Plant Chat: Jared Koch, founder of Clean Plates

Jared Koch is the founder and CEO of Clean Plates, a free daily email for well-informed eaters that discovers and recommends the best of better-for-you eating. His mission with Clean Plates is to make it easier and more enjoyable for you to eat healthy, sustainable food without sacrificing an ounce of pleasure. Whether you’re a conscientious carnivore, a vegetarian, or going gluten-free, Clean Plates is here to help you eat cleaner.

What inspired you to create the Clean Plates guides?  

Working with clients as a nutritional client I saw that two things led to change. Good advice on how to eat better that wasn’t extreme, and well-curated practical recommendations on how to easily implement the change.

Tell us about the Clean Plates philosophy.  

I’ve broken down my philosophy into 5 keys to eating clean.

1. Bioindividuality.  There is more than one right way to eat and the foods that are best for my body may be different than the foods that are best for yours.
2. Quality trumps quantity. It’s not that calories don’t matter but the quality of food you eat matters more. We emphasize eating whole, organic, non-gmo and local food as much as possible.
3. The foundation of your food intake should be plant-based. You don’t need to be a vegan, but you should eat a lot of vegetables along with fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.
4. If you eat animal foods, eat them responsibly. Eat better quality (grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free) and watch your quantity (portion size and frequency of eating).
5. Reduce your intake of sugar, poor quality oils, and processed foods loaded with chemicals.

What criteria do restaurants have to meet in order to be Clean Plates Approved?  

We really adhere to our philosophy. They have to source very well when it comes to how animals are raised as well as local and organic produce. In addition, we look at quality of oils, salts, sweeteners and cooking methods being used.  As importantly, the food has to taste great!

What are other resources available for people interested in eating cleaner and healthier foods through your program?   

Our newest product is our free email.  We discover and recommend the best of better-for-you eating. We currently have a national edition (tips, products, recipes etc.) as well as an NYC edition with more coming soon.

Are you finding that people are more interested in clean, healthier food; if so, why?   

I think you have to be living under a rock if you don’t see that. It’s very exciting to see how much more interest there is in it.  I think there is more quality information so, more people are aware. There are so many more great products and restaurants so it is much easier to implement.  We still have a long way to go, but I think it is going to become the new norm of how people think about and eat food.