Clean(er) eating for a new year?

Writingwren

Hey all! My husband and I decided to try to ‘eat clean’ for the first 21 days of the new year, both for weight and general health purposes. I have a bad sweet tooth and fast food habit, so we are cutting eating out all together and all sweets.

Beyond that though, we don’t really know what it means to eat clean(er) than what we do. Any ideas on general guidelines we can try to stick to? Does anyone have any recipes they’re willing to share? We’ve mapped out a few meals for specific days and meals, and we are hoping the structure makes us be more mindful eaters, and we’ve included plenty of fruits and veggies, and more organically healthy meals like boiled chicken and different fish. Any advice helps!

psuLemon

Writingwren wrote: »

Hey all! My husband and I decided to try to ‘eat clean’ for the first 21 days of the new year, both for weight and general health purposes. I have a bad sweet tooth and fast food habit, so we are cutting eating out all together and all sweets.

Beyond that though, we don’t really know what it means to eat clean(er) than what we do. Any ideas on general guidelines we can try to stick to? Does anyone have any recipes they’re willing to share? We’ve mapped out a few meals for specific days and meals, and we are hoping the structure makes us be more mindful eaters, and we’ve included plenty of fruits and veggies, and more organically healthy meals like boiled chicken and different fish. Any advice helps!

There are hundreds of definitions. In general terms its whole minimally processed foods.

It might or might not help with weight though. It's not hard to eat whole foods and maintain weight. That will come with getting into a deficit. Things like focusing on lean proteins, fruits and vegetables will be a great way to lower calories. Also look to reduce or eliminate added sugars or use sugar substitutes to reduce calories.

For recipes, you could focus a bit more on Mediterranean style foods. Lots of lean proteins and healthy fats in the form of fish, avocado, chia seeds and olive oil.

Writingwren

@psuLemon super helpful, thanks!

psuLemon

Also, what kind of recipes do you want? Food preferences. Are we talking fish, beef, chicken, pork? Do you have food aversions?

rosebarnalice

Challenge yourself to learn a few good low fat vegetarian dishes (chili? Stir fry veggies? Baked tofu? Seitan 'meat'loaf?). Even if your goal isn't to become a vegetarian, learning a few flavor and texture strategies from a good veggie cookbook or website can introduce you to new flavor combos that might become favorites!

lemurcat2

Writingwren wrote: »

Beyond that though, we don’t really know what it means to eat clean(er) than what we do. Any ideas on general guidelines we can try to stick to? Does anyone have any recipes they’re willing to share? We’ve mapped out a few meals for specific days and meals, and we are hoping the structure makes us be more mindful eaters, and we’ve included plenty of fruits and veggies, and more organically healthy meals like boiled chicken and different fish. Any advice helps!

Eating "clean" doesn't really mean anything, or at least people have their own specific definitions.

I don't find it a helpful term, but I do tend to prefer to eat a nutritionally-dense diet that is mostly home-cooked from whole ingredients (I do eat out, or did pre covid, about once a week, and now order, but from interesting local restaurants for the most part).

I think that for eating well, what you eat actually matters much more than what you do not, with the understanding, of course, that meeting your nutritional needs in a sensible calorie budget will mean limited cals available for high cal, lower nutrient type stuff.

I concentrate on building meals around a source of protein (meat, beans/lentils, eggs or dairy, or perhaps something like tofu) plus vegetables (I tend to have 10+ servings on most days). I eat a lot of fish as my meat, eat other types of meat too. Beyond that, I will add in whole food starches or whole grains or occasionally pasta/rice and sensible amounts of olive oil or butter. I also eat dairy (mainly cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and good cheeses), fruit, and nuts/seeds. Some of this is processed, but typically minimally so. I've recently started using protein powder again occasionally (if I think it tastes good in how I use it). I also use canned beans and tomatoes, frozen items, and eat ice cream and dark chocolate when I want (and it fits in my cals).

