looking for friends & tips on"Eating Clean" :-)

holliberri0409

Im not new to fp but got off track & im back on the wagon, seems extreme dieting didnt work for me, id like to try ckean eating and change my whole lifestyle, i need ideas of how others eat & how to stay off of breads & pastas.. thank you! :-)

poedunk65

Watch these two movies: Forks Over Knives and Hungry For a Change.

msgaclark

I'm a vegan and highly recommend it. I don't have much weight to lose (about 5 pounds gained over holidays) - normally have trouble gaining weight, not losing it. Eat as many veggies (lots of different colored kinds) and fruit as you want. Count calories on the nuts and healthy fats, like avocado and olive oil, but be sure to include in the diet as it will help you to feel full. These healthy fats are important for brain functioning as well. I don't eat any fish, meat, or poultry, but if you do, eat in moderation and make sure that the fish is wild and the meat/poultry free range/organic. I eat a careful amount of wild rice also. Every week I make a big salad and pot of veggie soup that I eat from all week. Suggested snacks include apple with almond butter or veggies and humus, a piece of fruit like a banana or watermelon, and a measured amount of almonds or walnuts. I also drink a lot of Brandon Brazier's protein shakes (which contains healthy sources of protein) - in the shake, I add ground flax seeds, a banana, a handful of spinach (great calcium source), and blueberries for their antioxidants, if I have any handy. Hope that helps!

Oh and one more thing - make sure to eat only organic grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. as these are considered "dirty" fruits; that is, they are very heavily coated with pesticides, which is very difficult to remove before eating.

maegmez

Pinterest has lots of pins on clean eating and a great way to store your faves

trickeever

Hi. I've been an avid supporter of clean eating for years. You will find that as you "clean up" your diet you become sensitized to the natural flavors of foods and enjoy them more without added flavorings your body does not need. As to tips, telling us a bit more about your current lifestyle would help. For instance, I recommend starting by throwing out all the extraneous food in your house (catsup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, frozen foods, really anything heavily processed) but that may be unrealistic if you have others in the household who will not be adopting your new eating habits. Good luck to you!

FitMolly182

I have been trying to do this as well. difficult for me because I am an extremely picky eater. I'm trying though!

chadraeder3

Congrats on getting back on the wagon!!!!!! You do not have to cut breads and pasta out just remember moderation. The extremes are almost never the way to go small changes make huge differences.

How do you climb a mountain? Answer one step at a time. A single step may seem insignificant but hundreds of steps later you are a mile up the mountain. Many people try extreme changes and may work for awhile but almost inevitably will go back to where they started. Instead of eating bread or pasta for every meal maybe take one day and substitute something else that is healthier for the bread, for example you are going to have a tuna fish sandwich instead of bread use a leaf of lettuce.

retailerdepot

Get yourself a George Foreman Grill and a Nutribullet. This way you will be eating both lean protein meals and making yourself very healthy smoothies. Just make sure you're keeping track of those calories. This is a one two punch that guarantees you will be eating clean.

heidiknvf

Hi! My name is Heidi, I'm 30 years old with one daughter and my fiancé has a son too. I'm looking to start clean eating as well. I enjoy lots of different foods so being creative with it seems like it is going to be a fun and exciting challenge. I am a little worried about the cost as I am the only one in my household who eats a lot of fruits and veggies and it gets expensive. About a year and a half ago I got divorced -- was quite thin at about 135lbs. After that I met my fiancé and he has terrible eating habits, needless to say stress and lots of different circumstances led me to gain 20lbs - currently at about 155. The most I've ever weighed. I don't feel I look bad, but it would be nice to try on clothes and feel sexy in them again instead of worrying about my muffin top hanging out. I also struggle with acid reflux and eating healthy and exercise helps this problem a lot.

I just got a new blender so I'm excited to try out some smoothies. I enjoy treats -- ice cream, chocolate -- so I plan on allowing myself a cheat a couple times a week.

Good luck!!!!

Kaptonk

Here is a few sites i have found interesting while I have been converting my lifestyle to a clean eating one.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/
http://www.naturalfoodfinder.co.uk/
http://www.maximuscle.com/proteinproject/protein-simple

But the best resource I have come across for ideas and motivation is actually Instagram. Add staysharpbestrong for some daily meal ideas and also links to similiar instagrams. I have been adapting the recipes to what I like/ enjoy eating and using them to replace my favourite meals/ foods with healthier alternatives.

LaurieMellor123

Hi there,I have been successful with Tosca Reno's Eatclean website..She makes the most sense,and is an inspiration to me.

