How To Diffuse The “Clean Eating” Ticking Timebomb In Your Diet

In theory, eating clean should mean you’re providing your body with the best raw materials available to help it fire on all cylinders.

Yet in practice, the growing cult of clean eating is causing people to imbalance their diets, miss out on vital nutrients and leave themselves vulnerable to health conditions in their youth that they wouldn’t normally have to worry about until old age.

More than 20% of 18–24 year olds have cut or severely restricted intake of milk or cheese

This follows new research by the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) which found more than 20% of 18–24 year olds have cut or severely restricted intake of milk or cheese, which play a crucial role in bone health when our bodies are still developing.

“Diet in early adulthood is so important because by the time we get into our late twenties it is too late to reverse the damage caused by poor diet and nutrient deficiencies,” says Professor Susan Lanham-New, clinical advisor to the NOS and Professor of Nutrition at the University of Surrey.

“Young adults have just one chance to build strong bones and reduce their risk of developing severe problems in later life.”

Half of all women and one in five men develop osteoporosis after the age of 50.

Half of all women and one in five men develop osteoporosis after the age of 50, which can cause painful bone fractures that take a long time to recover from.

Now, with more young people following fad diets and taking nutritional advice from bloggers, vloggers and food-obsessed feeds on Instagram that could easily be misconstrued, there’s a risk this issue simply becomes the norm in later life.

Milking the truth

“From one standpoint it’s quite promising younger people are becoming aware of their diet and trying to take steps towards a more healthy diet and lifestyle,” says Upbeat nutritionist Sophie Enever.

“However the concern is that they’re getting their information from non-credible sources and aren’t always getting it right. If you don’t have an intolerance or allergy, cutting out food groups that provide your diet with key nutrients is dangerous territory unless you know how to replace them from other sources.”

Dairy provides electrolytes for hydration, protein for muscle and bone health, and of course calcium.

Dairy, for example, provides a host of benefits: fluid and electrolytes for hydration, protein for the body’s vital building block contributing to muscle and bone health, and of course calcium.

Calcium is an essential mineral that we need on a daily basis. It makes up 1–2% of an adult’s bodyweight, plays a key role in the body such as controlling muscle and nerve function and is vital for the health of your skeleton and teeth.

Most of the mineral is stored in the bones but if dietary calcium levels are low it’s pulled from the bones to keep blood levels constant. If there’s an imbalance in your diet, there’s an imbalance in your bones and they become dangerously weak.

Everything in moderation

According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, dairy is the largest contributor of calcium to the UK diet, so if you cut out dairy you need to get this vital nutrient elsewhere.

You can get your calcium needs from plant-based sources, such as dark leafy greens , but beware that eating 100g of broccoli will give you 47mg of calcium, compared with a 200ml glass of milk which provides 250mg. You need around 700mg per day as an adult.

Confusion starts when particular food groups, such as gluten, grains and dairy are blacklisted.

“Clean eating as a concept isn’t the problem,” says Enever. “The issue is it isn’t really well defined. It represents the goal to eat mainly natural food sources and less that is processed, which is a good thing.

“Yet the confusion starts when particular food groups such as dairy or foods such as grains are blacklisted. If it starts to result in people cutting out entire food groups, or relying too heavily on another and missing out on vital nutrients, that’s when your health can be put at risk.”

The bottom line — advice which has stood the test of time when applied to healthy whole foods rather than junk food — is take everything in moderation. Eat clean but know what nutrients you’re eating, what you’re missing and how to replace them.

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