The Clean Diet That Made Me Feel Worse

I went through the clean-eating phase hard.
Protein powders, almond milk, high-fiber wraps, zero-cal dressings, gluten-free everything. My fridge looked like a supplement aisle.

But I felt bloated every day.
Couldn’t focus.
Always hungry two hours later.

I kept tweaking: more chia, less dairy, switch oils, time my carbs. Still foggy.

Then one week, I stripped it all back.

• Eggs, rice, beef, fruit.

• No powders. No snack bars. No nut milks with ten ingredients.

• Olive oil, not “MCT-enhanced” whatever.

I felt better in three days.
Less swelling. Better sleep. Clearer mood.

The lesson wasn’t new — just forgotten:

Food isn’t about tricking your body into eating less.
It’s about feeding it something it recognizes.

If I can’t pronounce it or picture where it came from, it’s probably not helping me recover.

You don’t need more “clean.”
You need more real.