Eat Clean Diet Review

Diet Review

By Myatt Murphy

Those dieters expecting to find the “secret” of weight loss like most diets preach will be both disappointed—and yet thrilled—when it comes to the Eat Clean Diet. Much like The Best Life Diet from Oprah’s trainer Bob Greene, the Eat Clean Diet isn’t a gimmicky program, but a round-up of accurate nutritional tips that show dieters what to eat, how to eat, when to exercise and everything necessary to basically live a healthier lifestyle.

The overall appearance of the Eat-Clean Diet is definitely appealing. Unlike many diet books that tend to be bland in appearance—making them even harder to go through—the book is filled with interesting pictures and divided in smaller chunks of information in a way that makes you want to thumb through it often just for fun. Each time you do, you’re more likely to be reminded of a lifestyle change you could or should be making. The only downside to this style of organization: dieters that need structure may have a harder time finding the answers they need immediately.

One unique thing about the diet is its’ repetition when it comes to information. Most diet books mention key nutritional points in a single chapter, then move on without bringing up those points again. The Eat-Clean Diet tends to repeat certain tips (such as drinking your coffee black, having plenty of water, consuming some form of essential fatty acids daily, etc.). At first, that might seem annoying, but as the book moves along, having those tips repeated in different tipsheets (or as a singled-out tip) actually works well at infusing a lot of key nutritional advice into your daily regime.

Is the diet healthy?

Most definitely, because the diet is really nothing more than all of the best basic nutritional tips herded into one book. Any nutritional program that encourages dieters to eat only healthy foods in their purest form—minus any dressings, oils and other bad-for-you condiments—follows the exact guidelines that many nutritionists stand by.

The Eat-Clean Diet also makes a strong case for regular exercise—especially weight training—and does its’ best to explain why it’s equally important for women as well as men. As most experts know, weight-training at least three days of exercise weekly for 30 minutes is critical for dieters looking to lose weight, since weight training builds lean muscle tissue—muscle that causes a dieter’s metabolism to rev up and burn more calories. The Eat-Clean Diet spends a little more time than most books explaining why weight training is so important—it’s only weakness is that it doesn’t offer enough guidance for those who may need help knowing how to start one.

What do the experts say?

“All-in-all, the Eat-Clean Diet certainly well balanced, nutritionally sound and visually appealing, especially for women, since most—if not all—of the pictures in the book are of women,” says Susan Moores, M.S., R.D., spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. There were only a few red flags that Moores wasn’t particularly fond of. The book encourages the use of certain supplements, many that aren’t approved by the FDA. However, it is possible to follow the guidelines of the program without using any at all. Another sticking point may be longevity. Nutritionists always try to determine how an eating program will sit with dieters 3-6 months later. That’s where the Eat-Clean Diet may be hard to stick to in the long-term. “The book only allows you to cheat one day a week—but for one meal only,” says Moores.

Despite the fact that staying that disciplined to eating healthy will yield faster short-term results, Moore questions how practical that approach is, especially if the Eat-Clean Diet is meant to be a lifestyle change you’ll use for life. “A black and white approach to what you can and cannot eat doesn’t serve people well in the long haul,” says Moores, “That’s because most dieters need some degree of latitude in their eating habits if they’re really going to stick with it for a lifetime.”

Who should consider the diet?

Any dieter that wants to learn many of the basics on how to improve their eating habits. Dieters whose eyes tend to glaze over from diet books that seem too scientific will also appreciate the fun, “magazine-esque” format in which the information is explained and broken up into chunks throughout the book. However, dieters that require an entire eating regime spelled out for them may not like its’ loose structure.

Bottom line

The real trick to losing excess bodyfat—as well as staying healthy—is to eat healthy foods every day, avoid unhealthy foods and work out often. The Eat-Clean Diet delivers that message in a unique and interesting way that many dieters will love. If you prefer to have your hand held when dieting and be told exactly what to do every minute of the day, then this plan is not for you.

Foods

The diet pretty much recommends plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat dairy products, including certain cheeses, yogurt and milk. Some of the diet’s favorite foods—which it refers to as its’ “top 12 superfoods”—includes tomatoes, skinless turkey breast, wild salmon, broccoli, berries (particularly blueberries), beans and legumes, spinach, walnuts, bison, pumpkin, soy and oatmeal. Regardless of which foods you eat, expect to have them with minimal additives—the Eat-Clean Diet prefers that dieters have foods in their natural state (that means steamed, boiled or any form of cooking that doesn’t add anything bad to the food.)

What the diet doesn’t encourage you to eat is the typical high-fat, high-sugar foods most diets avoid, such as sugary cereals, snack foods, ground beef, creamy soups, bread, dressings and dairy products made from whole milk. However, the Eat-Clean Diet also spells out 10 specific foods you should never eat, including carbonated beverages, deli meats and fruit juices.

Although there aren’t many recipes in the book to choose from (there are only around 30 to choose from), they do offer a nice variety for dieters to choose from. Just a handful of recipes include chicken and white bean soup, thai beef salad, sweet potato risotto and sesame-seared tuna.

See the Eat Clean Diet at a Glance