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Healthy Eating for the New Year?

Many people made resolutions to eat better in the New Year. Some of them even boldly said they were going to change their eating habits in one way or another. Others said they would eliminate soft drinks or chips. But what are the different ways people can alter their eating? For example, maybe someone you know is now Vegan or someone only wants to eat Vegetarian meals but do you really understand the differences between the two? Here is some information to help you distinguish between different types of healthy eating.

Vegetarian

This is probably the most well-known of the eating plans.  Vegetarians do not eat meat. Some vegetarians choose not to eat any other animal products either, but not all vegetarians are this strict.

Vegetarians get protein through lentils, chickpeas, black beans, nuts and nut butters, tofu and tempeh, quinoa and other grains.  Vegetarians make the choice to eat this way.

Gluten-Free

Basically stated this is a diet plan that doesn’t include gluten. But what is gluten? Gluten is what they call the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale. Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye.  It can also be in oats so you need to search for the gluten-free oats.  Gluten acts as glue that aids in holding foods together. The big difference with this eating plan is that gluten-free is a treatment for celiac disease.

Many foods are made gluten-free now. You can find numerous gluten-free products such as pasta, breads, and cereals.  It is imperative that labels are read for information to be sure the products are actually gluten-free.

Vegan

A vegan is a person that does not eat or use animal products.  This sounds simple but in fact it is a growing trend so food is not always labeled vegan. Restaurants do not always have a vegan option.  So vegans have to read labels and create their own food often.

Vegans eat some of the same things that vegetarians do but the manner in which the meals are prepared has to be without animal products of any kind. It is considered more a way of life because the vegans are taking a stand against using and abusing animals in any way.

There is current debate over the use of honey for vegans. Honey is a product of bees so instinctively they would say do not use it. However some argue that if the honey is not cultivated then the bees will die so you are actually harming the bees.  Herein lays the debate: to honey or not to honey? You decide.

Paleo

Paleo is based on the concept that if the cavemen couldn’t eat it then you can’t eat it either.  So what does that mean? It means you eat anything that you could hunt or find which eliminates a lot of things in the grocery store. Tons of veggies and proteins are the staple for this plan. They concentrate on real unprocessed foods.

As with the vegan plan there are limited Paleo named options, so you have to do the work of getting your food together yourself. Forget the pasta, cereal, and snacks, because this is a high protein and high fiber eating plan!

Clean Eating

Clean eating is the concept of eating whole real foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed. Clean eating is a balance of eating the right amount of the good food and less of the not as good food. Menus have healthy proteins and fats, as well as whole grains, vegetables, and fruit.

Clean eating is more popular today. Shopping for clean eating products takes practice but is easy once you understand what you are shopping for at the store. There are shopping lists that make this process even easier. This plan is considered a refresh to your eating habits!

Eating healthy is a start.  Your health, fitness, and wellness take more components and work to change, but nutrition is a good step.  The benefit to our fitness programs is that they come with nutrition plans that take the guesswork out of the equation.  They even have recipes and so do I on my website! Check them all out now!

 

 

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