Clean eating

Looking for some tips and recipes for clean eating.

Replies

  • Spadesheart
    Spadesheart Posts: 479 Member
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    If you meal boiled chicken breast and asparagus, then yes, it's "clean" but it's also soul crushing and a recipe for failure in the long term.

    I can, however, provide a bunch of great recipes for wholesome nutritious meals made with good fresh ingredients full of micronutrients and that taste good and will help you lose weight IF you eat it in appropriate portions! As in calories in vs calories out.

    I can get fat on boiled chicken and asparagus if I eat enough of it, and I can get skinny on pizza if I eat only that too, in tiny little portions.

    ...do people actually boil chicken for any other purpose than soup?
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    If you meal boiled chicken breast and asparagus, then yes, it's "clean" but it's also soul crushing and a recipe for failure in the long term.

    I can, however, provide a bunch of great recipes for wholesome nutritious meals made with good fresh ingredients full of micronutrients and that taste good and will help you lose weight IF you eat it in appropriate portions! As in calories in vs calories out.

    I can get fat on boiled chicken and asparagus if I eat enough of it, and I can get skinny on pizza if I eat only that too, in tiny little portions.

    ...do people actually boil chicken for any other purpose than soup?

    Chicken salad. And I have one recipe where, yes, the chicken is boiled for soup, but then the pieces are put into a pan, topped with orange glaze, and baked.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Clean eating?
    You lose weight by eating less calories than your body burns. That’s it. No matter what plan you are on.
    I lost over 1/2 my body weight eating foods I like. Moderation, portion control, and staying at a calorie deficit is all it takes.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    I'm not totally sure what you mean by "clean eating" as different folks take that to mean different things. For myself, it means shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, so basically dairy, eggs, meat, and fruits/veggies. The only things I really use from the middle aisles are coffee and condiments.

    I work full time outside of the house with 2.5+hrs per day of commuting so I try to keep my weekday recipes as simple as possible. Generally a grilled meat and sauteed or roasted fresh veggies. I follow a Keto Diet so tend to skip the starchy side. Yesterday I wfh so had a little more time for dinner, so I took 3 large chicken breast, trimmed them up and then cut them open on the side to create a little pocket. Stuffed the pocket with cheddar cheese and chopped bacon. Added a sprinkle of ranch seasoning (not necessarily "clean" but super yummy), browned each side in my cast iron pan in some evoo, then moved the whole pan straight to a 350 degree oven and baked for 30 minutes. Voila. Super fast and easy and yummy to boot.

    For "clean eating" recipes, you might have luck searching for things like "Paleo" or "Primal" or "Whole 30" as those tend to focus on whole, fresh foods. You can always add in things like pasta if you like and it fits with your calorie goals.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I'm another who would need to know what you mean by clean eating. I mostly cook from whole foods, which I think is the most common definition, but you definitely don't need special ingredients or to follow a special diet like paleo to do that. Pretty much any good cookbook will be based on whole foods. I tend not to use recipes, and I also tend to prioritize what's in season now and plan my cooking around that (at least at times like now, when a lot of great produce is starting to be in season).
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    If I was going to eat clean I'd totally avoid the fresh fruits and veggies, since they guaranteed have more dirt on them than a frozen dinner. I'd avoid eggs too, there's usually chicken poo.

    Jokes aside though, eat what you like. If whole fresh foods are your goal you don't hardly need a recipe. Little oil, salt and pepper and oven roast pretty much any vegetable for delicious results. Add garlic, paprika and rosemary for a little extra yum.
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    edited August 2019
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  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    If you meal boiled chicken breast and asparagus, then yes, it's "clean" but it's also soul crushing and a recipe for failure in the long term.

    I can, however, provide a bunch of great recipes for wholesome nutritious meals made with good fresh ingredients full of micronutrients and that taste good and will help you lose weight IF you eat it in appropriate portions! As in calories in vs calories out.

    I can get fat on boiled chicken and asparagus if I eat enough of it, and I can get skinny on pizza if I eat only that too, in tiny little portions.

    ...do people actually boil chicken for any other purpose than soup?

    Poached chicken can be amazing if you don't overcook it. Late last month I made khao man gai a few times and it's one of my favorite things to get for lunch.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    OP, if you are still around, what would be really helpful is to tell us what you are doing now and what you would like to change or finding difficult. I'm sure lots of us would have tips.
  • Baltimorescott
    Baltimorescott Posts: 2 Member
    Terytha wrote: »
    ...

    Jokes aside though, eat what you like. If whole fresh foods are your goal you don't hardly need a recipe. Little oil, salt and pepper and oven roast pretty much any vegetable for delicious results. Add garlic, paprika and rosemary for a little extra yum.

