Clean Eating Club ~ March 2009

rungirl28

Hey CEC, I'd like to join this club! My trainer recommended I start eating clean for better race times and run results. I've been given some additional information from other posters and I'm excited!

jessmomof3

Hey CEC, I'd like to join this club! My trainer recommended I start eating clean for better race times and run results. I've been given some additional information from other posters and I'm excited!

Glad you joined in! I'm a runner also, what are you training for? I have a half marathon coming up in May, and a sprint tri in June! :bigsmile:

jessmomof3

Hi Barbie

I like to eat Kashi Golean Crunch when I'm eating clean cereal. I think the best clean eating cereal though is good old fashioned oatmeal.

I'm not a big fan of soy milk, but I'm lactose intolerant, so I usually buy fat free lactose free milk at the store. Mind you, I'm still not drinking too much milk, but this stuff keeps well and for a long time, so I can use it when I really need it.

Hope that helps!

Yeah, old fashioned or steel cut oats are a great choice. I like Kashi GoLean or GoLean Crunch and Nature's Path (Pumpkin Flax Granola is my fav!). I drink light soymilk because I also have tummy issues drinking regular milk.

jessmomof3

And the rest of my day...

Meal:
Broccoli & mushrooms + 1/2 c. eggbeaters
La tortilla small low-carb tortilla + Laughing cow light cheese = 240

Meal:
3oz chicken breast
House foods tofu spaghetti + 1/4 c. pizza sauce + 1/2 c. fire roasted tomatoes
Laughing cow light cheese + 1/4 c. cottage cheese (kind of like a mock lasagna) = 280

Meal:
1/2 T. crunchy Almond butter (48 )
SF hot cocoa (139) = 187

Total: 1,638

cherapple

Wow, there's so much to respond to here, and it's 10:30 pm and I need to get to sleep! I want to make it to the gym in the morning. Today was another day with no workout because my daughter had a terrible migraine when she woke up and I had to take care of her. I haven't been keeping track of my meals, so I don't remember everything I ate today, but it was clean! For now, I'm trusting that I will be fine not counting calories and nutrients, as long as I eat healthy foods in good portions.

:flowerforyou: Welcome to all the new CECer's! :happy:

jessmomof3

Hey Cheryl! Great to see you post! Hope your dd feels better. I can relate to the migraines, NOT fun!

jessmomof3

OK, I went to lunch at Flat Top Grill, if anyone is familiar with it, it is a make your own stir fry type place! I LOVE it! I loaded up w/ veggies, a little brown rice, chicken & tofu, and YUM! :bigsmile:

Ran 5 miles this morning and swam 600 yds. It'll definitely be a higher cal day today! :bigsmile:

cherapple

Hey, everybody. I worked out today. Yay! :laugh: I did chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs, and then I ran just over a mile on the TM (trying to work back into running slowly). The irony of not working out for almost three weeks and not counting calories is that I've lost weight. :noway: So I'm just going to keep going with not counting -- it saves time, and The Clean Eating Cookbook is anti-calorie counting anyway, but I was always too afraid to try it :huh: :laugh: -- but of course I'm not going to quit exercising. It feels too good! Amazingly, I've suffered very little muscle and strength loss.

Enjoy your extra calories today, Jess. I don't think we have Flat Top Grill around here. Sounds yummy!

RiverRatChick

So I'm at Costco yesterday... I'm heading down the isle where the frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts are since that is pretty much what we live off of. Something caught my eye and I moved in for a closer look. Naked Nuggets. Hmm, sounds fun, I think to myself:laugh: . As I'm opening the freezer to grab a bag and do the obligatory flip to the nutrition info and ingredients, a lady next to me asks if I've tried them before. No, i tell her, and she proceeds to grab three bags while telling me that her sister, who is a nutritionist, loves them and says they are very healthy. I buy a bag and can't help but be a little skeptical because, lets face it, most stuff that is really this healty just doesn't ever measure up in the taste department.

After my P90X plyometrics workout I pop 7 (a serving size) of these suckers into the microwave. I'm even more skeptical when I pull them out of the microwave and see their pale color and begin planning what I am going to do with a Costco bag full of these things. 120 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams carbs, 0 sugar, 25g of protein and they taste EXACTLY like the over-processed, fried, death-bomb chicken nuggets. YUM!!! I can't remember the last time I actually had a chicken nugget since that kind of stuff just grosses me out now, but damn skippy these are awesome! Their website lists the Costco stores where they can be found. Anyway, just thought I would post this as I am always excited to find something to break up my eating routine!

jessmomof3

Hey, everybody. I worked out today. Yay! :laugh: I did chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs, and then I ran just over a mile on the TM (trying to work back into running slowly). The irony of not working out for almost three weeks and not counting calories is that I've lost weight. :noway: So I'm just going to keep going with not counting -- it saves time, and The Clean Eating Cookbook is anti-calorie counting anyway, but I was always too afraid to try it :huh: :laugh: -- but of course I'm not going to quit exercising. It feels too good! Amazingly, I've suffered very little muscle and strength loss.

