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Lean meats: Stick to lean cuts of meat for lower amounts of sat-
urated fat. Buy organic meats, too, to avoid consuming hormones
and pesticides that the animal may have been exposed to. These
pesticides linger in animal fat, so buying lean cuts of conventionally
raised meat reduces your chance of consuming them.

Clean oils: Coconut oil and avocado oil are suggested for cooking
because their chemical structures don’t break down when exposed
to high heat. Extra-virgin olive oil and unrefined nut oils are more
sensitive to heat, so these oils are ideal for salad dressings to take
advantage of their heart-healthy benefits.

Legumes: It’s safest to use natural, dried beans. But in a pinch, it’s
okay to buy canned beans for making quick meals. For guidelines on
buying canned foods, jump to the bottom of this page.

Sweeteners: There are many clean eating options for sweeten-
ers, including honey, maple syrup, organic evaporated cane juice,
coconut sugar, and liquid stevia. Organic evaporated cane juice
resembles coarse sugar and is closest to the unprocessed natu-
ral sugar cane plant so it contains more nutrients than processed
sugar. And because it’s organic, there are no pesticides, either.
Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm flower
buds. This sugar is thought to be more nutritious than cane sugar
and has a lower glycemic index (causes a smaller spike in blood
sugar). Another natural sweetener to try is liquid stevia. Stevia is
a plant, and the leaves are sweet. Liquid stevia is the extract from
these leaves and has a negligible efect on blood glucose. However,
avoid powdered stevia. While many packages say that it’s “pure”
or “organic,” it is chemically processed and most versions include
other ingredients like dextrose.

Canned and Frozen Foods
It’s easy to understand why so many people gravitate toward pre-
pared foods, given the time savings they aford. If you’re short on
time, it’s absolutely fine to buy pre-chopped vegetables, frozen
produce, and canned beans. Just be sure there aren’t any problem
additives hiding in the ingredients list.

26 28 Days of Clean Eating