Jonathan Wright

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

Converting your daily routine to the eating clean lifestyle is easier than you think. Sure, you have to spend more time planning, shopping, and preparing meals than you do now, but as with all new skills, you'll get faster as you get more experience. Especially when you're just getting started, you can eat clean meals with a little help from the grocery store. Whole-grain crackers spread with nut butter or some cheese and a granola bar make for perfectly acceptable mini meals. You don't have to make everything from scratch. Build your clean eating plan right into your daily routine. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. Then schedule a morning snack three hours later. Eat your lunch at the regular time. Then have a piece of fruit during a mid-afternoon break. Eat your dinner at the regular time, and have a snack a few hours later to help you wind down your day and get in the mood for bed. You may want to start a journal of your favorite mini meals. Think of the snacks you enjoyed as a child and try to find ways to convert them into clean foods. For example, if you loved eating nacho chips with soda pop, try to make your own crackers with nuts and seeds, and enjoy a few of them with some iced tea sweetened with agave nectar. Before you know it, you'll have a long list of snacks and mini meals that you enjoy eating.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

You've heard of the food chain that has algae and amoeba at the bottom and lions and tigers at the top, but you may not know about the other food chain — that is, the processed food chain. In this food chain, foods in their natural state, like apples, greens, berries, and whole grains, are at the bottom, and processed foods, like sugary snack cakes and fast-food burgers, are at the top. If you eat low on the food chain, you'll automatically eat a clean diet. So think about food in its natural state before you buy it. A gelatin fruit salad packed in a little plastic cup with chunks of peaches floating in it is very different from a fresh peach picked right off the tree. If you're still buying foods with a label, use the following rules to help guide your choices: Read the labels. If a product like whole-wheat bread contains more than five or seven ingredients, put it back on the shelf. You don't have to stick to a certain ingredient count; just make sure that the number of ingredients is about what you would use if you made the food from scratch. If you can't pronounce, spell, or understand ingredients on the food label, don't buy that particular product. Your body doesn't need artificial flavors or chemicals made in the lab. Even chemicals the FDA regards as safe may be problematic in the future. Avoid foods that have sugars, processed ingredients, or fat as the first or second ingredient on the label. These foods are made up of empty calories that don't provide much nutrition. Choose foods that are low on the food chain. In other words, choose foods that are as close as possible to their natural state. Pick up a head of cabbage rather than a jar of coleslaw. Choose a bag of apples rather than a bottle of sweetened applesauce. If you do so consistently, you'll be well on your way to eating clean. When you follow these simple rules, you may notice that a lot of the foods you're used to buying are no longer on your grocery list. This switch in what you buy can take some time, but don't stress! You can ease into the process. Becoming aware of what you put in your shopping cart and bring into your house is the first, and most important, step.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

Water is a basic element of life. In fact, human bodies are about 65 percent water. When your body needs more water, it lets you know through thirst cues. But did you know that people often mistake thirst for hunger? If your stomach starts rumbling and you want to eat, get a drink of water. Not soda, not coffee or tea — just plain water. Then wait a few minutes. If you were thirsty, not hungry, your craving for food will abate. Drinking water to see whether you're thirsty rather than hungry is especially important if you had something to eat less than three hours ago or if you haven't had any water in the last hour. Drinking lots of water helps your body do the following: Keep your metabolism at the proper level Decrease food cravings Burn stored fat Maintain muscle tone Increase energy levels In fact, drinking water or eating a clear soup before a meal is a great way to help fill up your stomach and control hunger pangs. Keeping your body properly hydrated can help you recognize the true feelings of hunger.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

