Clean Eating Dinner Recipes Index - My Natural Family (2024)

FAQs

What foods are best for clean eating? ›

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.

MEAT & SEAFOOD

Organic and grass-fed beef, organic poultry, and wild-caught or sustainable seafood. Grass-fed beef is much healthier, is better quality, and is better for the environment. Typically grass-fed beef is organic by nature.

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.

Cottage Cheese – Technically, it's not clean. *gasp!* (Read the ingredient list). However, for many clean eaters, it is often included in day to day menus because it is such a fantastic source of low fat, non-meat protein.

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.

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.

Clean eating also means cutting down on processed meats like cold cuts, bacon and sausage.

When eaten in moderation, pasta can be part of a healthy diet. Whole-grain pasta may be a better choice for many, as it is lower in calories and carbs but higher in fiber and nutrients.

If a reasonable serving size is enjoyed, pizza can be a healthy part of a balanced diet. Enjoy your pizza with a side salad and skip the ultra-processed toppings to give your meal a nutritional boost.

Even popcorn is a whole grain. Buy the kernels and pop them on the stove or in an air popper for a clean snack that doesn't have the additives and buttery calories you find in microwave bags.

Are potatoes clean eating? ›

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.

Butter is avoided by some clean eaters, but not by others, while most who eat it suggest it should be organic and grass-fed – attributes that don't change the fact it is high in saturated fat. There is similar inconsistency over sugar.

Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated. It's light and creamy with a slightly grainy texture and delicate flavour that can be used on its own or in sweet and savoury dishes.

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.

This means staying away from processed foods and instead opting for 'whole foods' — those that are naturally derived from the earth. Often, this involves lean proteins, fatty fish, fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy fats like avocado and whole grains such as brown rice and oats.