‘I’m a dietitian and this is why I shudder at the term ‘clean eating”

On a health kick? Chances are you’re trying to ‘eat clean’.

You know, eat more whole foods and less processed ones. And while you might expect me, a dietitian, to wholeheartedly embrace the clean eating phenomenon, I actually vehemently disagree with it.

Here’s three reasons why I’d encourage you to erase the term ‘clean eating’ form your vernacular.

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1. Food is not ‘dirty’

The term ‘clean eating’ implies that some foods are ‘good’ and some foods are ‘naughty’ or ‘bad’. The reality, however, is that foods don’t have a moral compass – food is just food, and all foods can fit within a healthy diet.

Putting foods into either a ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ basket can lead to feelings of shame or guilt when you choose something from the latter, and that’s not part of a truly healthy relationship with food.

2. ‘Clean eating’ is not sustainable

Of course, some foods are more nutritious than others, and I would always encourage you to eat nutritious, whole foods most of the time. It’s impractical, however, to think that you’re never going to eat chocolate, cake or hot chips ever again, so there’s no point in enduring doomed periods of depriving yourself from them.

Instead, it’s far healthier to focus on ‘balance’ and accept that these foods are a normal part of life. (Plus, they’re delicious).

3. ‘Clean eating’ is a diet in disguise

You mightn’t think of ‘clean eating’ as a typical fad diet... but the truth is, it is a diet – and diet’s just don’t work. That’s because they put you in a mind frame where you’ve got a strict list of foods you supposedly ‘can’t’ consume, which ultimately makes you crave those foods more than ever before.

While your willpower might last a little while, it will eventually run out, and you’ll end up binging on the restricted food/s, which you’ll feel awful about it. So, you’ll vow to start your diet again and be better next time round – but the cycle repeats itself over and over again, and you never really get anywhere.

What to do instead of ‘clean eating’

If you are serious about changing your health and wellbeing for good, it’s time to let go of the perfectionism that clean eating implies.

Instead of following a restrictive set of clean eating rules, here’s my top seven healthy eating tips I’d encourage you work on overtime, so you end up the healthiest version of yourself without feeling deprived:

Melissa Meier is a Sydney-based accredited practising dietitian. You can follow her on Instagram @honest_nutrition.