Clean Eating Diet

A simplified 80/20 concept to eat clean
and develop healthier habits

You do not go on a clean eating diet for a certain period of time. This expression itself might be misleading. Instead clean eating is a holistic approach to nutrition that you can practice for your entire life.

Probably, some of you are already “eating clean” without even knowing it. Until recently, I was not even aware that I was already unconsciously embracing a type of clean eating philosophy. “Clean eating” a term that a lot of people in the U.S. have been using to describe healthy eating habits does not exist here in Germany.

Consuming more vegetables and fruits but less fast food and sweets is something our mothers taught us. This advice cannot be overemphasized, but it is not new.

If healthy nutrition disguised by the buzzword “clean eating” supports to spark the masses, it might help to combat the steadily increasing overweight and obesity rates.

So let’s break down the anatomy of a clean eating diet.

Overview

1. What is clean eating?
2. Why is it so popular?
3. Weight loss
4. Health Benefits
5. Diet Basics
6. Who invented it?
7. Who is it for?
8. Challenges
9. 52-week habit challenge
10. What really matters
11. The 80:20 approach
12. How to eat clean
13. You are what you eat

1. What is clean eating?

It is not easy to find an objective definition as this “marketing” term is not protected by trademark law.

A “clean” food for you might be unhealthy or inappropriate for another person. It comes down to many factors like your personal beliefs, your health situation, how and where you live, your culture etc.

• Are you a vegetarian or a vegan?
• Do you have any food allergies?
• Do you suffer a specific illness?
• Are you an office worker or an athlete?

For each of you “clean” has a very subjective meaning and you will have to define it for yourself.

For me it just means trying to maximize the nutrition of natural, whole foods while minimizing empty calories. As long as my food is nutrient dense and has enough satiating power, then occasional deviation from the plan is fine. I love in this context the 80-20 approach: ‘If I can eat healthy 80% of the time, then I can afford to treat myself 20% of the time’

What does “clean” mean for you? Think about it!

2. Why is it so popular?

The simplicity and flexibility of clean eating is quite easy to understand and has thus gained popularity. You just ask yourself: Would my grandmother have it recognized as food?

Many people today are aware of the connection between poor health and processed food. Clean eating educates you on the pitfalls of our modern industrialized processed foods. It shows us how to remove chemicals and hormones from your diet, while focusing on foods directly from nature.

The core and also the real challenge of clean eating is the habit-alteration. This is by the way also the focus of my website LeanJumpStart.com.

3. Clean eating and weight loss – Why it goes hand in hand

As the ultimate un-fad diet, clean eating does not tell you to lose weight, but instead shows you how to get healthy. It highlights the idea of eating the right type of foods to make your body function better.

The primary goal is changing how you think about, select, and consume foods. Weight loss will just be the end product of the entire process.

4. Health benefits

Eating clean is not just for people looking to lose weight. Indeed, there is now an abundance of evidence¹  to suggest that a clean eating lifestyle offers a huge array of health benefits. Among others it will help you:

• have a tougher immune system to fight infections
• have more energy, better concentration and mood
• normalize blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• improve the heart function and circulation while reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke
• Reduces susceptibility of getting certain forms of cancer
• leads to a more active and longer life

5. Clean Eating Diet basics

Here are the basic principles:

1. Choose natural, whole foods
2. Mix complex carbohydrates with lean proteins in each meal
3. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables
4. Consume healthy fats
5. Eat 5-6 meals throughout the day
6. Preferably cook your own meals
7. Drink sufficient water

There are more radical clean eating diets:

Some clean eaters focus on eating only organic food. Others avoid dairy. Don’t get me wrong I am a big advocate of organic food. But for many families, organic eating is not always a financially viable option. Those who are living frugally can also develop healthy eating habits.

It all comes down to what you personally will accept in your nutrition and life plan. The most scientifically supported solutions in this context are balance and moderation.

6. Who invented it?

A clean eating diet is so common-sense that no one really can take credit for inventing this healthy eating concept. The following equation sums it up:

All Food – Food inventions = Clean foods

7. Who is it for?

At first glance such a diet might seem better for the fitness competitor or bodybuilder since they form their bodies to earn a living. But most of you are not paid to look good. Nutrition does not have to be the focal point of your life.

Having a simplified, practical way to eat healthfully is crucial. From your own experience you know that it is so easy to fall into a bad habit of fast food and TV dinners.

