What did eating clean/er do for you?

lemur_lady

I am one year into my weightloss and at the beginning decided to take things slowly. I decided the most important thing was to get used to eating at a deficit and to up my exercise (which was previously non existent). I have been making good progress thus far but as time goes on I am getting more interested in the nutrition aspect of my diet. I dont think I will ever eat fully clean, I like the IIFYM but I would like to try and increase the amount of clean foods I have.

What did eating clean/er do for you? Did you notice a big improvement in the way you felt or looked?

Any tips for subtley increasing the amount of clean foods or any favourite recipes or sites I could take a look at?

TIA

SezxyStef

I wouldn't call what I do as "eating clean" but I do follow IIFYM with the 80/20 rule.

80% of what I eat is lean protien, veggies etc. The other 20% is fast food and treats...it works out pretty good for me.

My weight loss and exercise is what has made me feel better and look better not my food choices per say.

Getting in my protien has made my finger nails hard as rocks, my hair is in great shape.

But following IIFYM does not mean you cut out foods for their lack of "cleanliness"...ie you can get lots of protien from a couple McDonalds grilled chicken sandwiches wrapped around a burger with one bun...a side salad and a water...

Nutrition is for health yes...but it's more about getting in your required nutrition then where that nutrition comes from.

shoneybabes

I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. I feel healthier and happier for it.

cook all your meals fresh. Buy weekly and organic. Cut out dairy and meats, eat more pulses/legumes and fresh fruit and salads will always benefit you.

And eat your greens

Other than that do your research if you want to follow specific diets.

257_Lag

Eating "cleaner" helped me to feel fuller while eating at a deficit and has done wonders for my bowels and regularity.

And I don't want to directly relate it to eating better but my moderate psoriasis is the best it's been in 15 years. Hardly noticeable. I don't know what else I can tie that too but it is a "comes and goes" sort of thing so I guess you never know.

ahamm002

Eating "cleaner" helps me hit my calorie/macro/micro goals without much effort. I always get plenty of protein, fiber, potassium, etc. without having to think about it much. And that's great b/c that means I have plenty of calories left over for some guilt free junk food before bed

ahamm002

And I don't want to directly relate it to eating better but my moderate psoriasis is the best it's been in 15 years. Hardly noticeable. I don't know what else I can tie that too but it is a "comes and goes" sort of thing so I guess you never know.

I also noticed an improvement in both my seasonal allergies and skin after I began minimizing highly processed foods. But that could easily be a coincidence.

fit_rox

It's increased the complexion of my skin. My skin is clearer, I rarely break out, and my allergies are incredibly reduced. I also am less bloated and "puffy".

The easiest transition for me was trading out refined grains for whole grains. Most breads, pastas, and even snacks have a whole wheat or whole grain counterpart.

Lizzy622

I have a HUGE pimple on my chin today because I had a pretty "dirty" weekend. Sometimes you don't notice the difference until you fall off a bit. My complexion has definitely improved from eating cleaner.

kgeyser

Instead of cutting things out, why not focus on adding things in? Every time we have a clean eating thread people start talking about all the things you need to eliminate from your diet. If you want to improve your health, you can find ways to do that without eliminating entire food groups or types of food.

Make a goal to get a certain number of veggies each day. Swap in whole grain versions of foods you already eat (bread, pasta, tortillas, rice, pancakes, etc). Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. Pick a meal that you love and find recipes online to make it at home for less calories and with more nutrient-dense ingredients. Don't get hung up on the fact that you may end up using frozen veggies or your brown rice can be microwaved in 90 seconds; not everyone has the time or resources to make things from scratch.

I don't have anecdotal evidence as to what this does for me because that's just how I like to eat and have eaten for years. I know that I tend to not feel as good when eating at restaurants or getting take out as I do when I cook. I still have treats as well, every night.

Rowan813

I just feel better, have fewer cravings and seem to have more energy when I avoid the highly processed and "junk" foods. It very well may be all in my head, but it seems to work for me. I also like that I tend to eat fewer calorie dense foods and get more volume for my calories when I eat "cleaner".

J72FIT

I try to get the bulk of my calories from mostly whole, minimally processed, nutrient dense foods. Once I have met my pre-determined macro needs, I round out the rest of my calories with whatever I fancy. To meet micro needs I just make sure to get plenty of variety. I personally don't call it clean or whatever... I find the term a bit ambiguous.

Eating this way has helped me keep calories in check since the former are very filling foods. The latter allows me to keep my sanity by not really cutting anything out, no foods are off limits.

BlueBombers

Nothing, I don't "eat clean"

lizziebeth1028

Years ago I went through a 'clean' eating phase where I eliminating all kinds of 'bad' foods that I love from my diet. I felt smug, self righteous and better than everyone else - for about 1 day. Then I just missed cupcakes.

I now eat sensibly and in moderation. I've been successful at maintaining a healthy weight, I feel great, I enjoy food and exercise, wine, beer and CUPCAKES.

bcattoes

What did eating clean/er do for you? Did you notice a big improvement in the way you felt or looked?

Any tips for subtley increasing the amount of clean foods or any favourite recipes or sites I could take a look at?

