Eggs Hard-boilded eggs add protein and healthy fat to your salad and can help you absorb 8 times more carotenoid antioxidants from veggies. But eggs produced by grain-fed chickens raised in cramped indoor cages aren’t nearly as human, nutritious, or safe as eggs produced by happy hens that roam freely in the sunshine and nosh on a natural diet. Here, make sense of the confusing labels: MORE: 9 Organic Meals That Cost Less Than $5 A Serving Energy Bars Bars are booming and can be a healthy, convenient way to snack on the go—provided they’re not filled with sugar and junk, which most are. Here’s how to choose a cleaner nosh: MORE: 4 Best Foods For Your Brain Nuts Adding the cleanest versions of these pint-size superfoods to your salad delivers up to 6 g of protein and 3 g of fiber per serving—way more than carb-heavy croutons or sugar-packed raisins. Nuts have even been shown to keep you so full that you eat less at your next meal, a phenomenon known as the second-meal effect. But keep it simple—the wrong choice can result in excess salt, sugar, and sketchy oils. MORE: 10 Most Addictive Foods In The World Zero-Calorie Drinks Don’t even think about reaching for a diet drink this summer: Artificially sweetened beverages have already been linked to heart disease, while a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds that even one diet drink a day is associated with increased belly fat. (Find out what happens when you finally stop drinking diet soda.) What to guzzle? Below, your cleanest bottled choices: MORE: 8 Foods With A Big Weight Loss Secret Greens Choose the wrong bunch and you could get chemicals, along with a side of pathogens that can make you sick. Greens and veggies grown in rows have caused more than one-third of all E. coli sicknesses in the US in the past 5 years, says a government report. MORE: 8 Easy Tips To Serioiusly Boost The Nutrition Factor In Your Salad Dressing Don’t let a drizzle derail your dinner. You wouldn’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley, would you? Then why would you pour an unhealthy dressing on a first-class designer salad? Most store-bought brands are full of sugar, chemical emulsifiers, artificial colors and flavors, and genetically modified oils. Instead, try one of these 5 ingredient salad dressing recipes. MORE: 9 Foods That Help You Sleep Better Pita Chips Confused by which brands of “healthy” packaged foods are best? Join the club. Here’s what to look for when choosing the best pita chips: MORE: 6 Better-For-You Burgers Protein Lean, low-calorie protein that doesn’t need to be cooked? That’s one reason we love the cleanest canned fish, along with its heart-healthy omega-3 fats. But some canned fish can be big on toxins like mercury, so choose your species wisely. Then opt for one that hasn’t been packed in a can with BPA, a synthetic chemical linked to weight gain, heart arrhythmias, certain cancers, asthma, and other health problems. Look for “BPA-free” on the label. The article “The 8 Cleanest Food Choices You Can Make—And The 8 Dirtiest” originally ran on Prevention.com.