You wish to eat foods that are minimally processed before consumption. However, you are often organizationally overwhelmed. You do not have time to cook elaborate meals for yourself that your family is not going to eat.

Clean eating can work for you too.

I am convinced that with a “guided” common sense approach you could easily change your lifestyle. I will help you to develop and automate tiny, smart habits to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

8. Challenges

The sad truth is once you are prepared to switch to a healthier, clean eating lifestyle you might encounter some unexpected hurdles.

1) Too extreme of an approach

Life is all about balance and to me many clean eating books show zero balance. I have read about diets that are too extreme for someone trying to make dietary changes. Everything you ever loved is cut out and replaced with things you have never even heard of or tried.

One thing that science has proven is that most overweight persons have a food addiction that is equivalent to an alcoholic or a drug user. Replacing every piece of food with an all “clean” diet is very radical. Trying to set everything into motion from the beginning provokes a high frustration level. People are overwhelmed, give up and open a bag of chips instead…

2) Promotion of Supplements

Another problem is that many “eat clean” books promote the use of supplements that will empty your wallet and deliver only a placebo effect. These supplements are sold by an unregulated industry. Numerous studies show that these supplements are not useful².

3) Lack of simple step-by-step instruction

ALL clean eating books I have read so far have one thing in common: They lack a simple step by step set of instructions on how to develop clean eating habits. However, many people want a clean eating diet plan they can follow to slowly phase out certain unhealthy foods and add new healthier foods.

9. 52 week habit challenge

The lack of simple step-by-step instructions was the reason I started LeanJumpStart. It is so easy to get obsessed with clean eating as a life goal and getting caught up in rigid rules. But that is not what you need.

10. What really matters are healthier habits.

By developing smart behaviors, you will have more energy and time for the people and things in life that are most meaningful to you. Although you cannot “buy” discipline you can learn it. The easier the habits you are tackling, the higher is your success rate.

That is why I have worked out an action plan for you to help you in developing smarter, tiny habits and routines.  My main focus is on:

• nutrition
• fitness and
• happiness

You will get 52-weekly challenges over the course of a year jam-packed with tips that give you clarity and direction. I have made these new behaviors so easy that you will not feel like you are making drastic changes. It will give you the organization you may be lacking in your life. Besides of tiny habit changes for beginners I include in this challenge also an advanced approach.

Check below what I have published so far each week for those of you who want to take clean eating to the next level:

- Smart goals examples
- How to drink more water
- Ways to get to sleep
- How to eat more vegetables
- Best fruits to eat
- How to stop watching TV
- How to stop procrastinating
- How to eat more whole grain foods
- Low Fat Dairy Products
- How to change eating habits
- Laughing just for fun
- How to beat sugar Addiction
- Healthy Nuts
- Clean Eating Meal Plan
- Stop Emotional Eating
- Buy Healthy Oils for Cooking
- Walking and Weight Loss
- Best Fish to Eat
- Lentil Nutrition
- Clean Eating and Weightloss
- Mason Jar Salad
- Positive Attitude Quotes
- Healthy Spices
- Clean Eating on a Budget
- Checking Weight

11. (Lean) Jumpstart your habits: The 80:20 approach

The 80:20 rule is also known as the Pareto principle which defines that 80% of results come from 20% of causes. The habit changes that I present to you will have a “lean, 80-20 approach”. You just work smart on the 20% of right things to achieve 80% of your wished results - simple and yet very effective.

Expect to get:

• clever inspirations for saving time and calories in your kitchen
• the simplest preparation of any type of healthy recipe (I’m a big fan of 3 ingredient recipes)
• creative ideas about how to de-clutter your eating environment
• useful tips about how to make better food choices and to not be swayed by marketing
• organizational tips for healthy living
• free motivational or educational charts and tools

12. How to eat clean: 80/20

In the context of healthy eating, 80/20 means building a lifestyle that you can live with for the rest of your life. You just aim for 80% clean eating while 20% is reserved for optional diversion from the plan.

Balance is essential. You do not have to be perfect all the time. The 20% gives you the necessary flexibility for different situations like birthdays, dining out, snacks etc.

13. You are what you eat!

From day to day you begin feeling a little bit more energetic and a lot better about your ability to take charge of this important area of your life. The sooner you start, the better your chance of living a life full of energy with improved overall health and fitness.

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Lean Jumpstart your eating habits and update your life!

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