I hope you mean broiled chicken and not boiled! I'm a huge fan of roasted whole chicken or whole (bone-in, skin on) chicken breast. It's not the lowest cal, but from a "clean" POV it's actually less processed than skinless, boneless (which is why focusing on processing vs overall nutrition isn't the best choice, IMO).

I love making homemade salad dressings with vinegars, mustards, and olive oil (or 2 of those), for example, but if one has a store-bought dressing that they like there's no harm to that and any philosophy that demonizes that is silly IMO. Similarly, in Nov and Dec I became obsessed with this buffalo chicken salad alternative which was basically salad stuff (romaine, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, etc.) and a little cheese, with chicken breast cooked in the instant pot with Franks buffalo sauce. Low cal, delicious, and healthy, but people who say all processed foods are bad would say that's off limits.

springlering62

lemurcat2 wrote: »

...buffalo chicken salad alternative which was basically salad stuff (romaine, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, etc.) and a little cheese, with chicken breast cooked in the instant pot with Franks buffalo sauce. Low cal, delicious, and healthy, but people who say all processed foods are bad would say that's off limits.

Everything that @lemurcat2 says ^^^^

But this buffalo chicken salad idea 😱

I know what I’m having for lunch real soon!!!!!!

Anabirgite

My husband and I have done the Buzzfeed 2 Week Clean Eating Challenge 2015 several times in past Januarys- There are some excellent and horrible recipes there, but includes menus, grocery lists, recipes, everything you will eat for 2 weeks. Introduced me to several new foods, particularly fennel which I now can not live without.

Dogmom1978

As others have said, eating “clean” whatever you define it as, does NOT correlate with weight loss. CICO for weight loss and there might be a million different ways to achieve that. Eating healthier doesn’t mean you are eating in a deficit though.

kshama2001

Writingwren wrote: »

Hey all! My husband and I decided to try to ‘eat clean’ for the first 21 days of the new year, both for weight and general health purposes. I have a bad sweet tooth and fast food habit, so we are cutting eating out all together and all sweets.

Beyond that though, we don’t really know what it means to eat clean(er) than what we do. Any ideas on general guidelines we can try to stick to? Does anyone have any recipes they’re willing to share? We’ve mapped out a few meals for specific days and meals, and we are hoping the structure makes us be more mindful eaters, and we’ve included plenty of fruits and veggies, and more organically healthy meals like boiled chicken and different fish. Any advice helps!

Replacing foods with added sugar and typical fast food with lean proteins, fruits, and veggies sounds like a formula for weight loss to me!

While it is technically POSSIBLE to overeat on the latter, for me anyway it would be very DIFFICULT because the added fiber and bulk would be so filling.

Do check out Mediterranean Diet recipes. You'll find a gazillion on the internet, but you can likely also get some cookbooks from your library system. My libraries are closed inside but offer contactless pickup outside.

This might help:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/16704/healthy-recipes/mediterranean-diet/

(I always read the reviews on allrecipes.com and look for trends like "too much salt," "cooks quicker than time given," etc.)

kshama2001

springlering62 wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

...buffalo chicken salad alternative which was basically salad stuff (romaine, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, etc.) and a little cheese, with chicken breast cooked in the instant pot with Franks buffalo sauce. Low cal, delicious, and healthy, but people who say all processed foods are bad would say that's off limits.

Everything that @lemurcat2 says ^^^^

But this buffalo chicken salad idea 😱

I know what I’m having for lunch real soon!!!!!!

@springlering62 - here, have some buffalo cauliflower. It's not terribly low calorie, but a gateway recipe for cauliflower.

https://www.franksredhot.com/en-us/recipes/buffalo-cauliflower-bites

A keto version would eliminate the flour and thus those calories.

missysippy930

Anabirgite wrote: »

My husband and I have done the Buzzfeed 2 Week Clean Eating Challenge 2015 several times in past Januarys- There are some excellent and horrible recipes there, but includes menus, grocery lists, recipes, everything you will eat for 2 weeks. Introduced me to several new foods, particularly fennel which I now can not live without.