    Roasting veggies is the best! Very filling, very tasty, and very easy.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    There is no definition of "clean" eating. From what I have read, "nuts" are clean. Well... nuts are easy to overeat on. You want my advise? Eat less calorie dense, more satisfying foods most of the time. Sometimes fit something you really like. I tell the story of a young lady I work with. She was eating "clean" and kept complaining she could not lose weight. I watched her one day 2 avacodos with about 1/2 cup of almond butter for a snack. Just saying....
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Once you make something doesn't it have ingredients?

    I am going to play around with the green spring soup I'm currently into again this evening. Likely ingredients are sorrel and asparagus and leeks (from the green market), some frozen peas, maybe some other herb from my garden (probably not, as I want to avoid complicating the flavor) and some homemade cashew milk to add a bit of creaminess. Also some salt and pepper, and I will likely use some olive oil in cooking the veg.

    After it's made, it has ingredients, but to claim that made it less healthful than eating everything on their own would make no sense. (Also, my frozen peas are as healthy as fresh peas, and including olive oil (which is not a whole food) doesn't make the dish less healthful.)
  • Spadesheart
    Spadesheart Posts: 479 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    If you meal boiled chicken breast and asparagus, then yes, it's "clean" but it's also soul crushing and a recipe for failure in the long term.

    I can, however, provide a bunch of great recipes for wholesome nutritious meals made with good fresh ingredients full of micronutrients and that taste good and will help you lose weight IF you eat it in appropriate portions! As in calories in vs calories out.

    I can get fat on boiled chicken and asparagus if I eat enough of it, and I can get skinny on pizza if I eat only that too, in tiny little portions.

    ...do people actually boil chicken for any other purpose than soup?

    Poached chicken can be amazing if you don't overcook it. Late last month I made khao man gai a few times and it's one of my favorite things to get for lunch.

    Oooo that actually sounds great! Lot of flavour in that boiling process haha
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I always forget about poaching, but I agree it's a good way to cook chicken.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    @letikia2300, there is a clean eating group here on the site that has been around for awhile, might be a good place to read through to see others' experiences.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133-clean-eating-group
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Well my best advice for "Clean Eating" is to eat from the Earth. Eat things that grow from the dirt, walk, swim, and fly. Things that don't have a bunch of ingredients that you can't pronounce. Things that are chemically. The less ingredients the better, even better if it has kn ingredients. (Fresh produce you pick out of the bulk bin at the store) :)

    Like bacon. <nods>

    Bacon.... ahhhhh.. yea...
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I routinely share links to various groups about frequently asked questions or topics, I've never seen anyone take issue with a suggestion of the PCOS group despite there likely being plenty of people on the main forums who have dealt with PCOS. Many people don't realize how much there is on the MFP site, so if I happen to know of a resource that might be helpful to them, I'm going to share it. It's not a very good research practice to completely disregard another potential source of information on a topic because one source has some information on that topic. There are lots of archived threads in the main forums and in groups which can be helpful, as well as active discussions.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    An example of highly processed food and unprocessed food can be found in peanut butter. Jif is a highly processed food. One of my favorites. Shall I get the unprocessed peanut butter which separates and tastes like wallpaper paste from the little country market up the road? They just crush the peanuts to a paste and put them in the jar.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I think the less processed option tastes better. I hated peanut butter as a kid, and tried the just peanuts and salt option as an adult and realized I actually like it (although I tend to prefer other nut butters or nuts whole).

    But that aside, switching out Jif for the same calories in homemade peanut butter (using a food processor and peanuts) will of course have zero effect on weight loss unless you just end up eating less since having to make it is a bigger hassle than buying it.

    This is why I think focusing on nutrition and cooking from whole foods (which often results in tastier, more satisfying meals with fewer cals) can be a helpful focus for many, but worrying about whether something counts as ultraprocessed or just processed or not processed or whatever is useless and a distraction (especially given how off-the-wall some personal interpretations of what "unprocessed" is can be, like protein powder=unprocessed). I'm assuming OP is more interested in the former (cooking nutritious meals from mostly whole foods) than some kind of "all processed foods are the devil" thing unless she says otherwise.

    That said, it's hard to give advice that is helpful without knowing what OP is finding challenging or difficult or needs support with.
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  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Everyone is gonna have their own versions of their best "clean" diet and it's true it doesn't have an actual definition. For me it means reducing the kind of food I tend to overeat if it's available, things like fries, and some kinds of cookies and baked goods, and making sure to eat a good amount of fruit and vegetables each day. That said, I make sure to have alternatives around for the things that I want, like I have animal crackers instead of other cookies, and a brand I like of french/sourdough loaf, and I'll get 3-4 cookies from the self serve bins at Whole Foods or wherever instead of packets. I can do 2-3 days strict "clean" before I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind so, balance.
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    Looking for some tips and recipes for clean eating.

    Wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them.