Ever hear someone say they are trying to "eat clean"? Maybe that's what you say. As a nutritionist, a part of me likes to hear this because there's a focus on eating foods that are healthier. They/you are likely more aware of what is going in their/your body. However, I always have to dive deeper on this too. In our world it's hard to even know what "clean" is. Food companies, media, influencers and even health organizations funded by food companies, throw us propaganda on a regular basis trying to convince us that their food is "clean". Labels are created with marketing to fit the newest nutrition trend. Colors and graphics of nature are plastered all oveer packaging to make us think it's more natural.

Now, in our logical brain, we all know that bell peppers are "cleaner" than skittles. We know that whole chicken is "cleaner" than chicken nuggets. We know that potatoes are "cleaner" than potato chips. You get the picture. But, do you know if your bell pepper is cleaner than another bell pepper? Do you know if your oatmeal is cleaner than a different brand? Do you know if your protein powder has lead in it? Do you know if your beef was pumped with hormones?

Where have we had the disconnect? Just a few generations ago, we used to eat seasonal produce from local farmers or personal gardens, animals from our local butcher or that we raised/hunted and processed ourselves, dairy from the local rancher and so on. We had a medicine cabinet full of turmeric and elderberry rather than ibuprofen and Tums. There wasn't talk of supplementing with this and that. Now, most of population buys their food from the branch store. Most of it is processed (check out people's carts next time you go shopping). Those of us that are more health conscious are buying mostly real food, but that food has come from across the country or world and was picked before it was fully ripe and packaged to get here.

If you are buying food at chain grocery stores (I do it too sometimes, so no judgement at all), we aren't getting the same food our ancestors did. Our soil a few generations ago was completley different. We hadn't stripped the soil with mono-cropping and herbicides/pesticides. The foods we were eating came from nutrient rich soil that produced food that nourished our body. Now, most soil doesn't provide the same food. Like I said earlier, not every bell pepper is created equal. In fact, studies have shown that spinach and lettuce are some of the most common foods with high levels of heavy metals. Eating clean doesn't just mean meat, produce, nuts and seeds. It also means are the real foods you are buying clean of heavy metals and toxins.

So, as to not beat a dead horse, let's move on. How do we navigate this and what does it really mean to eat clean? Like everything I preach as a coach, it depends. It depends on your situation (location and financial). Let's break it down. In an ideal situation where you have the financial means to buy higher quality food and access to local ranchers/farmers markets/CoOps, you buy your food from them. Getting meat/eggs that were raised on organic pasture. Getting orgainc raw milk/dairy. Getting organic, seasonal produce. And that's that. However, I realize that alot of people may not be in that situation. So, the next step would be to do as much of that first situation as you can, but when buying at grocery stores, still try to get seasonal produce and buy organic, free range, wild caught, pasture raised, grass fed. If that's not a thing (yes it is more expensive to do this... anyone see the price of eggs in stores lately... eek!), then when you think of "eating clean", that means eat real food. It shouldn't have a food label or nutrition facts. Try to avoid the aisles where foods with a shelf life are (that means preservatives, chemicals and bad oils).

Okay... now that the nutrition nazi has spoken... let's also be real. I too sometimes eat packaged food. But I keep it to a minimum and try to still buy higher quality. One way to check in on your food is to go to www.cleanlabelproject.org and see how clean your food actually is. Alot of packaged food has toxins and heavy metals so it's important to know what you're buying. The other thing is to read nutrition labels. Try to avoid foods with added sugars and seed oils. And I will end this with... don't be a psycho. It's easy to get CRAZY about being perfect in our health journey... but perfection isn't the goal. Progress and just doing the bet we can is. Sometimes that means you eat licorice at the movie or fries from In and Out. As long as the majority of the time you are "eating clean" and now hopefully know what that means, you're doing just fine!