Weight Loss & Diet Plans

The Eat-Clean Diet: Diet Review

It sounds so simple and so trendy. “The Eat-Clean Diet is a lifestyle way of eating that allows you to eat more, weigh less, and become the healthiest you can be,” says Tosca Reno, author of The Eat-Clean Diet series.

Not only will you lose about 3 pounds a week, you will see dramatic changes in the way you look and feel, Reno says.

Reno says that eating clean encourages a lifestyle approach of exercise and a diet plan of unprocessed, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and void of artificial ingredients, preservatives, "chemically charged foods," sugars, saturated fat, and trans fat.

That means tomatoes are in, ketchup is out. “We live in a chemical soup experiment. Processed foods have undermined our health, especially sugars, which are deadly anti-foods that have no place in our body,” Reno says.

Plans range from 1,200-1,800 calories, eaten in 5-6 small meals throughout the day -- designed to "fire up the metabolism." Practicing portion control helps dieters avoid the dreaded calorie counting.

The Eat-Clean Diet is a beautiful book with lots of pictures of delicious-sounding recipes with nutrition information, glossy pictures, sample meal plans, grocery lists, and more to help dieters get excited about eating a healthy diet and engaging in more physical activity.

Written in an easy-to-understand, motivating, and reader-friendly style, Reno places the emphasis for weight loss and good health on 80% food, 10% training, and 10% genes.

Eating a diet rich in plant foods, exercising, and controlling portions is sage advice and the cornerstone of all credible diet plans. But Reno veers off the path with some of her advice that is not based on scientific evidence -- like totally eliminating saturated fat and some of her recommendations for supplements.

The Eat-Clean Diet: What You Can Eat

Foods allowed include a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nonfat dairy, and healthy fats -- preferably organic and eaten in proper portions every few hours.

The Eat-Clean Diet recommends avoiding all saturated fat, trans fats, overprocessed, refined foods -- especially white flour, sugar, sugar-loaded colas, juices, and alcohol.

The plan's guiding principles:

• Each meal should be between 200-300 calories.
• Eat a complex carbohydrate with protein (20-21 grams) at every meal.
• Drink at least 8 cups of water daily.
• Never miss a meal, especially breakfast.
• Consume adequate healthy fats each day.

“I recommend shopping at farmers markets or when at the grocery store, stick to the perimeter and choose foods with one to three pronounceable ingredients only, staying away from any food that comes in a box or bag that man has had a hand in creating or contains ingredients you can’t pronounce,” Reno says.

Strict rules govern the foods allowed except a once-a-week cheat meal or treat, such as a piece of dark chocolate or glass of red wine. Reno encourages dieters to prepare their own meals at home and, when traveling, take along portable nutritious foods.