Today, as we recognize that nutrition plays a key role in healthy living, we have begun to be more careful about our food choices. So much so that we have even created different definitions: clean eating!
"Clean eating does not simply mean that our foods are microbiologically clean, of course. The most fundamental rule at the heart of the matter is this: do not eat anything that your great-great-grandmother would not recognize as food," says Sinem Usuk, Nutrition and Diet Specialist at Istanbul Okan University Hospital, who explained clean eating in four points.
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Prefer Unprocessed Foods.
The most important principle of clean eating is that you should consume foods in their most natural form.
What does this mean? To give a simple example; rather than white bread, you should choose whole wheat bread, or even better, wheat itself, or prefer a fresh orange to orange juice. This is the most basic path to clean eating.
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Eat According to the Season.
Foods you consume in their season will always have greater health benefits. It also ensures that your budget allocated for food does not increase economically. I especially recommend that you choose your fresh vegetables and fruits from local producers.
In a study conducted, it was found that the level of vitamin C in oranges dropped from 27-65 mg to 0-25 mg after 4 weeks.
This means that in winter, the freshest orange that you know protects you from flu is preferable. According to researchers, this applies to all vegetables and fruits. The taste pleasure that the fresh vegetables and fruits you consume in season will provide is your greatest bonus!
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Develop a Label-Reading Habit.
If you are buying a packaged ready-made food, you should read the label on the packaging to ensure that what you are buying is made with natural ingredients.
If possible, instead of foods containing many additives, shift your focus to "finding the most natural option" mentioned in the first point. If a packaged product is to be preferred, it would be correct to choose products from trusted brands that we can say have good content at this point.
Do you think clean eating is expensive or requires intensive labor? In a country like ours with abundant food variety, saying this is somewhat of an excuse. If you store foods properly in your kitchen, a meal will be ready for you exactly when you need it.
Accessing easy and healthy recipes is now much easier. Starting from the principle mentioned in the second point, with fresh foods you will buy from your market in season, you will experience both spiritual and physical satisfaction, and you will notice that you are spending less than what you spent in supermarkets!
