Is Clean Eating Another “Fad Diet”?

Paleo, whole 30, keto, are just a few of the fad diets that have been circulating within the last several years. It seems as though there is always a new diet promising optimal health benefits. With these types of constant trends in nutrition it would be fair to assume that clean eating is just another fad diet. On the contrary, clean eating is centered around quality over quantity in whole foods that has been around for decades. 
Clean eating puts an emphasis on consuming foods that are high quality and body benefiting. Putting an emphasis on foods with these types of parameters eliminates consuming processed foods that are filled with artificial ingredients, pesticides, added sugars, and GMOs. Processed foods have been linked to causing many lifestyle diseases. Life style diseases including: heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. 
Fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts are some of the foods that would be incorporated into a clean lifestyle. Fueling your body with a clean foods will allow it to be properly nourished with the vitamins and minerals it needs to function optimally. 
The benefits of clean eating are not limited to physical, according to Sylvie Tremblay the benefits of clean eating also benefit the mind. The mental health benefits that come from eating clean include an increase in mood, this is because “vitamin B-6, help make dopamine, a chemical involved in feelings of pleasure (Tremblay, 2019)” B-6 is found in a variety of whole foods like dark leafy greens and red meats. In addition, a clean diet can also help depressive episodes with the consumption of healthy fats such as omega-3s. “Omega-3 fatty acids also support good mental health, while a deficiency can cause moodiness and depression. (Tremblay, 2019)”
Anyone could benefit from adopting a cleaner diet. Consuming whole foods will fuel the body with the adequate vitamins and minerals, rather than digesting highly processed foods with a nutritionally poor and calorically high profile. The benefits from a clean diet include a multitude of physical and mental health benefits. With that being said, it is reasonable to say the expression, “an apple a day keeps the doctor a way” holds some validity. 
 
 
 
 
Tremblay, Sylvie. “What Are the Benefits of Clean Eating?” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, 22 
 
Jan. 2019, http://www.livestrong.com/article/284722-what-are-the-benefits-of-eating-clean/