Need to eat cleaner foods!

rachrach66

Hey MFPers I am doing good so far with this but I know I can do better. I eat a lot of processed foods and take out. I was wondering if anyone can take a peek at my diary and make some suggestions. I'm going shopping this week and I'd like to stay out of the frozen aisle for the most part. Except for Vitamuffins! Yum!

annacataldo

Check out my diary today for ideas; im doing a clean eating day; minus a couple questionable items (yogurt, cheese, milk may or may not be considered clean to some people).

Theres lots of ideas today cuz im trying to eat back 1150 excercise calories plus my regular calories LOL. aint happening, but i like the look of my diary anyway. I try to avoid processed foods, but not always possible. Sometimes ill do all clean eating, sometimes its half and half, sometimes its little clean eating, and other days its mostly clean minus one or two things.

Amandanoralynn

You might want to pick up some fresh produce to eat. Green onions, radishes, carrots and maybe some peppers are good side dishes to eat with your food or even as a snack. You can also fix up some chicken and a sweet potato or regular potato. Those are clean food eating also.
My sister loves those Vitamuffins Topps.
Healthy eating!

punkinrn

what a coincidence! just went grocery shopping yesterday and that was my goal. skipped the chip and cracker isle too. i've come to the conclusion all the 100 calorie packs may be the reason i'm at a plateau. so i've decided to get the majority of my calories from fruit, veggies and lean meats. i'm a nurse and work 12 hour shifts so i am allowing myself a lean cuisine each day i work, but instead of 100 calorie of cheez it and mini oreos for snacking, i'm opting for fruits and veggies. this time of year everything is in season so i stocked up on strawberries, oranges, apples, watermelon and a new melon i found at sams club called a lemon drop melon, so friggin yum! i"m not giving up my low cal ice cream, a girl's gotta have an incentive to work out! another perk to laying off processed foods, waaaaaay cheaper grocery bill! good luck!

Rae6503

I don't really know what "clean eating" is but some advice:

Don't skip meals.
Starting cooking things and save left overs for lunches, or eat the same dish a few times a week instead of frozen foods.
Eat sandwiches, or wraps again instead of the frozen meals.
Fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole wheat pastas and breads!

rachrach66

I don't really know what "clean eating" is but some advice:

Don't skip meals.
Starting cooking things and save left overs for lunches, or eat the same dish a few times a week instead of frozen foods.
Eat sandwiches, or wraps again instead of the frozen meals.
Fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole wheat pastas and breads!

Thanks Rach! I will start doing that. I love sandwiches and really will enjoy packing the leftovers from dinner.

ShellyMacchi

feel free to check my diary for ideas as well *S*

annacataldo

what a coincidence! just went grocery shopping yesterday and that was my goal. skipped the chip and cracker isle too. i've come to the conclusion all the 100 calorie packs may be the reason i'm at a plateau. so i've decided to get the majority of my calories from fruit, veggies and lean meats. i'm a nurse and work 12 hour shifts so i am allowing myself a lean cuisine each day i work, but instead of 100 calorie of cheez it and mini oreos for snacking, i'm opting for fruits and veggies. this time of year everything is in season so i stocked up on strawberries, oranges, apples, watermelon and a new melon i found at sams club called a lemon drop melon, so friggin yum! i"m not giving up my low cal ice cream, a girl's gotta have an incentive to work out! another perk to laying off processed foods, waaaaaay cheaper grocery bill! good luck!

not for me; ive been spending more as ive been eating cleaner. i use to be able to go to the store each month and spend $150 at the beginning of the month, and then spend $50 the following weeks as i ran out of things, just going and getting $10 here, $15 there worth of items... now I go and spend $190 at the beginning of the month and then $10 left in my budget doesnt buy enough to get me very far when i begin to run out of fruits and veggies. I use to buy extras each month so that id have a stock pile of canned foods and such to get by in emergencies; extra rice and beans, and all sorts of things; now at the end of each month my cupboards are literally bare cuz i cant afford to get extras, just what i need.

Turkey meat instead of the 80/20 hamburger--use to get $6-7 beef for 4-5lbs and now its $6 for 3lbs , and chicken sausages and turkey brats r spendy then other lunch/dinner things, but gives me variety from just ground turkey meat; the laughing cow cheese that everyone talks about is $3 for 6 little babybels of cheese, when $5 could buy be an entire pound of regular cheese; buying fruit instead of just veggies like i was doing is a huge expense, organic instead of regular is a huge expense in itself; natural sandwich meats when most of them are processed, and the higher fiber bread at $3-$4 a loaf instead of $1 a loaf for the stuff i use to buy. Chips-buying baked natural ones are $4 minimum a bag, when i use to buy doritos for $2 a bag and could get two bags, bigger bags at that, for the same price as the natural kinds... higher fiber cereals r $4+ a box when i use to spend $2 a box.. all sorts of things...

juliekin

I don't know where you live, but we have WinCo and grocery outlet. Eating without preservatives is the way to go. I try and have 8-10 glasses of water spread throughout the day and lots of fruit and vegetables throughout the day. I've actually already lost 50 pounds, but still need to lose and know NOT to buy ANY crackers, cookies and snack packs. I don't even have them in the house to tempt myself. I make the kids homemade desserts (I have 3 kids) and don't eat their stuff. Mostly fruits and vegetables- they fill you up and having 8-10 servings a day will honestly fill you up. Feel free to invite me to friend and see my diary.

rachrach66

I don't know where you live, but we have WinCo and grocery outlet. Eating without preservatives is the way to go. I try and have 8-10 glasses of water spread throughout the day and lots of fruit and vegetables throughout the day. I've actually already lost 50 pounds, but still need to lose and know NOT to buy ANY crackers, cookies and snack packs. I don't even have them in the house to tempt myself. I make the kids homemade desserts (I have 3 kids) and don't eat their stuff. Mostly fruits and vegetables- they fill you up and having 8-10 servings a day will honestly fill you up. Feel free to invite me to friend and see my diary.

