I want to eat clean BUT

EDesq

*My "excuses" aka challenges:
but i love my ice cream.
but i am seriously a DIRT POOR college student.
and I don't know how to cook ....anything.

*My reasons for wanting to eat clean:
get rid of toxins/chemicals in my body - overall health!!
mood balance (i struggle w/ anxiety and depression)
clearer skin completion
increased energy and better sleep
I know that eating clean with help with all of these things!!

BUT HOW?!??!!? what foods do I eat?!
again.... cheap, easy to make, fast, etc.

EDIT:
wanted to add that I am thinking about slowly "eating clean" 5 days a week to start to ease myself into it so I don't FLIP OUT and binge on a million freaking calories!!!

Why eat "clean" Why not eat RIGHT!? "Clean" is some IDEAL that someone has come up with for "Whatever" THEIR PURPOSE. To Eat Right just BEGIN by EATING Your BEST. I was a College Student and it was more about CHOICES than Money! On or Off Campus...Like, Buying salad fixings, whole wheat bread, fruit, peanut butter, choosing salads, fruit, grilled/baked fish/chicken at the dinning hall instead of FF and BURGERS. Heck even NOW, when I go to Campus and eat in the Faculty Lounge, the OPTIONS are THERE and even many Faculty Do Not Choose the Baked or Grilled Fish or Chicken!

The Choices are on YOU...It's NOT a matter of Finances...It costs twice as much to eat at a fast food joint than it does to pull together a good, quick meal from the grocery store...FORGET the labels like "Clean" Go for eating RIGHT or the Best you can, where YOU are!

sarah307

thank you everyone!!

i have been reading through everything and have been doing my own research for about a month now anyways but wanted to see what you guys ate !!

I'm super excited about this because I know I can do it

getsveltEagain

This is a great thread. I have been incorporationg more "healthy/clean" foods as I can. I just need to taper off on the eating out. It is an expensive habit hat doesn't help weightloss. Learnign to cook is great even if it is a few simple meals and invest in a crockpot.

:bigsmile:
wishing us both good luck!

sarah307

yeah!! i bookmarked this thread so i can refer to it for motivation and remember that i really do want to eat cleaner!!!

Ocarina

Hey! I totally used to be in your shoes. I'm a broke @$$ college student that eats home cooked meals, home made lunches, and healthy breakfasts EVERYDAY for very cheap. And I shop at Walmart. I do not have to buy organic to be healthy.

I avoid all processed/preboxed/packaged foods like the plague. It can and will be more tastier and cheaper if you make it from scratch. The best thing is to think of the things you like to eat. Or if you have a grandmother you were close to, what did she make? (That is, if she was a home cooker using stuff from the garden like mine LOL)

All my stuff is very basic... All you really need is chicken broth, beef broth, brown rice, all purpose flour, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, some ground hamburger/steak, a few bags of sliced cheese, some squash/potatoes/carrots/onions, teas, TONS of spices (build these up as you need them... not all at once), mustard, salad dressings, canned beans that you drain, frozen vegetables like green beans/corn/brocolli, cans of diced tomatoes, whole wheat noodles of all kinds, canned tomato sauce, peanut butter, sauces like Worcestershire sauce, OLIVE OIL, balsamic vinegar, egg whites/eggs, string cheese/yogurt/cottage cheese and some milk. Seriously... sounds plain Jane and like a lot but it's not. You throw it in your cart and invest in a crock pot, a good couple sauce pans, and a few skillets and you are good to go. Eating clean shouldn't have special rules. All it is is basic, non processed or close as can be, and you know ALL the ingredients.

I live like this and have not eaten the same meal in one day since. It's VERY easy!! It will take you some time to build up your supply of stuff but over time you will save money and become happier. Even excited to cook.

Also my other HUGE tip is to look online and preplan your meals from a good source for the whole week and get some variety in your lunches. Then you should put all the ingredients on a grocery list and stick to it!!!!!!!!! You will never look back!

Katbaran

>>. Seriously... sounds plain Jane and like a lot but it's not. You throw it in your cart and invest in a crock pot, a good couple sauce pans, and a few skillets and you are good to go. Eating clean shouldn't have special rules. All it is is basic, non processed or close as can be, and you know ALL the ingredients.<<

^^^^This! What Ocarina said. She said it simply, and explained it fully. We eat clean about 80% of the time. It really helps and feels great. The easiest way I found to describe it to others is:

If it comes in a box, if it says: Shelf stable, heat n eat, freezer to table, or has an ingredient list with more than 3 items, I leave it alone. That goes for frozen and canned veg too. Read your labels. Fresh is best, frozen is next and canned anything only in an emergency.

