6 Reasons Why Clean Protein — and Meals — Matter for Your Fitness Goals

Eating clean is going to help you meet your goals. It’s as simple as that. Food is fuel and to meet your fitness goals, you need to give you body the best fuel you can. By making sure you’re eating high quality meals and getting your protein supplementation from clean sources, you’ll free your body of junk that can slow you down and prevent you from achieving your objectives inside and outside of the gym.

Eating a natural, nutrient-dense and low-fat diet is going to give you more energy, boost your mood, help you PR and keep you from getting sick, which means you have one less thing keeping you out of the gym. A clean, healthy diet, incorporating high quality protein supplements that don’t carry any filler or subpar ingredients, can fuel your fitness – and the rest of your life – to help you meet your goals. Here’s how:

You’re Going To Have Way More Energy

Fueling your body with the right foods is going to give you more energy. Fueling your body with the wrong foods is going to sap you of your energy, making you feel tired, lethargic and groggy. A study from UCLA found that rats fed a diet of junk food were lazier (and fatter) than rats fed a clean, healthy diet.

According to researcher Aaron Blaisdell, a junk food diet may result in fatigue. Rats given a junk food diet didn’t do as well at a task as rats who were eating clean. Rats were required to press a lever to receive food or water as a reward. The junk food rats showed impaired performance and took substantially longer breaks than their healthy, lean counterparts during the exercise.  

Eating clean can prevent this from happening to you. Making sure your meals and your protein supplements aren’t full of junk can keep you from experiencing the dreaded junk food crash. The transition takes time, but persistence will pay off.

You’re Going To Be A Happier Person

The way you feel is closely related to the things you eat. Therefore it stands to reason that eating good things is going to make you feel good. Research has confirmed this – you are, at least emotionally, what you eat. If you eat junk, you’re going to feel like junk.

A study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that eating fruits and vegetables can promote emotional well-being in healthy young adults. On days that young adults ate about seven or eight servings of fruits or vegetables, they experienced “greater positive affect.” That good feeling carried straight on through to the next day. Eating clean and getting in your fruits and veggies can make you feel great for days. Make a habit of it and you’ll be riding high all the time.

You’re Going To Lose Weight (Obviously)

This might seem a little self-explanatory, but eating natural and low fat is going to help you lose weight. Replacing the junk in your diet with clean, healthy meals and supplements is going to help you shed pounds and create a healthier body. According to one study published by the Journal of Adolescent Health, eating fast food as an adolescent is a predictor of obesity in adulthood. Once you hit adulthood, the slow climb to obesity is littered with junk and processed food wrappers. The New England Journal of Medicine confirms that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda and sweet tea, and processed foods make it harder for people to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lifetimes. Eating whole grains, fruits and veggies could make that a whole lot easier. Clean up your diet and your waistline could see the benefits.

You’re Going To Get Sick Less

Eating clean is going to keep you healthy in all sorts of ways. Keeping your diet healthy can boost your immunity, leading to less sick time. According to Prevention, using a nutrient-rich diet to keep your gut bacteria happy with things like probiotics and complex carbohydrates can strengthen your immune system and help reduce the likelihood of you coming down with illness. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate more fruits and vegetables suffered fewer chronic illnesses.

Bolster your diet with powerful foods like garlic, which can reduce the chance you’re going to get a cold and help you recover faster, and green tea, which can help you fight off the flu.

You’re Going To Boost Your Workouts

Eating clean is going to help you perform better in the gym. Period. You will avoid the fatigue that comes along with junk food and processed swill, and your muscles are going to do a better job of rebuilding themselves. According to Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Prevention, “Every one of your dietary decisions throughout the day impact your exercise performance.”

Healthy food promotes healthy growth and a healthy recovery process, according to Greatist. A clean source of protein is going to be your body’s best bet. Performance Inspired doesn’t load any of our protein products with junk or filler. What you’re getting with the Performance Whey Protein, Ripped Whey Protein and Inspired Bars is high-quality, clean protein that will fuel your muscle growth and help you meet your goals.

Don’t forget to hydrate your workouts. Your best bet is always good, pure water. Sports drinks are often loaded with the same amount of calories as sodas, which can slow you down and make you feel like junk. Drink water. Lots of it.

You’re Going To Crave Crap Food Less

Clean eating paves the way for more clean eating. Research has shown that if you start your day with a clean, protein-rich meal for breakfast, you’re less likely to indulge in junk food later in the day. Instead of feeling deprived when they stopped themselves from grabbing that last office donut or taking a trip to the vending machine, subjects of the study reported not thinking about crappy food much at all. Researchers postulate that kicking off the day with a jolt of healthy protein increases dopamine levels in the brain. Start your day with good food and you’re more likely to eat well throughout the day.

Eating clean is one part of what it takes to fulfill your ambitions. For more tips about crushing your goals and to be a part of an amazing, supportive online community, check out Performance Inspired on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.