EVERY nutritionist, health-food guru, and trendy restaurant is throwing around the term — and for good reason. It’s among the most effective and certainly most sustainable ways to get your best body. Here are some tips on how to practice it:

    Eat whole foods

    “Whole foods come from the earth, are recognizable as plant- or animal-based, and haven’t been altered by machines or chemicals,” says Tosca Reno, author of “The Eat-Clean Diet.” They’re full of their constituent nutrients and minerals. That means: You wouldn’t be eating things from cans, jars, tubes, or boxes.

    Eliminate your toxic triggers

    Unlike most diets, eating clean isn’t rigid — it’s largely about getting in touch with what makes you feel good. If a food brings on a rash or allergy, leaves your stomach in knots, or kicks up your inflammatory response, nix it. “The most common toxic triggers are sugar, alcohol, coffee, dairy products, and gluten,” says Alejandro Junger, author of “Clean Eats.” He suggests eliminating each of these for 10 days, then gradually reintroducing them to see how your system responds. “You have to create your own blueprint of nontoxic eating.”

    Be conscious of portions

    The good news is that whole foods are difficult to overeat because they’re nutrient-dense — meaning you feel satisfied without consuming heaps of them. Some may be caloric, but those calories fuel your brain and body. “Too much of a good thing is still too much, though,” says Reno.

    Properly prepare foods

    Consider soaking nuts and seeds — most people don’t realize that unsprouted ones release phytic acid, which disrupts the full absorption of beneficial minerals like magnesium, calcium, copper, and zinc. Saute meats and fish; overcooking them kills nutrients. Incorporate raw fruits and veggies. And when you do cook them, do so in as healthy a way as possible.

    Vary your diet

    One of the surest ways to eat dirty is to eliminate an entire food group, which makes it difficult to get the full range of necessary nutrients. “Each meal should contain lean protein and complex carbohydrates with a little bit of fat,” says Reno. “I recommend 30 percent protein, 30 percent fat, and 40 percent complex carbs, half of which should be vegetables and half of which should be fruits and grains.”

    (SD-Agencies)