With the eating clean lifestyle, you have to figure out what real hunger feels like. Hunger is one of life's biological drives. You have to eat to stay alive, and your body tells you when you need food. But in this modern world, images of food — reminders of everything from chocolate doughnuts to french fries — constantly bombard you. After all, Madison Avenue's efforts to make you crave different kinds of food have been very successful over the years! You can separate hunger into two basic categories. One is the normal hunger that comes when your body needs food to repair and maintain itself. The other is the hunger that occurs when you respond to external cues, such as a picture of food, or internal cues, such as stress or sadness. Within these two hunger categories, you experience several different types of hunger, including True physiological hunger: A type of hunger caused by a drop in blood sugar, changes in hormone levels, and an empty stomach and intestine. The brain decodes these signals and sends messages to the rest of your body, making your stomach growl and ache and sometimes causing a headache or feeling of weakness. You must recognize these hunger signals to keep your body properly fueled and healthy. Psychological hunger: A type of hunger triggered by thoughts and emotions, like worry, anxiety, or anger, or by the sight or smell of food. Eating junk food, binge eating, and eating out of habit rather than a physical need for nourishment feed this type of hunger. Appetite: An interest in or craving for food. Appetite is linked to the physical need for food, but it can override the body's signals that you have eaten enough and can spur you on to eat more than you need — sometimes much more.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

The two types of fiber, which perform different functions in your body, are classified by whether or not they dissolve in water. Insoluble fiber doesn't dissolve in water, and soluble fiber does. Fiber is partially fermented by bacteria in your intestines, which helps maintain a good balance of healthy bacteria. It also performs other functions in the trip through your GI tract. Here's the lowdown on what the two types of fiber do: Insoluble fiber: This type of fiber helps food and other materials move through your gastrointestinal system. It also makes going to the bathroom a bit easier. In other words, if you eat a lot of clean, fiber-rich, whole foods, you won't have a problem with constipation. Insoluble fiber helps prevent the development of diverticulitis (inflammation of the small pouches in the colon that develop as you age; when these pouches become inflamed, they can harbor bacteria). It also slows the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and helps control the acidity in your intestines. The bulk provided by insoluble fiber keeps things moving in your intestines, which may help prevent cancer. You find this type of fiber in the bran of wheat and corn, in seeds and nuts, in other whole-grain products, and in fruit and vegetable skins. Leafy vegetables and fibrous vegetables like green beans are also good sources of insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber: This type of fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel material. Nutritionists now know that this type of fiber is critical to good health. It can lower blood cholesterol levels and stabilize glucose levels, which may help prevent type-2 diabetes. Soluble fiber binds with bile acids in the intestines, removing them from your body. Your liver then makes more bile acids from the cholesterol in your blood, which reduces overall cholesterol levels. This type of fiber can also reduce inflammation and blood pressure. Soluble fiber keeps you feeling fuller longer after a meal by slowing down the rate at which your stomach empties so that you don't want to eat again too soon. Good sources of soluble fiber include nuts, barley, fruits, vegetables, oat bran, dried legumes, and psyllium husks.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

