Clean-Eating Foods List

From the produce aisle to the meat counter and desserts to drinks, you may be wondering which foods to eat when you're trying to eat clean. The first things to add to your clean eating foods list are whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Minimally processed foods with short ingredient lists can also fit into a clean-eating diet. Select foods with nourishing ingredients, such as whole grains and healthy fats, and choose options that are low in added sugar and salt.

Eating clean is a lot easier when your cupboards, fridge and freezer are filled with healthy foods. Make sure these foods are on your grocery list to start eating healthier—and cleaner—today.

Fruit

Pictured Recipe: Pineapple Green Smoothie

Whole fruit is always a great choice. Some people worry about fruit's sugar content, but fruit is packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Plus, the sugar present in fruit is natural, and it's hard to eat too much of it when it comes to enjoying fruits. Be sure to check labels for any added sugars in canned or dried fruits.

Fruit juice can count toward your daily recommended fruit intake, too—just make sure it's 100% juice. But because 100% fruit juices don't contain the beneficial fiber found in whole fruits, you may want to limit your intake. In other words, you can overdo it on fruit juice!

Clean Fruit:

• Fresh fruit
• Canned fruit with no added sugar
• Frozen fruit with no added sugar
• Dried fruit with no added sugar
• 100% fruit juice

Vegetables

Pictured Recipe: Skillet Eggs with Tomatillos & Spinach

Vegetables should be the building blocks of your clean-eating meals because, like fruit, they're packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, but they have less natural sugar. Frozen and canned vegetables are healthy, too, but choose ones without sauces. And be sure to read the label and choose canned and frozen veggies with little or no added salt.

There are tons of convenient ways to eat your veggies when you're short on prep time. Supermarkets offer a variety of precut vegetables, including veggie noodles that are already spiralized. You can also hit up the frozen vegetable aisle. We're all for shortcuts that make it easier to get vegetables into your diet. Watch out for packaged veggie chips and veggie pasta—they may just have a sprinkling of vegetable dust rather than a full serving of vegetables.

Clean Vegetables:

• Any fresh vegetable
• Frozen vegetables with no sauce or added salt
• Canned vegetables with no sauce or added salt

Whole Grains

Pictured Recipe: Quinoa Avocado Salad

Whole grains are healthy carbs that deliver fiber and nutrition. Whole grains­—such as brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, farro or millet—are relatively unprocessed and contain only one ingredient. When it comes to other whole-grain products, look for whole-wheat versions of pasta, refrigerated pizza dough, bread and English muffins—just be sure that whole-wheat flour is the first ingredient and that there's no sugar in the ingredient list. Even popcorn is a whole grain. Buy the kernels and pop them on the stove or in an air popper for a snack that doesn't have the additives and buttery calories you find in microwave bags.

Clean Whole Grains:

• Single-ingredient grains (such as farro, millet, oats, barley, quinoa and brown rice)
• Whole-wheat pasta
• Popcorn
• Sprouted whole-grain bread and English muffins (with no added sugar)
• Whole-wheat pizza dough

Dairy

Pictured Recipe: Mac & Cheese with Collards

Choose regular or Greek plain yogurt over vanilla and fruit-flavored yogurts, which are typically high in added sugar—unless they're reduced sugar or sweetened with a natural sweetener, such as stevia. Dairy products, such as cheese and milk, can do double duty: Eat them solo or use them as ingredients in healthier homemade versions of comfort foods, such as pizza or macaroni and cheese.

Check reduced- and low-fat dairy products to make sure they don't contain fillers or unfamiliar ingredients. Plain, whole-milk dairy is a clean choice. Opting for nondairy alternatives like soy, coconut and almond milk? Look for unsweetened varieties to avoid added sugar.

Clean Dairy Foods:

• Plain yogurt
• Milk
• Cheese
• Unsweetened nondairy milk

Protein

Pictured Recipe: Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Meat offers protein, iron and vitamin B12. Eating cleaner means limiting processed foods like bologna, salami, pepperoni and hot dogs. These, and other processed meat products, are usually high in sodium and may contain artificial colors and preservatives.

Choosing environmentally sustainable foods, including meat and seafood, can help you with clean eating, too. This includes, ideally, buying meat that comes from animals raised locally and ethically (if your budget allows).

Fish and shellfish can be super-healthy protein sources, and many fish contain heart-healthy omega-3 fats. To help you choose sustainably sourced seafood, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is a great resource.

Eggs are a great choice. Don't skip the yolk, or you'll miss out on extra protein and nutrients—like choline, which is not found in the whites.

Nuts, seeds and beans are all fantastic choices for plant-based proteins. Just be sure to look for unsalted nuts and seeds. If you're using canned beans, look for reduced-sodium and no-salt-added options, and rinse them well to remove more sodium.

Clean Proteins:

• Single-ingredient meats (chicken breast, chicken legs, ground beef, etc.)
• Seafood (choose sustainable options, such as wild salmon and Pacific cod)
• Eggs
• Unflavored, unsalted nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts)
• Plain nut butters with no added sugar
• Dried beans
• Canned beans (rinse to reduce sodium)

Desserts

Pictured Recipe: Apple "Donuts"

How "clean" you want your diet to be is up to you. You may cut added sugar out entirely or simply limit it. Most traditional desserts from a package don't fit the bill when you're eating clean—they are typically made with refined flours and lots of added sugars—but you don't have to ban sweets from your life. You can make treats at home with less sugar and more fruit and whole grains, or go totally added-sugar-free with some fruit-based treats.

Drinks

Pictured Recipe: Cucumber-Mint Spritzer

Drinks can be a major source of added sugar, so it's a good idea to limit your intake of sodas, sweetened teas and specialty flavored coffee drinks. Unsweetened tea and coffee, water and seltzer are all clean choices. Add a splash of juice to seltzer and serve it in a fancy glass to make your drink feel a little more special.

You may want to eliminate alcohol if you're eating clean, but it's not necessary unless you want to. You should, however, limit how much you're drinking. It's recommended that females have no more than one drink a day and males no more than two, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Wine and beer are appropriate, but if you prefer cocktails, watch out for sugar-filled mixers.

The Bottom Line

Eating clean is really about choosing healthy, whole foods that have little to no artificial colors or flavors, added sugars or preservatives. Every food group is included in clean eating—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and dairy. Check out our clean-eating recipes, even if you're on a budget, to get some ideas and get started.