MortgageMama1970

I've been following paleo diet for 1 year and have almost 85 lbs. lost - just found this website/app and love it! I've "liked" several paleo pages on facebook - they post daily recipes that help me get ideas. Also my best tip is prep/ meal plan every weekend.

dawnleanna1

Hi! It's great that you are looking to change your diet by eating clean. One thing I would recommend is get the Eat Clean Diet book. I bought that a few years back and use it all the time. She gives great motivation and guidelines for going clean. Also the Eat Clean Magazine is great and gives lots of recipes and meal plans. Whenever I am writing a new menu I always check those out for ideas. You don't need to give up breads and pastas for good, just make healthier choices.

Kaptonk

In all my research in clean eating I have to agree with you - it isnt cheap.

In avoiding processed foods you kinda of have to stay clear of the supermarket deals in most cases. I keep some fresh frozen cherries, berry, grapes so I always have a healthy snack available in the house, in case my fresh fruit goes bad. I always liked to have a few cheat days when I began changing my eating habits but I found the best thing to do was take one food at a time and see how you can replace it with a healthier / natural alternative. I used to love fried chips, I began by only buying oven chips, then tried making my own fresh wedges, to only having new potatoes boiled. I now ask in restaurants to have new potatoes or a jacket instead of chips with meals even if they only advertise chips on the menu with my chosen meal, never had any issues. Small steps.

Try changing your chocolate fix for pure natural dark chocolate, theres been evidence to say its actually quite good for you. as with everything to do with clean eating though as long as you stay clear of the mainstream brands with all the additives, sweetners in them.

so as everyone says, keep changing one thing at a time until eventually it all becomes the norm

astronut96

Hello, I'm new here as well. I've been trying to eat cleaner for awhile now and I've been mostly successful but I'm not 100% there. I started the journey when I decided to try to control psoriasis through my diet. I don't want to take any medications other than the topical stuff and I think eating clean definitely helps. I found that I feel so much better when I eat clean and crummy when I don't.

I will definitely check out the web sites posted here.

The advice that has helped me the most:
- Be very careful when eating out ...go for simple dishes
- When cooking at home use fresh ingredients & recipes with few ingredients (other than spices/herbs).
- Buy organic when you can (especially for foods on the "dirty dozen" list as someone else noted). Fresh and organic can get expensive but your health is so worth it
- Shop at a farmers market. They have such a variety of seasonal produce & some also carry things like local raw honey, local cheeses, etc
- if you can, join a CSA (community sponsored agriculture). These are programs offered by farms where you pay for a "share" at the start of each growing season and then receive whatever is harvested on a regular basis. My CSA delivers to a local drop site weekly. It has really helped me to try new things. There are times that I have to google the description of a veggie bc I don't know what it is!
- I love meat and try to eat only organic. I'm fortunate in that I have access to organic beef through my boyfriends family farm, and venison from his company's hunting ranch.
- If you haven't already, switch to whole grain bread and pasta. Be sure to check the labels to make sure it is actually whole grain.
- Don't beat yourself up when you slip. My weakness is Hooters boneless wings, French fries & Blue Moon beer. I splurge every couple weeks and feel like crap afterwards but it's so yummy during!

Good luck! I look forward to sharing experiences and progress.

fitbobvt

Good advice - I am in the same boat wanting to lose about 5 pounds. Mostly interested in health. My daughter has studied nutrition and I am convinced she has added years to my life - she is vegan. I started a 5/2 diet New Year's Day - fast two days a week and eat pretty much what you want on the other five days. This diet is based on recent studies that show how much you eat is perhaps as important as any other factor in healthy aging. Too involved to go into here but relates to blood levels and growth factors...

holliberri0409

Thank you all for so much advise! Its so hard giving up the mayo & ketchup & sauces but im gonna try one step at a time :-)

astronut96

For clean eating, if sauces, etc are hard you may want to consider making your own. I've started making my own tomato sauce, pesto & hummus. It doesn't take a whole lot of time and I know exactly what is going into it. I haven't tried ketchup yet but hats next on the list.

MaryJane_8810002

With a diet like what you are stating I am seeing a food binge in your future.

You can eat "clean" and still gain weight, you have to make better choices. Why not whole wheat instead of white pasta and bread instead of just eliminating that category? They do make brown rice pasta you know.

oddyogi

Girl...

paleomg.com. I'm eating her chocolate coffee caramel bars right now. So delish.

She has a bunch of other awesome recipes, too though.

seven_eleven88

Im not new to fp but got off track & im back on the wagon, seems extreme dieting didnt work for me, id like to try ckean eating and change my whole lifestyle, i need ideas of how others eat & how to stay off of breads & pastas.. thank you! :-)

I would definitely recommend the Clean and Lean approach by James Duigan. I'm following it as much as I can and I have to say it definitely works for me.
If you want send me a friend request then you can see in my diary what I am eating every day.