Phytochemicals are natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables that help protect against the many causes of disease. Scientists think that plants developed these compounds to protect themselves against stress and environmental toxins. For instance, the brightly colored skins of many fruits and vegetables protect against the sun's ultraviolet rays. You won't find phytochemicals in most refined foods. The cooking and processing necessary to produce refined foods destroys many phytochemicals. So why not avoid those products and enjoy whole foods instead? Phytochemicals have many important roles in your body. They can act as any of the following: Antioxidants: Antioxidants are natural chemicals that protect your cells against free radicals, which are rogue molecules that can cause damage that leads to diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Some common antioxidants include carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanidins, and allyl sulfides. Hormone imitators and helpers: Some phytochemicals can help regulate your body's hormones. For example, isoflavones in soy can imitate the action of female estrogens to help reduce the symptoms of menopause. And a polyphenol in cinnamon can help improve insulin function. Cholesterol reducers: Phytosterols reduce the cholesterol counts in your bloodstream and help accelerate your body's natural cholesterol excretion methods. Collagen producers: Anthocyanidins help boost collagen production in blood vessels and may help reduce the effects of arthritis. Immune system stimulators: Flavonoids and phytoestrogens can help suppress tumor growth, and terpenes block proteins that overstimulate cell growth and reproduction. Other phytochemicals help increase the production and movement of white blood cells that protect your body against infection. Enzyme stimulators: Indoles, which are found in cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and other vegetables, aid enzymes that protect cells against damage by balancing good and bad estrogens in the body. Protease inhibitors and terpenes also boost production of enzymes that inhibit the formation of cancer. DNA replication interrupters: This category includes saponins, which are natural detergents found in many plants. These phytochemicals interfere with cell replication, possibly preventing the out-of-control cell growth that's typical in cancer cells, but they don't reduce or interfere with normal cell growth. Cell binders: Some phytochemicals go directly to cell walls and bind to them, protecting the cells against pathogens like bacteria and viruses. The proanthycyanidins in cranberries, for instance, can help prevent urinary tract infections by blocking bacteria. Bacterial, viral, and fungal fighters: Some phytochemicals destroy the invaders that enter your body through the food, water, and air you take in. For instance, allicin, a compound found in garlic, has antibacterial properties. Because these powerful chemicals protect your cells, fight bacteria and other intruders (including free radicals), manage hormones, and aid enzymes, it's no wonder that nutritionists have been urging people to eat lots of the fruits and vegetables that provide phytochemicals. You can get phytochemicals in pill form, but you benefit more from eating them in their natural form as part of your diet. Here's why: Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals in many different forms and combinations that are impossible to replicate in a single pill. And the size of a pill that contained all the antioxidants available in fresh produce would be impossible to swallow! Scientists haven't discovered all the phytochemicals that nature provides, so you can't find them in any available supplement. The way these natural chemicals react in the body is extremely complicated and difficult to test and replicate in a lab, so relying entirely on supplements rather than fruits and vegetables is problematic.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

GMO foods started appearing in the news in the 1980s and 1990s. These foods are made when scientists insert foreign DNA from plants or animals into cells that change the plant or animal's traits. Some GMO foods are bred to be resistant to herbicides and pesticides. Other changes can include increasing the speed with which an animal comes to maturity or reducing the signs of produce spoilage. In fact, one company just received FDA approval to grow genetically engineered salmon bred to grow faster. Ecologists are concerned that this salmon may escape its breeding grounds and contaminate wild salmon stocks. Many scientists state that, because we've been eating GMO foods for more than a decade and no serious health effects have been uncovered, GMO foods are safe. But some illnesses take much longer than a decade or two to appear. Testing on GMO foods is controlled by the companies that own the patents on the genes, and no tests have been run longer than three months. Most of the corn, soy, canola, and sugar beet crops grown in the United States are genetically engineered. That's just one of the reasons why we tell you to avoid the oils made from these foods, and one more reason why it's important to avoid sugar. Only buy the following foods in their organic form: cornmeal, edamame, tofu, miso, popcorn, and corn tortillas. One of the problems caused by GMO crops has been the increase in the amount of herbicides farmers use on their crops. Since 1992, the use of glyphosate, the ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, has increased by more than 200 million pounds. This has spurred an epidemic of super weeds that have become resistant to the herbicides, which in turn has forced farmers to apply more and different herbicides. And the cycle continues. Most consumer advocates believe that any foods that contain GMO crops should be labeled so consumers can choose what they eat. Huge corporations are fighting these labels, and many ballot initiatives requiring these labels have failed. All you can do is avoid eating corn, soybean, or canola oil, and try to avoid foods with a label, especially highly processed foods. And educate yourself on this issue so you can vote on referendums when they appear on the ballot.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

