WHAT IS CLEAN EATING? TIPS ON CLEAN EATING

DATE

30 May 2020

WHAT IS CLEAN EATING? TIPS ON CLEAN EATING

We’re happy to share our interpretation of what is clean eating is and how we choose to define it. To us, it means eating more of what cherish you and less of what depletes you. Here are some ways we define clean eating:

• Focus on a variety of foods to give your body all the vitamins and minerals it needs.
• Aim for less processed, whole foods that are less challenging on your metabolic system.
• Eat healthy to fuel your body to gain strength and energy, rather than telling yourself you’re wrong for eating something bad.
• Decrease the things that make you unfit and fill your plate with the things that inspire you.

Why is it important to eat clean?

Let us repeat that clean eating isn’t a strict concept. With that said, let’s talk about how it supports your health and body — particularly your liver’s health. The liver is an organ that is essential for many functions in the body, including making cholesterol (yes we need some), helping to make glycogen for energy storage, hormone production, enzymes for digestion, and for detoxing.

Maintaining your liver and detox system operation will advance your overall health. When things are running slowly, you can experience fatigue, headaches, brain fog, anxiety, stomach pain, constipation, depression, irritability, aches, and pains. Another side effect of drastic and chronic liver damage is protein deficiency. Without enough protein, our bodies can’t manage fluid properly, leading to swelling under the skin. A classic sign of this protein-energy malnutrition is the beer belly.

How to eat clean?

Think of your liver as a funnel. If you load too much into the funnel at once, it gets clogged. If the funnel isn’t working properly, it will get backed-up or overflow. Just like a funnel, your liver has an optimal maximum capacity and requires regular maintenance and support.

Liver detox includes two phases. During phase 1, toxic chemicals are converted into less harmful chemicals. However, the byproducts of this reaction are still toxic and pose a threat to the body, including DNA and cell damage. The problem with many detox diets (such as a juicing detox which does not contain any protein) is that it supports this phase but not the second.

Foods and drugs that accumulate and clog your liver funnel (limit these):

• Food additives
• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Pollutants
• Pesticides
• Metabolic byproducts

Nutrients that support phase 1 detox:

• B vitamins
• Folic acid
• Antioxidants (vitamin C, E, and glutathione)
• Carotenoids

During the second phase, the liver makes those harmful byproducts produced by phase 1 neutral.

Nutrients that support phase 2 detox:

Amino acids (protein building blocks)

• Glutamine
• Glycine
• Taurine
• Cysteine
• Sulfur components (eggs, cruciferous vegetables)
• Selenium

In general, limit processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and additives and focus on those wholesome foods that help support your liver and detox systems.

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