Enjoy your extra calories today, Jess. I don't think we have Flat Top Grill around here. Sounds yummy!

Good for you! If it's working for you, then stick with it. I've done both... calorie counting and then other times I just watch portions and I pretty much know everything that I'm eating anyway. It is awesome! My favorite place! :bigsmile:

vegrunner

Hey Barbie Cat,
I am surprised at fiber one's aspartame content, that is really unbelievable!!
I'm a big fan of oatmeal myself. It seems to keep me full and going strong throughout the morning. If you're a big fan of fiber one, health food stores usually have brands like Barbara's that imitate common brand names but are much more nutritious, Another good cereal is grape nuts or the Ezekiel equivalent you can find at health food stores and some grocery stores. I try to limit my soy/rice milk intake. I have not found soy or rice milk on any of the glycemic indexes but they seem to bring me up and make me crash later. Good luck to you, stay with it!

jessmomof3

So I'm at Costco yesterday... I'm heading down the isle where the frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts are since that is pretty much what we live off of. Something caught my eye and I moved in for a closer look. Naked Nuggets. Hmm, sounds fun, I think to myself:laugh: . As I'm opening the freezer to grab a bag and do the obligatory flip to the nutrition info and ingredients, a lady next to me asks if I've tried them before. No, i tell her, and she proceeds to grab three bags while telling me that her sister, who is a nutritionist, loves them and says they are very healthy. I buy a bag and can't help but be a little skeptical because, lets face it, most stuff that is really this healty just doesn't ever measure up in the taste department.

After my P90X plyometrics workout I pop 7 (a serving size) of these suckers into the microwave. I'm even more skeptical when I pull them out of the microwave and see their pale color and begin planning what I am going to do with a Costco bag full of these things. 120 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams carbs, 0 sugar, 25g of protein and they taste EXACTLY like the over-processed, fried, death-bomb chicken nuggets. YUM!!! I can't remember the last time I actually had a chicken nugget since that kind of stuff just grosses me out now, but damn skippy these are awesome! Their website lists the Costco stores where they can be found. Anyway, just thought I would post this as I am always excited to find something to break up my eating routine!

Schwan's makes baked chicken pieces that are similar. I will have to check Sam's club (we don't have Costco here) and see if they have them though, probably cheaper! :bigsmile: Thanks for sharing!

barbiecat

Hey Barbie Cat,
I am surprised at fiber one's aspartame content, that is really unbelievable!!
I'm a big fan of oatmeal myself. It seems to keep me full and going strong throughout the morning. If you're a big fan of fiber one, health food stores usually have brands like Barbara's that imitate common brand names but are much more nutritious, Another good cereal is grape nuts or the Ezekiel equivalent you can find at health food stores and some grocery stores. I try to limit my soy/rice milk intake. I have not found soy or rice milk on any of the glycemic indexes but they seem to bring me up and make me crash later. Good luck to you, stay with it!

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: Thanks for the great cereal suggestions. I'll start looking for them until I find something I like a lot with a super fiber content. The only time I use soy milk is 1/2 cup on my cereal in the evening so maybe I won't worry about it too much right now. I chose soy milk over regular milk because a quart of soy milk seems to last longer after it's opened than regular milk. I eat oatmeal inthe morning with homemade (no sugar added) applesauce and half a banana so I like something different at night.

Thanks for your help.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

vegrunner

For clean eaters and not so clean eaters:), I've started a new thread called the vegan club. This thread is for everyone interested, not just vegans or vegetarians. Feel free to ask me any questions you have about veganism. The thread is listed under food and nutrition. Best of luck to everyone here and keep up the good work!

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: Does anyone know anything about evaportated cane juice? It's on the list of ingredients of some cereals I've been looking at. Is it a good thing :bigsmile: or just another code name for sugar?:sad:

cherapple

:flowerforyou: Does anyone know anything about evaportated cane juice? It's on the list of ingredients of some cereals I've been looking at. Is it a good thing :bigsmile: or just another code name for sugar?:sad:

Hi, barbiecat.

