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Fed up with being told to eat clean? 5 reasons to eat dirty – cheese, wine, chocolate and meat are good for you

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There seems to be a lot of people out there telling us to eat clean (no, we don’t know what it means either). Put down the salad – here are five reasons to eat ‘dirty’ food again (it’s good for you)

Clean eating. What is that? At Healthista we think classifying any food as ‘clean’- however saintly its nutritional CV – by its very definition leaves other foods that must be ‘dirty’ (yes, that is as ridiculous as it sounds).

We’re assuming cheese, chocolate and wine are on the dirty list for the clean-eating brigade, which is why we’ve created this video showing how a bit of apparently dirty eating is good for you

Dirty reason #1 – Wine

wine being poured, five reasons to eat dirty by healthista.com

A single glass of red wine a night can help prevent heart disease and could extend lifespan, thanks to it being rich in the antioxidant resveratrol.

Resveratrol helps lower unhealthy LDL cholesterol and raises healthy HDL cholesterol.

Dirty reason #2 – Chocolate

chocolate, five reasons to eat dirty by healthista.com

Dark chocolate contains the antioxidant resveratrol which could help with the body’s ability to fight ageing free radicals from food and the environment.

Chocolate releases a feel-good endorphin into your brain. Most of the benefits of chocolate are found in the dark varieties containing at least 65 per cent cacao.

Dirty reason #3 – Meat

heart shaped meat, five reasons to eat dirty by healthista.com

Meat from lamb, beef and game provides complete protein with all eight amino acids necessary for muscle-building, something few vegetarian sources can’t provide.

Dirty reason #4 – Fat

healthy fats, five reasons to eat dirty by healthista.com

The right fats help control appetite, stabilise blood sugar and burn fat. Monounsaturated Fatty Acids or MUFAs which can help you lose weight.

Trans fats should be kept to a minimum as they are strongly linked to heart disease, weight gain and infertility.

cheese board, five reasons to eat dirty by healthista.com

Dirty reason #5 – Cheese

Cheese provides essential calcium, important for women in helping prevent osteoporosis in later life. If the body is lacking in calcium from the diet, it may leech it from bones, leading to bone loss.

Our daily recommended intake of calcium should be about 40 grams of cheddar cheese.

Clean Eating: The Dirty Truth airs this Thursday on BBC 2 at 9pm

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