I love fennel too. It’s great roasted with beets, or shaved in salads. Really adds to flavor in vegetable soup.

OP, clean eating is an arbitrary term to me. I owe my weight loss success to eating less calories than my body burns. No food is off limit. Just a lot less consumed. Paying close attention to portion control and macros. I prefer chewing my calories, so ice water, black coffee, and occasionally a diet pop, glass of wine, or Baileys. Everyone is different though, so it’s important to find what works best for each of us.

dragon_girl26

Yeah, I have two or three different friends who eat "clean" and each one of them have a different description of what it means. I've given up on trying to figure that one out..too complicated for my blood. 😹

Even though I don't put an emphasis on any one particular way of eating, I guess its probably true that I cook in a whole food, "clean" kind of way. Fresh vegetables and fruits, dried beans, eggs and homemade yogurt, very few canned items. It definitely helps keep calories down vs eating out at restaurants. Still doesn't guarantee Weight loss simply because I cook this way, though. For that, my best way of getting things under control was to get a food scale. I've had it for 8 years now and use it daily. It's still the best portion control tool in my arsenal.

DaffyGirl88

springlering62 wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

...buffalo chicken salad alternative which was basically salad stuff (romaine, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, etc.) and a little cheese, with chicken breast cooked in the instant pot with Franks buffalo sauce. Low cal, delicious, and healthy, but people who say all processed foods are bad would say that's off limits.

Everything that @lemurcat2 says ^^^^

But this buffalo chicken salad idea 😱

I know what I’m having for lunch real soon!!!!!!

Love me some Buffalo chicken salad! You can never have too much Frank's hot sauce.

callsitlikeiseeit

as others have said, everyone has a different definition for 'clean eating'

at its most basic point, I consider it avoiding prepackaged, overly processed food. hamburger helper, frozen meals, things like that. By that definition, I (mostly) follow a 'clean eating' WOE (way of eating). I shop for our meals on the perimeter of the grocery store. Produce, meat, dairy. Aside from pantry supplies and basics (seasonings, pasta, rice, baking supplies, etc), I don't get much from the 'inner aisles'. Thats a nice, basic place to start.

I do buy salad dressings. I do on occasion have lunch items from the freezer section (lean cuisine or frozen potstickers type things). When my depression is bad and I have no energy, I'm more likely to get a frozen lasagna or pizza for dinner. But for the most part, I try to steer clear of stuff like that.

Others consider it a more vegetarian or vegan diet. I don't subscribe to that. But for many it works (for whatever their reasons).

For me, eliminating food groups would be nothing but a nasty lesson in DONT DO THAT. that's me. some people can cut sugar (or carbs, or whatever) and either gradually add it back in, or never add it back in. You can pry my chocolate from my cold dead hands LOL (though I am cutting BACK on the stupid amounts I've been eating the past 2 years). cutting back is one thing for me. elimination would only make me binge on it.

We don't eat much fast food. When I do, I make room for it in my calories. If I am TRULY craving something, I don't deny myself. Just make room for it. Not having many options right near me helps though LOL The only thing our small town has is a hardees and a subway, and I don't really care for either of them much. Maybe once a month hubby and I will have dinner out after his chiro appointments on Friday night, or breakfast out when running errands on the weekend. Everything in moderation

My diary is open and I accept friend requests. Im just getting back into the habit of logging (I lost 130 pounds 5 years ago and over the past 2 years have gained 50 back, so am 'back on the wagon' proverbially speaking), so you cant go back too far and find stuff, but everything I eat is 'normal' - no flax seed or other 'non traditional' kitchen ingredients. no shakes or anything else like that. the recipe builder is my best friend so a lot of stuff (usually dinner or lunch if I had leftovers) you don't see the details of, but I can usually provide the original recipe and let you know what, if anything I changed.