Posted on 12 January 202319 July 2023 by Alla Bohdan

The Clean Eating Guide

Going shopping? You might have heard that you should stick to the perimeter of the supermarket rather than venture down the aisles if you want to eat healthily. That’s true – to a point!

The perimeter of most grocery store layouts contains fresh foods – fruit, veggies, meat, fish are some of the excellent fresh foods choices you’ll find there. But there are some others to be wary of, such as the bakery, dairy and deli areas of the perimeter where you will likely need to be more selective.

Equally, whilst the aisles are notorious for the packaged and processed foods we would do well to avoid, you will also find healthy choices here that are worthy of a spot in your pantry – such as canned fish, fruit (in juice) and vegetables (at a pinch), as well as minimally processed foods like nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. If you know what ingredients to look out for and how to read nutritional panels, you will also find other useful staples that are welcome additions to a healthy diet.

Here’s our general fridge-stocking guide – a clean eating list to help you choose the right foods and create not only a great bod but a calm state of mind.

Vegetables
All the green and colourful vegetables you can find: broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, beans, asparagus, capsicum, beetroot, carrots etc. Basically, anything but white potato. Sweet potato and pumpkin are great though!

Why no potatoes? Potatoes are a high glyceamic food, that is, made up almost entirely of starch – long chains of glucose molecules that are readily absorbed by the body. For this reason, the high carb content of white potatoes can rapidly spike blood sugar levels, which over time can become a problem. Eating potatoes with their skins on helps to some degree to offset its blood-sugar spiking activity. But, better yet, if you must eat potatoes, eat cooked and cooled potatoes from the fridge. Once cooled, the starches in potatoes undergo transformation to become ‘resistant starch’ which is an undigestible carbohydrate that feeds your healthy gut bacteria and is less calorie dense than regular starch.

Salad
All the salad ingredients you can eat: lettuce, sprouts, tomato, avocado, cucumber, etc. Aim for colourful foods which are a sign of high antioxidant content.

Fruit
Fresh, in-season fruit, ideally organic if you’ll be eating the skin. Berries and apples are best in terms of not raising blood-sugar levels too much and containing good levels of fibre. Avoid dried fruits where the sugar content is intensified, and chemical-laden preservatives may be used to prevent spoilage.

Juices
No fruit juice (except a little lemon or pineapple to get your digestive juices going in the mornings), but feel free to drink fresh veggie juices to your heart’s content! Green smoothies made with spinach, kale and cucumber are a fab way to add extra greens to your diet. Add a frozen banana to make it taste a little sweeter! Why no fruit juice? It’s full of sugar but without any of the great fibre (blended fruit is ok).

Meat and Fish
Plenty of lean (ideally organic or at least grass-fed) protein sources, plus plenty of wild-caught fish, especially salmon and small white fish. Try not to rely solely on tuna as it’s usually got a lot of heavy metals in it, so it can be bad for long-term health. A small amount is OK though.

Eggs
Free Range Eggs; up to 2 per day is the new recommendation from the scientists. Boiled eggs are a great snack option when on the go!

Nuts
Unsalted nuts and seeds, or a Chief Collagen Bar will give you your daily recommended serve of nuts.

Snacks
There are plenty of options to choose from here. Vegetable sticks or fruit slices with nut butter or hummus, boiled eggs, a small handful of nuts all make great on-the-go snack options. Also, a smoothie mix with some fruit and a Chief collagen bar is a great idea that can easily turn your smoothie into a powerful snack.

Treats
Some treats are A-OK! Have a little dark chocolate, fruit salad or raw cacao. Yum! Just not too much and not too often.

Foods to avoid or limit

What about foods to be a little more wary of when grocery shopping? Keep reading to learn more about some other foods and food groups to pay a little closer attention to when shopping.

Dairy
Some dairy is OK (unless you suffer from acne, then cut it all out!) but always go for full fat, plain organic yoghurts and try to steer-clear of milk. No skim products (they’re full of sugar and can trigger cravings) and no soy milk or tofu (heavily processed and encourages your body to hold on to the not-so-good oestrogens, which means extra weight on the butt and thighs, eek!). When selecting cheese or yoghurts, goat/sheep milk options are generally better for weight loss and digestion.

Sugar
Try to only eat products that have 8g of sugar or less per 100g (or per serve if it is a portion you intend to eat completely!). Your body can’t handle more than this at any one time without stressing your liver and being forced to store excess as belly fat- and nobody wants that! =

Soft Drinks
Speaking of sugar… soft drinks are loaded with sugar! If they’re sugar free, this is worse as they are sweetened artificially (this is terrible for you and can lead to weight gain as it makes you crave real carbs). Included in this are flavoured waters and sports drinks. Opt instead for pure H20 flavoured with lemon slices and mint, or sparkling water or organic Kombucha if you just can’t do without a fizzy hit!

Salt
Try to limit salty foods. If you like salt try Himalayan Crystal Salt which has loads more trace minerals and less negative side effects than normal salt.

Alcohol
No more than 2 drinks in one sitting… ever if possible! And try to have several alcohol-free days per week. This makes the biggest difference to your health and ability to keep your body in a ketogenic (fat burning) state. If you must drink, try switching to red wine or clear spirits (avoid the soft drink though, try mixing with soda!)

Carbs
Great sources of carbohydrates for when you’re craving carbs or need energy after training include sweet potato, corn, beans, rice, quinoa, seeds/nuts, fruit. Also, products made from sprouted buckwheat, millet, or amaranth can be good.

