Clean eating

I wanted to tackle the issue of 'clean eating'. A catch phrase that's banded around without much discussion abourt what it actually means (except that most people agree that there's loads of chicken and broccoli involved). From Paleo, to no sugar, to counting macros ... there are loads of options that all proclaim to be 'clean'.

So what is clean eating? The truth is there is no one definition. To me its just eating to achieve your goal in a way that is not destructive to your body. So, if your goal is to stress less, maybe your diet will include a few more take away options in a week, if it's to enter a body building comp you'll be eating to bulk or lean out. If your goal is to fit into those skinny jeans again, you'll be reducing overall calories and staying away from carbs in the evening.

My goal at the moment is to complete a long course triathlon. With all the training associated with endurance sports, I find I get exhausted if I don't eat enough. So I'm eating a lot, including carbs with dinner, just to ensure I feel fresh enough to train. I'm not weighing myself, or spending too long in front of the mirror because at the moment I don't want to stress if the extra eating adds a couple of extra kilos, I just want to stay focussed on getting these arms and legs to power me through a 2km swim, 83km cycle and 20 (gulp) km run.

But no matter what my goal there are a few guidelines I try to follow.

1. I try to fit as many green (and orange and red and white) vegetables into my diet as I can

2. I try to stay away from ingredients I can't pronounce

3. I try and make sure any meat and dairy is organic, or raised and killed humanely

4. I try not to become so extreme it becomes anti-social and make sure I make sure I have some treat meals scheduled in

5. Stress is the enemy of good health, so if it stresses me out, it's not healthy.