Like vitamins, minerals assist your body in retrieving energy from macronutrients so that your cells can work, grow, repair themselves, and replace themselves. The minerals in plants, dairy products, and meat all come from the soil. Some nutritionists are concerned that as more and more farmers deplete their soil, the amount of minerals naturally present in these foods also decreases. After all, soil does wear out over time; unless farmers replenish it with decaying plant matter, nutrients disappear from the soil. Artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides also take their toll on the soil. Naturally occurring bacteria in the soil convert minerals into the form that plants can use, and those bacteria don't take kindly to poisons such as pesticides. Herbicides, especially fungicides, can negatively affect the mineral content in soils. Some plants have a symbiotic relationship with fungi that helps them pull more minerals and nutrients out of the soil. When farmers use fungicides on their crops, those plants have a reduced mineral content. In fact, studies published by Dr. Linus Pauling have found that the mineral content of fruits and vegetables, from the time frame of 1940 to 1991, has decreased from 20 to 70 percent! If you're concerned about this trend, consider taking a good multivitamin and mineral supplement, or try to buy organic foods from farms that practice sustainability. Or do both! Sustainable farms practice organic farming techniques and rely on letting fields lie fallow to keep the soil healthy. They also plant cover crops, such as clover, which return nutrients to the soil.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

It's too bad your body doesn't discard the excess carbs, protein, fat, and calories you consume like it discards waste, fiber, and too much liquid. Human bodies evolved to hang on to fuel simply because starvation was part of life for early humans. If you eat only once a week or once a month, your body will hold on to all the calories it can as a hedge against starvation. Of course, now that you have 24-hour supermarkets and pizza delivery, starvation is the least of your worries. Your body is extremely efficient. It extracts and uses the energy it needs from the food you eat and converts the excess into fat, which it then stores in your body. Too many calories equal excess fat. But all calories are not equal (the laws of thermodynamics aside). After all, human bodies aren't machines made out of metal and moving parts; every body is different. For example, simple carbs and sugars trigger insulin responses in the body, which tell it to store fat. In some people, this response is very easy to trigger; as a result, a high-carbohydrate diet makes them put on weight. On the other hand, for most people, the body has to work harder to digest proteins than it does to digest carbs, which means they gain less weight on a high-protein diet.