Good luck.

sarah307

>>. Seriously... sounds plain Jane and like a lot but it's not. You throw it in your cart and invest in a crock pot, a good couple sauce pans, and a few skillets and you are good to go. Eating clean shouldn't have special rules. All it is is basic, non processed or close as can be, and you know ALL the ingredients.<<

^^^^This! What Ocarina said. She said it simply, and explained it fully. We eat clean about 80% of the time. It really helps and feels great. The easiest way I found to describe it to others is:

If it comes in a box, if it says: Shelf stable, heat n eat, freezer to table, or has an ingredient list with more than 3 items, I leave it alone. That goes for frozen and canned veg too. Read your labels. Fresh is best, frozen is next and canned anything only in an emergency.

Good luck.

great!! i am going to the grocery store today and i'm excited to shop around for some new, cleaner foods

KenziesMomma11

well you definitely don't want to eat dirty butt....

^^this made me LOL

sarah307

Clean Eating Grocery List

almonds
nuts
protein powder
almond butter
yogurt
eggs
fruit ....*unlimited!
veggies ....*unlimited!
greek yogurt
stevia
cinnamon
grilled chicken
sweet potatoes
natural peanut butter
salsa
beans
swiss cheese
kashi cereal

... this is where I have started out !! how do those things sound?!!

thetiwi1890

Bump this :drinker:

anhancock10

My grocery list now consists of:
bag of chicken (boneless skinless)
steamables or canned veggies
fruit
almonds(unsalted)
greek yogurt
truvia
lettuce
cottage cheese (fat free or 1%)
rice cakes
peanut butter (natural)
mustard
spray butter
spray dressing
eggs
oatmeal
protein powder
brown rice
turkey burger
wheat bread

and according to my trainer women are only to eat fruit & peanut butter in the a.m. Hope this helps ( and im allergic to fish thats why i dont have any on here)

sarah307

^^^^^^^^^ great grocery list!!

flash53

Good for you for wanting to eat clean. As for finding items that can be cheap but can go a long way I would reccomend canned tuna, some canned veggies and potatoes. Don't but canned spinich it is nasty, fresh tastes a lot better.If you can rinse the canned veggies and potatoes in water it can remove about 40% of the sodium. Try oatmeal it is cheap and goes a long way. If you get heads of lettuce, caulflower, and broccli and cut them up they are cheaper that the precut veggies. To cook some veggies you can steam, boil them or bake them. I like to bake either caulflower, and broccli. If you want to season them get a plastic bag about a quart or gallon bag. Put about a 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil in the bag and a dash or two of garlic salt and a serving or two of grated parmasan cheese and mix in the bag. Take veggies out of bag put in pan and bake in the oven at 350 for about 20 min. I hope this helps. good luck.

ziesergirl_66

Clean Eating Grocery List

almonds
nuts
protein powder
almond butter
yogurt
eggs
fruit ....*unlimited!
veggies ....*unlimited!
greek yogurt
stevia
cinnamon
grilled chicken
sweet potatoes
natural peanut butter
salsa
beans
swiss cheese
kashi cereal

... this is where I have started out !! how do those things sound?!!

looks great!

things I buy...
almond milk, Greek yogurt, Swiss cheese, sour cream, eggs
Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Cereal, Oatmeal, Kix Cereal, Larabars
almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds (in bulk), craisins
cucumbers, peppers, onions, radish, romaine & iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, celery hearts, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, baby spinach, squash, fresh green beans
garlic cloves, ginger root, Worcestershire sauce, EVOO, fresh salsa, white wine vinegar, Sherry cooking wine, honey, mayo
boneless/skinless chicken breast, turkey burgers, tuna in water, frozen cod/talipia/salmon, raw scallops & shrimp
red & black beans in a bag (I cook my own), brown rice, baked Tostitos scoops, yellow popcorn, red potatoes, brown bread, 100% whole wheat sandwich thins
bananas, strawberries, apples, clementines
Amy's organic Lentil soup, Campbell's Select tomato soup

I occ'l will have the 100 cal Cheez-it packs, frozen white meat chicken egg rolls, fruit strips.

One thing I learned about eating clean is that for me, it is easier to pack for a road trip. So many of the foods are natural there is really no prep.