Can You Lose Weight with Clean Eating?

For many, clean eating is not only an important part of the diet, but also of life in general. However, it is very popular not only as a long-term dietary approach but also as a short-term solution, especially in the context of losing weight, where clean eating is often mentioned alongside it.

Below, you will find out exactly what Clean Eating is all about. Additionally, we have examined whether Clean Eating is genuinely suitable for weight loss. Finally, we will introduce you to various clean eating recipes that can support you in your endeavor.

Clean eating – what is it anyway?

The term "Clean Eating" is almost self-explanatory: "clean" refers to foods that are minimally to not processed at all. Therefore, this is a diet that relies on fresh and as unprocessed as possible products. It is believed that these foods are rich in healthy nutrients that would be lost through any processing.

If you want to learn more about Clean Eating and its general benefits, check out our blog post.

Prohibited and recommended foods

To make it easier for you to understand what is prohibited and what is allowed, we want to provide a brief overview.

Prohibited Products

All ready meals are not allowed, as additives and preservatives are often included in addition to the heavy processing.

However, even foods that one might not suspect at first glance to be too heavily processed fall into this category. For instance, would you have thought that jams, certain types of cheese, or sweets like cookies would be discouraged?

Depending on the variant of clean eating, gluten, meat or fish products, and certain dairy products should also be avoided.

Allowed foods

You may be right to ask yourself, “What can you eat while following Clean Eating?” Well, conversely, everything that is processed as little as possible and is nutrient-rich. More specifically, it includes fresh fruits and vegetables, dry legumes, and whole grains.

Additionally, it is recommended to eat different types of nuts as snacks.

Why is Clean Eating recommended by experts?

Various experts agree: Nowadays, we often eat too unhealthily! Ready meals or processed foods are commonly consumed due to a lack of time or motivation. As already mentioned, these not only contain additives like flavor enhancers – they also often contain excessive salt and sugar.

Salt is essential for a variety of processes in the body, such as electrolyte balance, but only in certain amounts. The German Nutrition Society recommends a daily intake of 6 grams, while the average consumption is around 10 grams.

In the long term, this can lead to high blood pressure or negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract. Obesity can also be promoted, as excessive salt stimulates appetite and inhibits the feeling of fullness.

Clean Eating promises to provide a healthy alternative for all these issues, as you know exactly what's in unprocessed foods! Another plus is that the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are preserved as they are found in the raw materials.

Last but not least, Clean Eating also raises awareness about the various preparation methods and ingredients since you naturally engage more with the permitted foods. This way, you always know what nutrients you are supplying to your body.

What to keep in mind when eating clean

Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages to this diet. Because processed foods should be avoided as much as possible, more time is required for cooking.

Under no circumstances should you feel pressured by clean eating. Especially at the beginning, this diet can feel slightly overwhelming. Therefore, a gentle, gradual transition is recommended.

In this blog post, we will explain which mistakes often occur during clean eating and how you can easily avoid them.

Lose weight with Clean Eating

Now that you know all about Clean Eating, let's return to the question of whether you can lose weight through Clean Eating.

In general, weight loss occurs when fewer calories are consumed than are burned, or when more exercise is performed with the same caloric intake. The quantity depends individually on factors such as gender, age, and physical condition.

If you're uncertain about your caloric needs, try our handy calorie calculator for free.

You can lose weight healthily if you not only focus on calories but also on nutritional values. Above all, "empty calories", which are foods containing very few nutrients such as proteins or vitamins besides energy, should be avoided. Since you know exactly what you are putting into your body at all times through Clean Eating, you can manage this effectively.

As mentioned earlier, minimal or no processing retains most nutrients, which also benefits you when losing weight.

Our conclusion: losing weight and clean eating can easily go hand in hand, as foods that are not recommended for weight loss are also discouraged in clean eating.

In general, it is up to you whether you choose this type of diet holistically for weight loss, or if you prefer to exclude certain items like chips, cookies, or ready meals.

Clean eating plan for weight loss

As promised, we now want to provide you with some examples of how you can structure your eating plan in a clean eating format for weight loss.

Breakfast:

If you're looking for more clean eating recipes for your breakfast, check out our in-depth blog post.

Lunch and Dinner:

As you can see, clean eating doesn't have to be a limitation. However, a few considerations need to be taken into account. For instance, when making chili, you should buy various beans dry and soak and cook them yourself instead of using canned ones that are preserved with additives. It's that simple!

Why is a healthy breakfast important in Clean Eating?

A healthy breakfast that also tastes good is not only important for weight loss but is also generally recommended to recharge your energy for the day. However, especially if you want to lose a few kilos, it is crucial to focus on this.

Often, people make the mistake of skipping breakfast and suppressing hunger. However, this increases the desire for food even more, leading to not feeling full from lunch or overeating—and of course, you want to avoid this effect when trying to lose weight!

So what might your ideal clean eating breakfast look like? It’s best to keep it warm! A hot breakfast offers numerous benefits that can simplify the process for you. Porridge is particularly suitable for this purpose! The delicious oatmeal can serve as the base for breakfast, and when topped with seasonal, fresh, and thus clean fruits or nuts, it also provides plenty of variety!