When you claim to have created the world’s cleanest plant-based protein powder like I do, you better darn well know a thing or two about clean eats.
So with that said, I can tell you with conviction that I have spent countless hours reading labels, poring over nutrition research studies and articles, and dropping half my paychecks at Whole Foods in search of the healthiest “clean” products on the market that meet my dietary restrictions (I’m allergic to dairy and corn and avoid most products with gluten and soy too).
In this post, I will share my findings with you. You’ll discover:
1) What clean eating actually means.
2) How to spot and avoid brands posing as “clean.”
3) My 10 favorite clean eating packaged foods.
Plus as a bonus, I’ll share my clean eating grocery checklist with you.
[Get the printable clean eating grocery check list here]
Let’s start with #1 …
Clean Eating Basics
What does it mean to “eat clean”?
I’ll be the first to admit that the term clean eating is ambiguous … enough to elicit some scathing reactions.
Like this response from one of the top writers on Quora:
It’s a vague term for faddish eating, mostly with an orthorexic bent. It has no scientific basis and, like pretty much all food fads, is rooted in a fear of modernity.
And this one from a registered dietitian published in the British Medical Journal:
The command to eat cleanly implies that everyone else is filthy, being careless with their bodies and lives. It comes with promises of energy boosts, glowing skin, spirituality, purity, and possibly immortality. But this nonsense is all based on a loose interpretation of facts and a desire to make the pursuit of wellbeing an obsessive, full time occupation.
Ouch.
I disagree with both and I’ll tell you why in a minute.
First, here’s my definition of clean eating:
A whole food, plant-focused diet that’s low in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
The body of evidence that supports the health benefits of eating this way is enormous. So maybe eating “clean” is just another label … but it’s one that I believe can be of real, tangible benefit to people who don’t know how to eat healthy (or who do but aspire to eat better).
What’s the harm in that?
To me, there are bigger fish to fry anyway …
The real problem with clean eating
One of the underlying reasons for much of the aforementioned ambiguity and debate is Big Food coming in and slapping clean eating claims on all types of unhealthy packaged foods.
For example, some of my competitors in the protein powder industry sell sugar sweetened beverages to children that are marketed as clean and “all-natural”.
Not cool.
In addition to added sugar or artificial sugar, many so-called “clean” products on the market contain mystery ingredients and fillers like gums and “natural flavors,” which are now the fourth most common ingredient on food labels.
It should come as no surprise that those clever food product marketers have found ways to exploit the “all-natural” and “clean” claims, since the FDA doesn’t regulate use of these terms.
So how do you know what’s clean and what’s not?
Well, clearly “clean” is open to interpretation. But here’s what I look for:
- Organic ingredients I recognize as whole, real foods.
- No added sugar.
- No refined white flour.
- No mystery ingredients like gums, “flavors”, and other additives that you know nothing about.
If you stick with products that meet those criteria, it’s hard to go wrong.
When in doubt, the ingredients and nutrition facts label are the two objective sources of truth on any packaged food product.
If you don’t know what something is, don’t buy it until you research the safety of the ingredients. Check out credible sources that back their claims with peer-reviewed science (like the EWG, CSPI and Pubmed).
10 Best Clean Eating Packaged Food Brands for 2018
I’m not saying you need to be a vegetarian or vegan to eat clean. But the focus on my clean eating approach is plants … because 99.9% of us can benefit from eating more of them.
The clean eating food list I’m going to show you below contains foods with no:
- Added sugar
- Artificial ingredients
- Allergens like soy, dairy, gluten, and corn
- Animal products
- Highly processed ingredients posing as “natural” (e.g., flavors, gums, and other additives)
Eden Organic: I love their organic canned beans and tomatoes. They have some solid clean eating recipes on their website too. Eden was one of the first companies to use BPA-free cans too! Many of their products are now available on Amazon.
Malk: Their unsweetened almond and cashew milk are the only ones I have found without gums, fillers, and additives. Here are the ingredients in the almond milk: organic almonds, Himalayan salt, filtered water. Use their Store Finder to see if it’s available near you.
Nutiva: Great source for organic coconut oil and hemp seeds. Here’s the Store Locator. Most of their products can be found on Amazon as well.
Nature’s Intent: This is my go-to source for organic chia seeds. I get mine in bulk at Costco or Amazon.
Simply Organic: Seasonings and spices without fillers and other junk. Their recipes page has some tasty-looking ideas.
Bragg Organic: Bragg apple cider vinegar, “liquid aminos” (non-GMO, lower sodium soy sauce), coconut aminos (soy free), and nutritional yeast are staples in my clean eating recipes.
Bob’s Red Mill: They sell a variety of whole grain flours and baking products. I love their organic rolled oats. You can get most of their products on Amazon.
Trader Joe’s: TJ’s is a great place to stock up on nuts, seeds, healthy oils, fresh and frozen produce, and organic, gluten-free, non-GMO grains and pasta. Try the Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa Fusilli Pasta.
Banza: Love their chickpea pasta, which is gluten free, high in protein, and delicious. Available on Amazon too.
Alter Eco: Ok, this one has a little added sugar … but if you’re driving yourself insane trying to eat clean 24/7, this is a guilt-free indulgence to help satisfy those sweet cravings in a responsible manner. 😉 Alter Eco’s dark blackout chocolate is dairy-free, has 4 simple, organic ingredients, and contains 85% cacao for a healthy dose of antioxidants. It has just 6 grams of sugar per serving (a Snickers bar has 20 grams of sugar, for comparison’s sake). They also sell other chocolates, coconut truffles, quinoa, and rice.
Clean Eating Shopping List
These are the staples I stock up on every week:
Get the printable version of the clean eating checklist here
Final Thoughts About Clean Eats
Hopefully this provides some inspiration and ideas to help you find cleaner products. It hasn’t been easy in the past but now you’re starting to see a lot of brands jumping on the clean eating bandwagon … and I think that’s a good thing.
Minimally processed foods with ingredients you can pronounce are generally (but not always) healthier.
If you have questions or want to share your favorite clean eating foods and/or packaged products, leave a comment below.
And don’t forget to hit those share buttons on the left if you found this post helpful. 🙂
