Fiona says goodbye to processed food and hello to clean living
CLEAN eating is the elimination of junk food, all processed food and refined sugar. It also involves serious portion control and eating six balanced meals every two to three hours. Whole foods and water are also key elements of the diet which is being extolled by the likes of healthy eating guru, Gwyneth Paltrow.
As one of the newsteam at Cork’s RedFM radio station, my working day starts at the ungodly hour of 5am, so I’ll try anything that will boost my energy levels in the morning and as the day progresses. The critics of clean eating like to say it takes the joy out of food and is just another trendy diet but nutritional therapists are backing it. So four weeks ago, I decided that this was good enough for me.
Eradicating chocolate was the toughest part of clean eating because I adore it. Also, having to eat every three hours was a big change and for the first few days I was forcing myself to eat. Before this, I could have gone up to seven hours without eating. But by week two of the clean-eating challenge, I was hungry every two to three hours as my metabolism sped up.
Another big readjustment was drinking less tea and coffee and drinking three litres of water every day. Yes three litres.
Because of my early starts, the advantages of clean eating became apparent more quickly I think. After the first week, I noticed that my energy levels were much higher.
I wasn’t eating croissants or sugary cereals to get a burst of energy in the morning but eating fruit, natural yoghurt and almonds between my main meals – all of these foods offer a slow release of energy throughout the day. To be fair, my main meals were little changed. Breakfast consisted of porridge and eggs, followed by a wrap or pitta with salad and chicken for lunch and vegetables, basmati rice and lean meat as my evening meal.
But given that after three weeks I was still battling sugar cravings despite my higher energy, I saw the truth in the theory that it takes 21 days to break a habit.
By week four, however, I was beginning to enjoy the foods I was eating. I was sleeping better and finding it easier to get out of bed when my alarm went off. Exercise was also more manageable after work as my energy levels were lasting all day.
Overall, I am feeling fantastic and, despite the odd craving for a sugary hit, I have it under control.
Advocates of the diet often ‘clean eat’ for stints while others adopt it as a permanent lifestyle change, but either way you would wonder is it realistic? I would say that without organisation it simply won’t work.
If you have a very busy life, preparing six meals from scratch every day is not sustainable. Meals need to be prepared in advance as portion control is one of the main principles of the diet and foods need to be weighed.
Elements of it, such as eating every three hours, cutting out sugar and increasing the amount of water you drink, can become a part of an everyday lifestyle. Alcohol consumption will also undermine clean eating, so unless you’re prepared to refrain from boozy weekends it won’t work.
One of the biggest criticisms of clean eating is that it’s expensive. However, clean eating is possible on a budget and a week’s groceries can be bought for €25 – €40 depending on where you shop. All the ingredients I used were bought at discount supermarket chains like Lidl and Aldi.
Nutritional therapist, Jennifer O’Callaghan, of nutrition4living.ie, says clean eating has many advantages for the body.
“Inflammation in the body will go down and your skin and hair will start to look healthier,” she says. “After the first few days, your energy levels should start to come up and your mood will improve.
“Clean eating will also help to naturally detoxify your body as if not, the liver is constantly working to break down the toxins that you are eating in your daily life.”
She warns thought that your body will likely go into withdrawal.
“Your body will be re-adjusting to life without coffee, sugars and chocolate and you may experience headaches. Remember your body is not getting those stimulants and sugar hits that it normally gets and which cause a range of blood sugar imbalances in the body,” she says.
Many health and fitness centres have included clean-eating plans in their training programmes. Evolution Health and Fitness centre, on the Monahan Road in Cork, combines clean eating with weight-training.
They focus on fat loss, instead of weight loss, which when combined with clean eating can show great results.
“We can see that girls are no longer frightened to walk into the weights section of the gym which is steadily taking up more floor space in gyms,” says Chris O’Mahony of Evolution Health and Fitness.
“The old myth of girls getting ‘bulky’ if they use weights is finally being blown out of the water because women have very low levels of testosterone which is a key hormone in the muscle-building process and so they won’t muscle up,” he says.
“The body also requires a surplus of calories if it’s to build new muscle, so once the overall calorie intake is of clean food (non-processed), and not above daily requirements, the body has no raw materials to build a bulky frame.
“For this reason, clean eating in conjunction with weight training is working well.”
Corporal Bernie Hart is no stranger to training, having worked her way up through the ranks in the army over the last 15 years.
But after having her first child and moving to an administrative role, the 34-year-old became less active and unhappy with her figure, fitness and health.
“I had tried every fad diet going to get back into shape and regain energy, but nothing ever seemed to work,” she said.
“Then I discovered clean eating. I see now that a toned body is not about being skinny, it’s about being strong and now that I am educated about food I feel so in control and so strong,” she said.
The mum-of-one has dropped three dress sizes since she took up the diet and says instead of rewarding herself with food she now treats herself to gym gear.
As well as physical results, Bernie says that eating well and training allowed her to cope with the stresses of everyday life.
“My father recently became ill and I found great comfort and release from training,” she said.
“It’s another way I have found to cope with stresses in my life, and clean eating also gives me energy to deal with things.”
As for me, I actually saved money on the diet as stopping off at petrol stations and shops for coffees and snacks was no longer an option.
Keep as close to natural food as possible - the less man has interfered with the food between the source and the plate the better it is.
Eat every three hours. Smaller portions more often will keep your metabolism running at optimum levels.
Starving the system of fuel is the worst way to lose weight. It’s about moving more, not eating less.
Read nutritional labels in supermarket. You’ll be amazed the sugar content of the foods we buy. Cereal boxes, sauces, jars, yogurts all contain huge sugar contents.
Eat breakfast, Start as you mean to go on. Kick start your metabolism every day by eating first thing.
Drink 3 litres of water daily. Water makes up 55-60% of the body we need it to survive.
Good fats need to make up about 20% of a balanced diet. Nuts, seeds and oily fish all contain great fats.
Go shopping - get all the ingredients for your clean eating plan at the beginning of the week
Invest in a kitchen scales - eating small amounts often is key to clean eating so portion control is essential
Build your spice rack, this will come in handy if foods begin to taste bland without sauces.
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