Gluten
Try to cut out gluten where you can. It increases inflammation in the body, which is not useful and dramatically increases your risk of illness, not to mention wrinkles (eek!), particularly later in life. Same goes for alcohol.

By Libby Babet, Chief Co-founder

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22 reviews for Chief Collagen Protein Bar

Rated 5 out of 5

Jacinta – 23 August 2020

Melt in your mouth goodness

Seriously tasty protein bars! Hit the spot as a great snack or even dessert. Just the right size to not feel sick or over powered. I had to order multiples of the mixed sample box cause I couldn’t decide which one was my fave 🙂
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Mary-Ann Voutos – 1 September 2020

Bars are the best ever!

Chief collagen bars are the best tasting bar on the market. Clean, top quality natural ingredients, low in sugar and keto friendly. Always feel great after eating one. All the flavours are equally delicious, although the Lemom is an absolute favourite.Highly recommend you try one. Hard to stop at 1!
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Nicholas Pandelakis – 6 December 2020

Best Protein Bars

Almost all protein fall short of what they actually say. Chief collagen protein bars deliver exactlyon nutritional value and taste.
Rated 4 out of 5

Nguhi Wamwangi – 19 September 2021

Collagen Bar Sampler

Loved the bars, very dense and filling which was good for me. Loved the Lemon tart most, thanks !
Rated 4 out of 5

Daria – 28 September 2021

Better than expected

Delicious and my new go to when I need a sweet hit. Keeps the hungers at bay and does the job!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Emily – 24 October 2021

Keto kickstart

I started keto in a week I was time poor and stressed but thank goodness I had a mixed box of these guys which saw me through the busy and kick started my weight loss program.
Rated 4 out of 5

Kylie Dalla Costa – 3 November 2021

Great flavors and texture!

Not overly sweet but a really nice treat!
Rated 5 out of 5

Sally Collins – 10 November 2021

Great product.

Great ingredients list. Beautiful packaging. Delicious. The only bars I spend my money on.
Rated 5 out of 5

Linda Morrison – 11 November 2021

Truly surprised!

I’ve bought many many different health, protein, diet bars whatever you want to call them over too many years to admit. I was sceptical of course but these bars are very different & not like a protein bar or a cereal bar but I really love them. They are my go to once sometimes twice a day now instead of a biscuit. Love them & I definitely need to order more now!
Rated 5 out of 5

Brett Meldrum – 5 December 2021

Get on them!!

Love the collagen bars, lemon tart is my favourite, I’ve been suffering from tendinitis in my elbows for years and these bars really help!! Highly recommended
Rated 5 out of 5

Karen – 30 January 2022

Great!

I really like the flavour of all the various flavours. I love that they are Keto, nutricious and have no hidden nasties,very good!
Rated 5 out of 5

Rachel – 31 January 2022

Great tasting bars

Great tasting, almost like eating cookies. Clean ingredients mean that the kids can eat them too!!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Barbara Elkins – 24 March 2022

Delicious & filling

I love these for a meal on the run. I eat one slowly savouring every bite and it keeps me going for hours. I regularly do fasting and these fit nicely into my regime. My least favourite is the peanut flavour but its still quite nice my favourite is the lemon one & I wouldn’t mind a cheesy one.
Rated 5 out of 5

Rachel Hayes – 28 March 2022

Mixed box review

I thoroughly enjoy the collagen bars. Love knowing that they’re made with so few ingredients. Taste great, perfect snack (or breaky on the run)
Rated 5 out of 5

Juan Carlos Ascencio-Lane – 28 March 2022

Mixed Box Bar

This has been an amazing addition to my staples in the cupboard. I was pleasantly surprised to find they were nice to eat and with great flavour. They definitely keep hunger away
Rated 5 out of 5

Tania P. – 30 March 2022

Yum

These are my favourite protein bars. They’re like a shortbread biscuit. Love all the flavours.
Rated 5 out of 5

Amelia Lee – 5 April 2022

Delicious and filling

I’ve been avoiding grains and refined sugars, which makes it hard to find a muesli bar! I love these collagen bars – they’re tasty, filling and I like the crumbly texture. I keep getting the mixed box because I can’t choose a favorite flavor.
Rated 5 out of 5

Steven – 8 April 2022

Great tasting

Very good, nice to eat almost like your cheating !!
Rated 5 out of 5

karen Anthony – 16 April 2022

Great healthy snack !

I really love the collagen bars , they are my mid morning snack with my coffee. Great thing is I know they are healthy as well as delicious.
Rated 5 out of 5

Tania Tully – 22 May 2022

Worth Trying

I thought I’d give some other flavors a try. Peanut butter is still my favorite but I was pleasantly surprised by lemon tart. I would not have ordered that on its own normally, but now that I’ve tasted it, I will for certain. Yummy!
Rated 5 out of 5

Stephen Daw – 22 July 2022

Bushwalking snack

The starter pack was great for walking and hikes so had to purchase more. Nice flavors in the mixed box.
Rated 5 out of 5

Susanne Vijsma – 16 August 2022

Perfect snack

Have tasted all of the Collagen bars and can’t decide which one is best, because they’re all delicious. The flavours are not particularly strong, but I think that’s because they’re not very sweet, which is good. Texture is soft & slightly crumbly, not chewy, but doesn’t fall apart. Very satisfying, sometimes half a bar is enough.
Rated 5 out of 5

Carol (verified owner) – 29 March 2023

these bars are a great snack, couldnt decide what flavour as they are all yummy. Hard to only have 1 a day
Rated 5 out of 5

HNR (verified owner) – 24 May 2023

Favourite with the whole family, these bars are the best!