whole rolled oats are a clean food, but the very outer coating of the oat, as you'd find with oat groats, has been removed.

Is cheese clean eating? ›

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.

The Bottom Line. It is totally fine to eat potatoes every day. While how you prepare and cook potatoes and how much you eat could possibly impact your health, whole potatoes with skin are a nutritious vegetable with health benefits.

Following a low-carb diet also means consuming more protein. Studies indicate that a diet rich in high-protein foods, such as eggs, fish, seafood, legumes, nuts, meat, and dairy results in overall less abdominal fat, more satiety, and an increased metabolic function.

While it's true that some brands of peanut butter have higher amounts of sugar or sodium, peanut butter is generally still a safe and healthy option when consumed in moderation.

In general, a low-carb way of eating shifts your intake away from problem foods—those high in carbs and sugar and without much fiber, like bread, bagels and sodas—and toward high-fiber or high-protein choices, like vegetables, beans and healthy meats.

Within the first few days you may feel more energized, alert and less bloated. After the first full week or two, you may experience changes in body composition, skin complexion and your mood. After a month and onward, you may have dropped some extra weight, lowered cholesterol levels and decreased high blood pressure.

One Week After Starting

Your body will be shedding all the excess water you were retaining thanks to a high sodium intake, along with too many processed foods earlier. This also comes with looking leaner in the mirror. Your scale weight will be down anywhere between 2-5 pounds. Food cravings are lessening further.

Dedicate yourself to the clean eating lifestyle, and you'll lose about 3 pounds a week, Reno says. The benefits go beyond weight loss. You'll stay healthy and have more energy. Your eyes will look bright and alert.

But, it's important to note, two weeks is not long enough to quantify those changes. “Good quality food is more satiating, which means you will naturally eat less [over 14 days],” she says. “And you'll likely see an increase in your energy levels and some weight loss from shedding water.