Clean eating

angelb1983

Looking for advice from those that "eat clean". I want to start this by saying I know that it does not help with weight loss...I am wanting to do it merely for health reasons and to gain a desire for healthier foods. Anyway, to those who clean eat...what does that mean to you? What do you do when you are running around and don't have time to go home and make something. How do you prevent eating out? Do you find that clean eating has reduced your desire to eat less healthy foods, or do you always crave those? What are some breakfast ideas? I can't stand oatmeal because of the texture, but other options would be awesome! And one more question, what are some foods that you always keep in the refrigerator? Would love to look at your diary for ideas...Going from a diet that is 90% processed to 90% clean will have its challenges, I am sure.

TimothyFish

"Clean eating"? Do you mean by not eating pork, etc.?

Liftng4Lis

You are going to get so many different opinions on this. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.

BoxerBrawler

Hi there! I don't do it perfectly (yet) but I eat clean (and paleo) 95% of the time. No grains or added sugars. My fridge is always packed with lean protiens (grass fed/organic), tons of fresh organic vegetables and some fresh fruits. I always have plenty of spices, olive and coconut oil, grass fed butter, raw honey and other natural condiments on hand. I rarely find myself without a healthy option because I shop and prep on Sundays and I never leave home without a snack or two e.g., nuts, seeds, berries, an apple, icelandic yogurt, turkey jerky, hard boiled egg, etc... Whole foods sells Alive and Radiant products and they are clean/organic/Paleo and really good for you so I tend to have a bag of that handy as well. Eating clean has most definitely reduced my desire to eat junk food. I can't even stand the thought of a candy bar let alone eat one! yuk. My overall strength, tone and energy is awesome as a result. I have not been logging much lately because of family issues and time constraints but message me, I'd love to talk more and share ideas. Thanks

cookmtn

An idea for breakfast is to eat brown rice with fruits, dried fruits, nuts, etc. Also, eggs scrambled with veggies. I don't eat "clean" but my parents are vegan, so I have some ideas. A crockpot might come in handy.

Sabine_Stroehm

Good for you for wanting to eat a more healthy diet!

As Lifting says, you're going to get many different opinions on this, but yeah, shop the perimeter. Choose whole foods: traditionally vegetables, traditionally grown fruits, grass fed meats, nuts, seeds etc. that you prepare without adding a lot of convenience boxed products to. Aim for breads with fewer ingredients. Aim to limit the HFCS, and other added sugars.

I don't refer to myself as a clean eater, per se. But I try to eat nutritious whole foods. I keep nuts handy for snacks. I pre-cut vegetables. I keep fruits near by. I pre-hard boil eggs for snacks.

And most importantly: join the clean eating group here, the perimeter shoppers group, or the eating to live group, and even the paleo group, as they'll give you answers to questions you have about your goal to eat more whole foods.

They'll each have their own ideas as to what that means, but they'll respect your goal. On the main boards, clean eating threads usually turn into mocking, adolescent, train wrecks where folks become obtuse for "fun".

Best of luck on your journey!

J72FIT

angelb1983 wrote: »

Anyway, to those who clean eat...what does that mean to you?

Clean eating doesn't really mean anything to me, to ambiguous of a term... I fill my diet with as much nutrient dense foods as I can. Once my needs are met I fill in the rest with whatever I fancy.

angelb1983 wrote: »

What do you do when you are running around and don't have time to go home and make something.

If I'm hungry, I make best choice from what is available to me. If I am not hungry, I skip the meal.

angelb1983 wrote: »

How do you prevent eating out?

I don't...

angelb1983 wrote: »

Do you find that clean eating has reduced your desire to eat less healthy foods, or do you always crave those?

Cravings have never gone away but that said, I do not consider any food unhealthy. IMO, the devil is in the dose. What manages my cravings though is the fact that I don't deem any foods as off limits.

angelb1983 wrote: »

What are some breakfast ideas?

I typically start each day with a green smoothie. The recipe varies. Today was...
2 cups water, 1 banana, 1 pear, 1/2 rolled oats, 1 cup frozen peas, 2 cups frozen spinach and 1oz roasted cashews.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Start tilling your garden now. Also, you can buy hogs, cattle, and chicken on the cheap when they're young.

melnorwich

Hi
I have several standard breakfasts.
- scrambled eggs, made with unsweetened almond milk and pepper on soda bread
- porridge (I love it, but the texture used to bother me too). I have it either with cinnamon or with honey drizzled on top
- chopped up apple in a mug with cinnamon and yoghurt
- smoothie (something like frozen melon, spinach, lime juice, almond milk and banana protein powder).
- toasted shop bought bagel (this isn't clean at all, but its quick when I have no energy)

I find that heavily processed food tastes differently, particularly shop bought soup and sauces. They have an artificial taste to them. I still crave sugar, which is annoying but smoothies, fruit and green tea help.

Things I always have in are yoghurt, cinnamon, apples, red grapefruit, spinach (frozen is really handy for smoothies), honey, nuts, frozen bagels/muffins/bread (as I try not to eat too much of these), almond milk, lemons, lime juice, tins of tuna (to have with rice or mixed with yoghurt in a jacket potato), oat biscuits.

I try to only eat out in decent restaurants where they cook food from scratch.

noexcusesjustresults2014

For me "clean eating" means my hands are washed and my plates and silverware are clean before I eat.

cwolfman13

Anyway, to those who clean eat...what does that mean to you?

It means eating a lot of nutrient dense, whole foods and meals prepared from wholesome, scratch ingredients. I pretty much follow a rule of 80%/20%. Lots of veggies, fruit, whole grains, lean protein sources, and healthy fats...and some ice cream from time to time.

What do you do when you are running around and don't have time to go home and make something. How do you prevent eating out?

I'm pretty good about planning. Sandwiches always come in handy on the go...I don't consider bread to be "unclean."

Do you find that clean eating has reduced your desire to eat less healthy foods, or do you always crave those?

I'm a foodie and always have been. I crave quality and have eaten relatively "clean" most of my life. Again, this is difficult...because most people wouldn't consider something like pizza to be "clean"...but my favorite pizzeria prepares some awesome pies using scratch, whole ingredients...quality is superb...most people would consider that junk, but I don't see anything wrong with it as a part of a well balanced diet. The bigger issue is having a couple of slices vs an entire pie.

What are some breakfast ideas? I can't stand oatmeal because of the texture, but other options would be awesome!

I love eggs and pretty much eat them daily. Right now I'm big into having my scrambled eggs on top of a bed of homemade pinto beans and smothered in New Mexico green chiles.

And one more question, what are some foods that you always keep in the refrigerator? Would love to look at your diary for ideas...Going from a diet that is 90% processed to 90% clean will have its challenges, I am sure.

Too many to list...lots of veggies, chicken, pork tenderloin, white fish, salmon, etc...milk, eggs...etc, etc, etc...lots of whole foods. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store.

SnuggleSmacks

The problem is that there is no established definition of "clean" eating. I prefer the term "whole foods." I do eat whole the majority of the time, including making a lot of my pasta and bread. That involves shopping primarily around the outskirts of the supermarket. Produce, meat, dairy. I will include canned beans because I seldom have the time to cook from dried, and I include bottled sauces and dressings and whole grain flours, exotic rices {Browns, reds and blacks) and lentils. Other than that, I shop the aisles for vinegar, oil and spices, and I buy some frozen veggies (I eat mostly fresh, but its nice to have mixes on hand).)

AmZam05

I agree with the above poster that a better term is "whole foods." So basically making your meals as simple as possible using few ingredients and making sure they are fresh and not from a package. For example one of my go-to lunches is a grilled chicken breast on a bed of spinach and topped with black beans. That's 3 ingredients, 5 if you count the spices I use (which I generally don't because they have miniscule to no caloric value), and it's delicious and I don't feel the slightest bit deprived. For dinner I will often make chicken/fish/pork, a carb side of brown rice/quinoa/potatoes, and steamed veggies. So again only a handful of foods, meals don't have to be complex, and often times I find they taste better when they are simple. And of course it makes it easier to log!

SonicDeathMonkey80

noexcusesjustresults2014 wrote: »

For me "clean eating" means my hands are washed and my plates and silverware are clean before I eat.

I scrub the dirt off my sweet potatoes

angelb1983

Thank you all for the comments, and Sabine....thank you for the suggestion to join a group. I forgot about groups.

njitaliana

Try steel cut oats. The texture is better. And Google a recipe for baked oatmeal. It is good. I have a lot of crustless quiche for breakfast. I bake 2 and have a slice each morning along with fruit.

fourakes

I have tried to eat real food. If it has a ingredients label I dont eat it., nothing processed. I try to buy organic but not everything. It is a process. I eat no processed sugar or wheat.

SnuggleSmacks

Oh, I still eat plenty of processed stuff. Ice cream, chocolate, condiments (have you ever tried to make your own ketchup?) and dressings...plus, my sweetheart and I like to eat out. But you won't find junk food in my house. That's strictly for sharing with my beloved.

Kalikel

There will be much grade-school-style mocking and many people bragging about what non-healthy food they eat, which is somehow supposed to make you feel worse, lol. But good for you!

Lean, white meat. Fresh fruits and veggies. Low or no fat dairy. Whole grain breads.

http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/

Dave198lbs

Kalikel wrote: »

There will be much grade-school-style mocking and many people bragging about what non-healthy food they eat, which is somehow supposed to make you feel worse, lol. But good for you!

Lean, white meat. Fresh fruits and veggies. Low or no fat dairy. Whole grain breads.

http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/

actually low no fat dairy is not considered clean. Full fat yogurt and milk is fantastic.Dark meat (chicken thighs) are tasty as all get out, especially baked or BBQ'd with skin intact.