Need to learn about clean eating

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I am 78 years and my health is suffering, so I have to lose 40 lbs.
my Dr tells me I Need to stay away from processed foods and eat only fresh.
I do not know anything about cooking much less eating this way. I will appreciate any help.
Unfortunately there is no one in our household that eats this way, so I am on my own.

Replies

  • rendress269
    rendress269 Posts: 90 Member
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    Hi Grannychick75,
    I'm by no means an expert, but I try to eat natural foods as much as possible. I shop the outer aisles of the store and buy from my local farmer's market. I often think of my grandmother when I'm cooking because I'd imagine she used a lot of the same fresh products instead of packaged, processed foods.

    My husband hates dieting and has commented that this time around he feels more satisfied with his meals and doesn't feel as if he's on a diet at all. We eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily and have focused on portion control.

    We try to eat one Meatless meal every week and chicken, lean ground turkey or fish with an occasional beef/ pork meal. I buy fresh vegetables to steam instead of canned or frozen. We cut out all white flour, rice, pasta & sugar from our diet and use whole wheat and grains more often.

    Do you have any dietary restrictions? This will be an important piece to a healthy plan. Best of luck to you. I sent you a friend request.
  • TBrownCVT
    TBrownCVT Posts: 85 Member
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    Their are so many blogs about this subject that give great tips. Two of my favorites are MyHumbleKitchen.com, and WellnessMama.com
  • LuFindy
    LuFindy Posts: 28
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    Hi, I am very much the same. I need to learn to eat more natural foods and stay away from processed. It's so hard when you've done that all your life. We can help each other!
  • crispywalker
    crispywalker Posts: 18 Member
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    Start with simple steps.. like take out snack foods from your home and snack on fruits, veggies and nuts.
  • Grannychick75
    Grannychick75 Posts: 10 Member
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    Hi Grannychick75,
    I'm by no means an expert, but I try to eat natural foods as much as possible. I shop the outer aisles of the store and buy from my local farmer's market. I often think of my grandmother when I'm cooking because I'd imagine she used a lot of the same fresh products instead of packaged, processed foods.

    My husband hates dieting and has commented that this time around he feels more satisfied with his meals and doesn't feel as if he's on a diet at all. We eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily and have focused on portion control.

    We try to eat one Meatless meal every week and chicken, lean ground turkey or fish with an occasional beef/ pork meal. I buy fresh vegetables to steam instead of canned or frozen. We cut out all white flour, rice, pasta & sugar from our diet and use whole wheat and grains more often.

    Do you have any dietary restrictions? This will be an important piece to a healthy plan. Best of luck to you. I sent you a friend request.
    Hi Grannychick75,
    I'm by no means an expert, but I try to eat natural foods as much as possible. I shop the outer aisles of the store and buy from my local farmer's market. I often think of my grandmother when I'm cooking because I'd imagine she used a lot of the same fresh products instead of packaged, processed foods.

    My husband hates dieting and has commented that this time around he feels more satisfied with his meals and doesn't feel as if he's on a diet at all. We eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily and have focused on portion control.

    We try to eat one Meatless meal every week and chicken, lean ground turkey or fish with an occasional beef/ pork meal. I buy fresh vegetables to steam instead of canned or frozen. We cut out all white flour, rice, pasta & sugar from our diet and use whole wheat and grains more often.

    Do you have any dietary restrictions? This will be an important piece to a healthy plan. Best of luck to you. I sent you a friend request.

    Hello,
    Now I have to learn how to reply to your posts!
    I do have restrictions on my sodium mostly. I have congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. The Doctor told me I haven't to eat fresh as much as I can and keep my sodium down. Of course the carbs fat and sugars need to be monitored, hopefully keeping my calories at 1200 I can do that.
    I am looking forward to learning this fitness pal so I can keep in touch. Thank you for the ideas. I am happy to hear I am not the only one that has to learn about this clean eating.
  • Grannychick75
    Grannychick75 Posts: 10 Member
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    LuFindy wrote: »
    Hi, I am very much the same. I need to learn to eat more natural foods and stay away from processed. It's so hard when you've done that all your life. We can help each other!

    Hello LuFindy,
    I am looking forward to us being of help to each other..
  • LifeIsGoodAZ
    LifeIsGoodAZ Posts: 23 Member
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    Glad you're here! This is a good place for ideas. You might consider making 1-2 changes each week so you don't get overwhelmed. Making a menu each week and then a corresponding grocery list keeps us on track. We haven't cut out all flour, etc. but we do not eat much out of packages, pretty much make all meals from wholesome, simple ingredients. That helps so much with sodium. Tonights dinner: baked chicken, broccoli, salad. We eat lots of salad but I change up the ingredients to keep it interesting.

    Good luck with your journey. Look for like-minded friends on MFP! It will help you stay the course.
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I am starting this journey, and its a day by day thing. I have a husband that needs to gain weight, due to a liver transplant. I try to fix for him then fix for me. I enjoy mixing like wheat berries with some olive oil and a bit of diced onion, then add some fresh spinach, and grate some fresh parmesan cheese over it. Simple and I am still trying to not have left overs, just fix for one portion at a time, so I won't be tempted to overeat. Great success to all of you :-)
  • mom2atw
    mom2atw Posts: 15
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    I love food!! So baby steps to clean eating is how I have started. I needed snacks. I found a raw nut mix at target that is not salted. Took me a while to realize - hey - I actually like the taste of the food and not the salt.
    - I like cooked broccoli. But my before meal had loads of butter and parm cheese etc. So now I don't add those. But I have the things I love just tweaked.
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    This attitude of "clean" eating has always spoken to me. I had never defined it as that, and I like the label :smile: I like to grab some veggies, dice a couple and mix with some olive oil and spices, then add a handful of cooked wheat berries, or cooked wild rice, mix in a blob of fresh goat cheese and a bit of liquid...and voila! Heaven. Its using your hands as measuring spoons, and not going overboard with portions. I need to do more of this kind of cooking, but I fix for others as well, and they are picky eaters. I get in a couple of days here and there though.
  • jeanette526
    jeanette526 Posts: 21 Member
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    Lucky for me I'm not a fussy eater at all and love my vegetables. We get to the market all the time to buy tons of veggies and fruits. We have a freezer full of meats too. I'm not yet buying grain fed meats but don't eat processed foods any longer. No canned soup. No canned beans. Nothing packaged and preserved. I cut out sugar, pastas, and bread. I do use Stevia in my coffee. I notice that my digestive system feels better. I never get heart burn or indigestion. It took me a very long time to realize that. Company likes the meals we prepare too. funny isn't it....guests are relieved that we're not over feeding them.
  • Just115Pounds
    Just115Pounds Posts: 81 Member
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    Instead of going to the chips, grab an apple or banana.
    I like to stray away from foods that have more than 5 or 6 ingredients in them. That's a good start.