There’s no shortage of memes online selling the “Eat Clean” mantra. What they don’t explain is… what is clean eating anyway? While there’s no set definition, clean eating generally means choosing whole foods and ingredients that are minimally processed and as free of additives as possible (as explained by dietician Dr Wendy Bazilian). This also helps keep to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa’s healthy eating guidelines. It is way more accessible and sustainable than going on a diet which will leave you feeling hungry and miserable. As for what it looks like in practice, here are five easy clean eating guidelines to get you started.
Shop in the fresh produce aisle
A big part of clean eating is upping your intake of veggies and fruit. The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends eating five portions a day – which seems like a lot, but you can get creative. Cut up a rainbow of different fruit into a fruit salad with yoghurt for breakfast. At lunchtime, make it like a restaurant and have a side salad with your sarmie. For dinner, make a big tray of roast veggies in the oven to have as a side or even a main. And for snacks, think crudites – sliced carrots and cucumber, cocktail tomatoes and other little bites with hummus or tzatziki. Yum! FYI: Frozen veggies are just as nutritious (and sometimes even more so) as fresh veggies, so stock your fridge and your freezer.
Also hang out in the grains section
Clean eating means getting enough fibre. Fibre is good for your heart and lowers your cholesterol, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It also acts as a prebiotic, promoting gut health. Pulses, such as beans and lentils, are a clean source of fibre, carbohydrates and protein all in one. Save money by buying them raw in bulk.
When in doubt, keep it real and whole
Clean eating doesn’t mean you can’t eat any processed foods at all, but sometimes it can get confusing trying to figure out what’s a good choice and what isn’t. You can’t go wrong choosing a whole food. Think about it this way: a whole butternut or cubes of chopped-up butternut beats a butternut puree with additives and preservatives in a jar.
Read labels
Clean eating recommends organic produce that hasn’t been treated with pesticides as much as possible. But that can get expensive. If you can’t afford to shop organic, look for words like “free of preservatives”, “no artificial sweeteners” and “artificial flavour and colourant free”.
Choose your takeaways
You can absolutely still have takeaways! Clean eating doesn’t mean you now have to prepare every meal from scratch. Just be wise about your choices. Kauai serves a wide range of fresh, healthy meals made on-site with whole, good-quality ingredients. And the best part: Vodacom Red VIP customers can cash in their rewards points to redeem monthly Kauai vouchers. Eat clean and save? Score!
RED VIP customers are not limited to the monthly vouchers they get. They can add and top up their meals by using discounted vouchers on the Vodabucks store with these prompts. Visit VodaPay App select VodaBucks Store, select Food & Household and enjoy a variety of discounted food vouchers using your VodaBucks.
