What Is Clean Eating?
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Noel Hendrickson/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Clean eating is a term that’s tagged in tweets and blogs, posted on Instagram and Facebook, and seen on television screens. But what is it exactly? A diet? A lifestyle?
The truth is, it’s a very simple concept.
“In some ways clean eating is what eating was always about,” said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center.
“Food that’s clean is food that’s for the most part real food and not encumbered with things that compromise health: artificial flavorings, artificial colorings, sugar substitutes,” said Katz.
The clean eating rule of thumb is: The shorter the ingredient list, the better. No specific food is off-limits as long as it’s a real, honest-to-goodness food. In other words, this isn’t a “diet” that bans bread or sacrifices sugar.
“I don’t think sugar makes food unclean. Pure fruits are not unclean foods. You can add sugar to foods, and it can be clean. … It’s not about banishing any particular type of ingredient,” said Katz. “It needs to be a holistic concept. There’s a real danger in placing it on just one ingredient.”
Chef Ric Orlando, a pioneer of clean eating and the author of We Want Clean Food, takes a more organic, local approach to clean eating. He recommends local foods because they have less impact on the environment.
Clean eating for Orlando doesn’t limit protein or fried foods. Natural chicken, sustainable seafood, grass-fed cow’s milk are some meat options, and he suggests frying with non-genetically modified oils.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio