What is clean eating?

bgelliott

Feel free to visit my blog http://berniland.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-is-clean-eating.html?spref=fb


This is a topic that comes up more frequently than I ever thought it would. People ask me all the time “You tell me to eat clean but what do you mean by eating clean?” There are hundreds of resources on the internet that can help define what it means to eat clean. In my own kitchen, this is criteria that I try to follow to keep me in check:

If it has a shelf life that will get my family through the next predicted natural disaster, it’s probably not on my clean food list.
If the label has more ingredients than I have had birthdays, it’s probably not on my clean food list.
If I can’t pronounce all or some of the ingredients on the label, that’s another indicator that it’s probably not on my clean food list.

If you can’t read it, Don’t eat it!

Clean foods are not loaded with man made sugars, preservatives and bad fats. Clean eating is feeding your body whole, natural foods. Foods such as lean proteins (Examples: egg whites, fish, white meat chicken, black beans, soy, nut butters), fresh fruits and vegetables and complex carbohydrates (Examples: Whole grain, Oatmeal, Barley Brown rice, low fat yogurt, Broccoli, Yams, Lentils, Strawberries Grapefruit).

A great rule of thumb when I go to the grocery store is this…I do most of my shopping from the food items on the outer perimeter of the store. Ever notice that the fresh produce, dairy and meats are rarely in the middle of the store? Now I’m sure there are exceptions so don’t go screaming at me about this one but for the most part, most grocery stores keep all the boxed and canned foods somewhere in the middle. Ok, I know, the coffee is in the middle too and so is the brown rice and wheat pasta and wheat breads but then there is the cookie isle, the soda isle, the chips isle, which are all foods that our bodies don’t need.

In my opinion, another very important part of eating clean is portion control and knowing how to read labels. Understanding the label on a food item can deeply impact the choice of foods and the amount that one eats. When I started eating clean and healthy, I became a label *kitten* (excuse the terminology). I now find that I will not buy a food item before analyzing the label to see if it’s something I want to feed my family or eat myself. Once I decide to buy the item and cook it up for dinner, I refer back to the label to tell me how much of a good or bad thing I am getting by eating 1, 2 or 3 servings.

Now, I understand that eating clean can seam like a great undertaking. Running through the fast food drive through is much easier right? Well, I have personally found that eating clean has helped me lose weight without dieting, allows me to have more energy throughout the day, keeps me fuller longer and has also affected my health in several positive ways. I still enjoy the occasional bowl of ice cream or a wonderful In N Out cheese burger but I don’t make those my primary meal choices. Those are my rewards for eating clean and healthy.

agleckle

I love this!

xo_jewel_xo

Thank you!!

rdmchugh

A WONDERFUL and humorous flowchart for finding real food at the supermarket from one of my favorite Clean Eating web sites

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-grocery-shopping/

My husband has lost 20 pounds since we started clean eating about 3 months ago without doing anything else or even trying. I have lost about 12 pounds but want to lose more, which is why I'm here

futurekilousky

thanks! been curious about this..

DianaPowerUp

Excellent post! I always hear, "Wow, you must spend hrs in the gym." And I say, "No. I eat cleanly." That's it. Ok, a little bit of gym time too, lol.

bgelliott

I'm so glad you all find this helpful and yes, clean eating makes a world of difference and it dosnt have to eat you out of house and home either!

navyw1fe

Thanks for the info!! tomorrow is grocery shopping day so im gonna try this method out:)

bgelliott

Also, do not grocery shop without a list or when you are hungry....that's when unwanted items end up in the cart

Black_Swan

AMEN. I started doing this without even knowing it has a name.

ImNotThatBob

Here all this time I thought, "If it takes more than four hours to pass through the system, it isn't clean (but once it's gone... that's another story)." LOL Really great information Berni!

Thanks again and apologies (after the fact) for my sense of humor. It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

rachmaree

Useful info! Lots oe people aren't sure what clean eating is. I started to eat this way before I knew there was a name for it

Divagettinfitin2011

BUMP