I have a Grocery Outlet too!! I'm loving that they are now stocking healthier foods! I get a lot of my Kashi products from there very cheap!! I shop there and Trader Joe's. Watch out for those expiration dates though! Grocery outlet only give you so much time to eat their products.

CRody44

My suggestion is to stay out of grocery stores. Get your meat from a quality butcher, one that you can talk to and ask questions of, and hit the farmers markets and buy certified organic fruits and veggies. Nothing in a grocery store can match the quality and freshness of food picked fresh yesterday instead of being picked green and stored in a warehouse for several weeks. Plus, you are generally buying from locals which helps your local economy and not some South American dictator.

Ps: I am a fat old diabetic trying to get better, not a tree hugger.

TheMaidOfAstolat

Check out cleaneatingmag.com
Read anything you can by Tosca Reno...that woman is amazing!
Stick to the outer edges of the grocery store if possible.
Hit the farmers market weekly so that you have just enough fresh produce for the week and that you don't buy so much that some of it will spoil.
If you eat meat....try to find a butcher that buys local, humanely raised, non-hormone treated animals.

kristelpoole

what a coincidence! just went grocery shopping yesterday and that was my goal. skipped the chip and cracker isle too. i've come to the conclusion all the 100 calorie packs may be the reason i'm at a plateau. so i've decided to get the majority of my calories from fruit, veggies and lean meats. i'm a nurse and work 12 hour shifts so i am allowing myself a lean cuisine each day i work, but instead of 100 calorie of cheez it and mini oreos for snacking, i'm opting for fruits and veggies. this time of year everything is in season so i stocked up on strawberries, oranges, apples, watermelon and a new melon i found at sams club called a lemon drop melon, so friggin yum! i"m not giving up my low cal ice cream, a girl's gotta have an incentive to work out! another perk to laying off processed foods, waaaaaay cheaper grocery bill! good luck!

not for me; ive been spending more as ive been eating cleaner. i use to be able to go to the store each month and spend $150 at the beginning of the month, and then spend $50 the following weeks as i ran out of things, just going and getting $10 here, $15 there worth of items... now I go and spend $190 at the beginning of the month and then $10 left in my budget doesnt buy enough to get me very far when i begin to run out of fruits and veggies. I use to buy extras each month so that id have a stock pile of canned foods and such to get by in emergencies; extra rice and beans, and all sorts of things; now at the end of each month my cupboards are literally bare cuz i cant afford to get extras, just what i need.

Turkey meat instead of the 80/20 hamburger--use to get $6-7 beef for 4-5lbs and now its $6 for 3lbs , and chicken sausages and turkey brats r spendy then other lunch/dinner things, but gives me variety from just ground turkey meat; the laughing cow cheese that everyone talks about is $3 for 6 little babybels of cheese, when $5 could buy be an entire pound of regular cheese; buying fruit instead of just veggies like i was doing is a huge expense, organic instead of regular is a huge expense in itself; natural sandwich meats when most of them are processed, and the higher fiber bread at $3-$4 a loaf instead of $1 a loaf for the stuff i use to buy. Chips-buying baked natural ones are $4 minimum a bag, when i use to buy doritos for $2 a bag and could get two bags, bigger bags at that, for the same price as the natural kinds... higher fiber cereals r $4+ a box when i use to spend $2 a box.. all sorts of things...

Well...you can also eat less meat in general so that steak or beef is a treat, not an everyday occurrence. And instead of sausages and brats make a roast or a crock pot chili that will last more than one meal. Instead of laughing cow cheese, buy from the deli counter. Sandwich meat isn't clean anyway, so why not make your own? Use leftover chicken, turkey or roast beef from dinner the night before or start making vegetable sandwiches and pitas sometimes. Have you ever made your own bread? Also, who needs chips? Cut those out and save even more. Dip veggies into hummus instead or make your own pita bread chips with olive oil and herbs. I would also check out the bulk bins for granola that you can use as cereal? You won't need as much to get full and you can mix with yogurt and fruit for cleaner, more filling and cheap breakfasts.

It's pretty easy to save money by eating cleaner, but it might not be as convenient, so it's a matter of which is more important for your lifestyle. I'd also recommend checking out your local farmer's markets and CSAs. We have a huge box of produce delivered every other week for only $37/mo. That's pretty inexpensive for as much as we get out of it...

punkinrn

yeah, im not sure where you shop, but i can tell you something is wrong. the point i was making is stay away from the "diet" "low fat" advertised, find what nature gives naturally low in fat. your body processes 100 calories of a banana way different than 100 calories of doritios. advertisement executives thrive off of our desperation for low fat and diet food. the point for me is to be healthy inside and out, that is why i choose carrots over the chips. we're human and need an incentive so that's when the "treat" comes in. i am no saint, let me tell you, the main reason i get my butt out and exercising is because i know i will earn extra calories and i can have a few light beers while i bbq my chicken! and it makes me feel human. the less it feels like a diet, the easier it is!