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
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
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
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
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.
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
More Healthista Content:
Warning signs of cancerous moles and what to do about them
Take your sports performance to the next level with these 6 foods
Love Island star Dr Alex George reveals how we can deal with and prevent ‘hangxiety’
How to protect yourself from coronavirus now that things are back to normal – an expert guide
7 differences between migraine symptoms and a normal headache
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
