Clean Eating Do's and Dont's

Clean Eating works well on a vegan or gluten free diet.

Foods that count as 'clean eating'

Eating natural and non processed foods, does not mean that your diet can only consist of fruits and vegetables. Clean eating still means a diverse range of foods. What’s more important is the quality and freshness of your food choices.

In addition to brain foods like fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates that are found in whole grains like brown rice, grains or pseudo grains like quinoa, legumes or superfoods are also key ingredients. The best start to your day should include a healthy breakfast, consisting of proteins, fibre and complex carbohydrates. This combination will prevent you from having a midday crash later on. A breakfast like overnight oats or a refreshing smoothie are good options. Chia puddings are also a great source of vegan protein.

Tip: did you know that raw cacao not only tastes delicious, but also falls under the ‘clean’ category?

If you want to enhance the sweetness, some agave or date syrup will elevate the flavour. You can read more about sugar alternatives here.

In addition to the above mentioned foods, unsaturated fats are also a must. Natural oils like olive or coconut oil can cover your daily need for fat. Suitable protein sources come from vegan meat alternatives or foods like beans, chickpeas, spinach and nuts.

Why eat 'clean'?

The reasons why people choose to eat clean are diverse and highly individual. Some popular reasons include:

#1 By eating plenty of healthy macronutrients, clean eating offers a clear and intuitive path for weight loss.

#2 Long term, clean eating can be beneficial to your health. The high concentration of nutrients supports different bodily functions like our brain functioning and gut health. It therefore also helps to strengthen our immune system. Clean eating supports our physical as well as our mental health. It supports the maintenance of our muscle structure, helps boost your mood and helps build the foundation to battle psychological illnesses.

#3 If we feed our body well, we also increase our energy levels.

#4 Finally, clean eating can help protect important environmental resources. Local and seasonal products alleviate our carbon footprint. By eating clean, even during travels, you can support local labour conditions and save environmental resources.

Clean Eating while travelling

Before you embark on your trip, try and visualise the trip and all the amazing experiences you are about to have. Focus on the unique memories and joy you will have, and already try and get into a stress free mentality. Stress should not be with you on your trip.

The same applies to your food intake. Try and be mindful of your food choices, but also make sure that you enjoy it! A great rule of thumb is the 80-20 rule: 80% clean eating, 20% perhaps less healthy.

Bus, Train or Plane

If you’re already starting to pack, why not include a meal prep? That way you’ll have a variety of clean snacks and meals to take with you on your trip. Here are a few ideas that you can easily eat on a plane, bus or train:

• Chopped fruit e.g. apple, banana or berries. In addition to fresh fruit, dried fruit is also easy to eat on the go. Try dried apples, raisins or nuts or a good old trail mix.
• Vegetable sticks from carrots, cucumber, celery or peppers sprinkled with salt. Tomatoes as well.
• Seeds
• Sweet or savoury healthy snacks like bliss balls or kale chips

Time is running out and you don’t have time to chop or prepare anything? Don’t worry. Many supermarkets and corner shops have a wide range of plant based and clean food options. For example, a raw bar (make sure to glance at the ingredient list to make sure the ingredients are natural and not super high in sugar).

Tip: invest in a reusable set of cutlery to avoid single-use waste.

In the Hotel or Airbnb

If you can choose your accommodation on your trip, do some research ahead of time to see if the hotel or airbnb offers vegan options and what restaurant opportunities there are in the surrounding area. In addition, we’ve prepared some useful hacks for you.

Healthy Alternatives

“Swapping instead of eliminating” should be the mantra of your breakfast on your trip. If your hotel offers a breakfast buffer, you are usually offered a healthier and an unhealthier option. With a few easy swaps, you can have a nutritious breakfast. Wholegrain bread instead of white bread. Yoghurt and fruits instead of sweet jams and marmalades. Unsweetened teas instead of fruit juices.

A helpful trick can be to heap your first plate with fruit, vegetables and salad to fill you up. A second plate can then contain less nutritious things which you’ll likely eat less of.

Self-Prepared

If your hotel room or apartment comes with its own kitchen, and you have access to groceries nearby, you might be occasionally motivated to cook for yourself. Not only can this be a fun activity, but can save you money and you’re likely to eat better.

Depending on where you are, try and opt for local and seasonal foods. Fruit, vegetables, dips, spreads and bars are great snack options as well that you could use for a picnic!

Local clean eating

Travelling also means plenty of culinary delights. We highly recommend paying a visit to local restaurants to try the local cuisine.

As in the case of buffets, you should pay attention with your food choices. Take special care to avoid fried, breaded, braised and gratinated foods as much as possible. Foods from the grill or those that have been roasted, steamed, blanched or briefly fried are better options.

Foods such as fruits and vegetables are universal, international and can be found in almost every cuisine in the world. It is therefore a good idea to always order a vegetable side dish with the main course.

Also be careful with salad dressings, as they are often packed full of sugar. Drizzle your salad with healthy oils and nuts instead. Caution is also advised with small appetisers or bread baskets. Once you start, you run the risk of overeating before the main course.

If necessary, ask for the list of ingredients to be on the safe side with regard to the ingredients contained in your meals. That way you can sit back and enjoy.

Final tip: Pre-order your delicious vegan Every. bowls so that they arrive directly when you are back so that you can resume your healthy routine.

And now: have a good trip and a wonderful time!

Other exciting content to discover:

• Staying Healthy Throughout the Fall and Winter – Tips for the Cold Months
• Morning Routine – Hacks for a Productive Day
• Hangry – When Hunger Affects Our Mood
• Food for Your Nerves – How Certain Foods Can Help With Stress
• Microwaves – Myths vs. Facts

For even more foodie-content follow us on Instagram and join the Facebook Community to get involved in meal creations and to stay up to date on all things Every.