Article / Updated 11-01-2016

Eating processed foods means consuming preservatives, additives, and artificial ingredients. What happens to these chemicals? How does your body process them? Put bluntly, your body isn't designed to process and incorporate preservatives, additives, stabilizers, and other artificial ingredients. Because many of these ingredients are fat-soluble, your body stores them in its fat instead of using them for energy or cell repair. Unfortunately, however, they don't just sit benignly in your body's fat. They can change cell structure and metabolize. Some even become carcinogens, which can, over time, cause cancer. Here are just some of the artificial ingredients used in processed foods, along with a quick summary of what happens to them after they enter the body: Antibiotics: Farmers feed many animals, particularly poultry and pigs, antibiotics to reduce the death rate from infection, which occurs in very crowded conditions, and to enhance growth and weight gain. The residues of these chemicals remain in the processed meat that humans eat. Overuse of antibiotics creates super bacteria that evolve to resist every antibiotic, which, as you can imagine, isn't good for the human population. Unfortunately, consuming small amounts of antibiotics in food is the best way to help these superbugs evolve. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming a huge problem in the medical field. There may come a day when a simple cut or scrape could lead to a life-threatening infection we can no longer treat. Aspartame: This artificial sweetener becomes a neurotransmitter during digestion, meaning that it can cross the blood-brain barrier. After it crosses that barrier, it can damage and kill brain cells. The body quickly processes aspartame and breaks it down into methanol, which the body can then convert into formaldehyde. This particular conversion can cause changes in cell structure, leading to disease and chronic health conditions. Anecdotal evidence has revealed that aspartame is a good ant poison. When this product is damp, often — but not always — ants will carry it back to the nest, and within a few days, all the ants disappear. Aspartame accounts for more than 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death. A few of the 90 documented symptoms listed in the FDA adverse reaction reports include Breathing difficulties Depression, anxiety attacks, fatigue, and irritability Dizziness Headaches/migraines Hearing loss Heart palpitations Insomnia Joint pain Memory loss Muscle spasms Nausea Rashes Seizures Tachycardia Vision problems Weight gain Caffeine: Caffeine is a quickly processed and relatively safe psycho-active stimulant, which is why so many people consume it in the morning. It raises your blood pressure and blocks adenosine receptors in your brain, thus reducing drowsiness. It also increases dopamine production, stimulating your brain's pleasure centers and reinforcing feelings of addiction. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it removes water (as well as minerals such as calcium, zinc, and magnesium) from your blood and cells. But with long-term caffeine use, this diuretic effect lessens or disappears completely. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS): The body partially processes this chemically concentrated sugar and stores it as fat. In fact, the body metabolizes it into fat very quickly. High-fructose corn syrup doesn't suppress the body's production of ghrelin, a molecule that stimulates the appetite, so your brain doesn't get the message that you've eaten enough food. Plus, the liver converts high-fructose corn syrup into triglycerides, which, when present in excess, can increase the risk of heart disease. Hormones: Most factory farms feed hormones and pseudo-hormones (unnatural molecules that imperfectly mimic real human hormones) to the animals they raise for meat so that they grow bigger faster. The animals store the chemicals in their fat, which humans then eat. These hormones and pseudo-hormones can affect human growth and development. For example, too much estrogen and pseudo-estrogen increases breast and prostate cancer risk. Monosodium glutamate (MSG): This ubiquitous additive, which is also known as free glutamic acid, is present in many processed foods and affects the body in many ways, including the following: MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overstimulates and damages brain cells. MSG may be addictive, so you may crave foods that have MSG and eat more of them, creating a vicious cycle. MSG stimulates the umami taste bud, fooling your body into thinking that the food you're eating is nutritious. MSG changes the diameter of your blood vessels, which is why some people feel warm and develop headaches after ingesting it. MSG stimulates the pancreas, causing it to produce more insulin, so blood sugar levels drop and you get hungry sooner. MSG intake has been implicated in the development and exacerbation of diseases such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, stroke, obesity, and depression. MSG does occur naturally in meats and other foods, but it's bound up in the protein complexes of those foods and has less of an effect than the added MSG. Nitrates and nitrites: These chemicals are used in processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon. They can bind with hemoglobin, the molecule in your blood that carries oxygen throughout your body, thus causing dizziness, headaches, and rapid heartbeat. Your liver converts nitrates into nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic in animals and probably humans, too. Nitrites are carcinogenic in humans. Olestra: You find this artificial fat in snack foods. At first, snack-food manufacturers touted olestra as a simple way to lose weight because the body doesn't digest it, meaning that it travels right through the body. Unfortunately, this indigestible property causes some severe and unpleasant physical reactions, which can keep you chained to the bathroom. Plus, the fake fat binds to fat-soluble vitamins your body needs and takes them right out of your body. Trans fats: These fake fats, made by hydrogenating polyunsaturated fats such as corn oil, are one of the most dangerous artificial ingredients. They raise your risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. Because your body doesn't recognize that trans fats are artificial, they become part of your cell membranes, making the cells weaker. Consuming trans fats increases the level of LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) in your blood. Your body easily stores trans fats but can't easily retrieve them for fuel, so they cause weight gain. Keep in mind that the FDA says most of these ingredients are safe for human consumption, at least in tiny amounts. (A big change on the regulation of trans fats happened in 2015.) After all, some of them do help preserve food, keeping it safe for long storage periods and long transit times from the factory to the grocery store. But knowing what you know now, you can be the judge of what you want to ingest. Just remember that whole foods don't need artificial chemicals to stay safe, look better, or taste better. One of the best things about the eating clean plan is that you avoid processed foods, chemicals, and additives that can harm your body, and you eat whole foods, which contain all the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs, in the correct amounts and proportions.