TIA

It's been so long since I cleaned up my diet that I don't really remember what changes I noticed. I do notice that I feel very sluggish if I eat too many days of unbalanced meals now though.

Below is a link to a good site for information on eating a balanced healthy diet

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

TheWorstHorse

I simply feel better when I eat mostly unprocessed vegetables, fruit, meat, and dairy (in that order. i eat a lot of the first two and not very much of the last two). Fast food, deep-fried food and processed food loaded with extra fat, sugar, and salt make me slow, mentally and physically, and I usually feel pretty lousy after eating them.

Eating mostly unprocessed food makes it easier to keep track of the calories I am taking in and much easier to get the nutrients I need, so maintaining my weight is easier. Last thing... because I eat this way ninety or ninety-five percent of the time, I don't worry about going out for dinner or having a dessert: all the days of "eating clean" allow me to absorb the occasional slice or three of pizza without derailing me.

ADDED: I ate this way for fifteen years. I lost fifty-five pounds and had little trouble maintaining my weight although my life was pretty crazy busy. I stopped eating this way (and stopped exercising regularly) and, oddly enough, gradually re-gained most of the weight I lost. I returned to eating this way six months ago, got back to regular exercise, and have lost thirty-five pounds. I am still losing about a pound a week and I am not working terribly hard to do so.

The truth is that I don't eat sensibly when sugar/fat/salt/calorie dense foods are part of my regular diet and I do eat sensibly when I "eat clean". So that's what I do.

tennisdude2004

Nothing, I don't "eat clean"

Great contribution.

I too like to do stuff like phone into radio shows just to let them know I have no opinion on the subject they are talking about.

OP, well done on cutting back on the junk food - it's always a great way to cut back on the calories and get yourself into a deficit, which is the aim after all.

martinel2099

I guess you'd have to tell me what your personal definition of what "eating clean" is. I personally eat what ever I want with the goal that I'll eat under a calorie deficit. Processed foods or not doesn't matter.

I will say that eating more veggies and cooking more at home leaves me more satisfied and gives me more bang for my calorie buck than going to Burger King. 600 calories for a whoper sounds yummy, but it won't keep me for long. If I make my favorite home made chilli I can eat the same amount of calories and be super satisfied for hours.

lemur_lady

Thanks for the replies people!

I am definately not interested in eating completely clean or eliminating any foods I currently enjoy. Its doing that that made me fail my past diets. I do not eat as much fruit/veg/wholegrains etc as I should though and am a little worried about my micronutrients, especially as I am breastfeeding and so need all the goodness I can get! I take multivitamins but I am terrible at remembering to take them.

I will try the suggestion of swapping white rice/pasta for brown.

Is there a site (or even a part of mfp I may have missed) which allows you to have a rough estimate of the micronutrients in your food and give you a number to reach towards, kind of like the macros on our food diaries? It would be interesting to see how much vitamins and minerals I am currently having.

lemurcat12

Instead of cutting things out, why not focus on adding things in? Every time we have a clean eating thread people start talking about all the things you need to eliminate from your diet. If you want to improve your health, you can find ways to do that without eliminating entire food groups or types of food.

Make a goal to get a certain number of veggies each day. Swap in whole grain versions of foods you already eat (bread, pasta, tortillas, rice, pancakes, etc). Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. Pick a meal that you love and find recipes online to make it at home for less calories and with more nutrient-dense ingredients. Don't get hung up on the fact that you may end up using frozen veggies or your brown rice can be microwaved in 90 seconds; not everyone has the time or resources to make things from scratch.

I don't have anecdotal evidence as to what this does for me because that's just how I like to eat and have eaten for years. I know that I tend to not feel as good when eating at restaurants or getting take out as I do when I cook. I still have treats as well, every night.

This.

I improved my diet by just forcing myself to stop making excuses and cook, rather than getting dinner at work when I stayed late or getting takeout because I was tired or skipping dinner and eating ice cream because it was late and I had a bad day. Also, making breakfast (which I like) rather than grabbing a bagel on the way to work. Once I made cooking a priority and got back into the habit it was pretty easy, since I actually enjoy cooking. Also, I make sure I have a stocked kitchen during the week.

I still love restaurants (and most of the food I got even from takeout wasn't fast food, and was pretty high quality). Just also pretty high calorie, like lots of restaurant food. Now I try to make restaurants less regular and also don't assume that it's a special occasion and I can splurge every time I get restaurant food.

Anyway, one simple thing I did was just try to eat a decent amount of non-starchy vegetables with every meal and get adequate protein, and to try and eat a really varied amount of veggies, although I have my standbys. (I naturally eat a good amount of fruit in the summer, less so in the winter, and I'm not especially worried about that.) One immediate effect of this is that I felt like I was on much more of an even keel, and stopped feeling the need for a pick-me-up of some kind of food in the mid-afternoon. I also felt less hungry in general, even though I was eating fewer calories.

I know the OP is not planning to cut out stuff, but I initially did, simply because for me it was needed to teach myself that I didn't need certain foods when I was feeling bad, stressed, etc. I mention that simply because the positive effects I experienced remained 100% when I added those foods back in in moderation and continued generally eating an overall healthy diet.