Evaporated cane juice is just another code word for sugar. It may be a little less processed than table sugar, and therefore a smidgen better, but it's still sugar. I stay away from it.

cherapple

Hey, everyone. Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I'm just trying to work my way back into an exercise and diet routine that doesn't burn me out. This past week I've been working out every other day, working back up slowly to every day. I haven't lost much strength, but I do get more sore when I work out now, so I want to give my body some time to rest between workouts. This week I plan to go back more toward everyday workouts, alternating between strength and cardio days like I used to do before I burned myself out trying to do both several days a week. :noway:

As I've said, I haven't been tracking my food, but I will probably start doing that again when I've gotten back to regular exercise because I know I'm not eating enough. My diet is still really clean, but I'm not getting five meals in per day. I basically eat when I'm starving, which doesn't motivate me to eat often enough. For some reason I haven't been very hungry over the last month. I prefer that to feeling ravished all the time, but isn't it strange how the body goes in cycles with hunger? :huh:

Hope everyone's doing well. :happy:

barbiecat

Hi, barbiecat.

Evaporated cane juice is just another code word for sugar. It may be a little less processed than table sugar, and therefore a smidgen better, but it's still sugar. I stay away from it.
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:flowerforyou: Hi Cheryl,

Thanks for the information. I have so much to learn and I appreciate your help. We have made many steps toward clean eating but still have a long way to go.

have a happy day:bigsmile:

Moma_Do

Hey ya'll! I started clean eating about 11/2 months ago. and i love it. actually i didn't know there was a big group of ppl out there who were doing it to. I started off as a sugar junkie. I had intense cravings, so i told myself i could eat all i needed to as long as it was a good and clean food. So that took me about three days to get over the cravings, and i lost 4lbs. the first week. I feel better my skin looks better and the foods i eat actually taste good. I thought it would be hard, that's why i have resisted it for so long. But i just put my mind to it and was surprised at the result.

Someone made a comment about not liking plain tea. I found that if i drink it cold alot of the bitter taste goes away. Also i use breakfast tea with peppermint tea. it is naturally kinda sweet.

It's cool i can actually taste the good and natural flavors of food now, and i like it way better.

Wish me luck ya'll, I am a first time dieter, although it's not a diet it is a lifestyle!

also what are your favorite clean recipes i'm kinda getting bored with what i am eating?

cherapple

Thanks for the information. I have so much to learn and I appreciate your help. We have made many steps toward clean eating but still have a long way to go.

have a happy day:bigsmile:

Clean eating is always a work in progress. You don't have to do it perfectly unless you're particularly driven to do so. (Some people are.) Getting the sugar and simple carbs out of my diet are what I'm the most driven about, but you may have different reasons for eating this way. I like full-fat half-and-half in my coffee, though. :bigsmile: Just try to get to 80-90% clean and you'll be doing way better than most people!

cherapple

Hey ya'll! I started clean eating about 11/2 months ago. and i love it. actually i didn't know there was a big group of ppl out there who were doing it to. I started off as a sugar junkie. I had intense cravings, so i told myself i could eat all i needed to as long as it was a good and clean food. So that took me about three days to get over the cravings, and i lost 4lbs. the first week. I feel better my skin looks better and the foods i eat actually taste good. I thought it would be hard, that's why i have resisted it for so long. But i just put my mind to it and was surprised at the result.

It's cool i can actually taste the good and natural flavors of food now, and i like it way better.

Wish me luck ya'll, I am a first time dieter, although it's not a diet it is a lifestyle!

also what are your favorite clean recipes i'm kinda getting bored with what i am eating?

Hi, Moma_Do!

I knew about clean eating for a year before I felt ready to try it. I thought I'd never be able to eat like this. What finally motivated me was that I was looking for a diet that cut out sugar. I was always a sugar junkie. I loved candy and anything sweet! But I got tired of not being able to control myself once I started eating it. If I took one bite, I wanted more, to the point that I'd actually eat sweets until I felt sick at times because only then would I finally stop. I wondered what was wrong with me that I was always so hungry. I don't have those issues anymore now that I don't eat sugar at all! I feel like I have a natural, normal appetite for the first time in my life. I can eat small portions of healthy foods and feel satisfied. Sometimes even apples and carrots taste too sweet now!

I've seen the same type of results that you're having. If I eat sugar again (my "slips" are becoming more and more infrequent), it takes about three days for the cravings to go away. I will put on about three pounds almost immediately if I eat it (or other highly processed foods), and those same pounds go away almost immediately when I stop. It's obviously water weight, but that is motivation enough for me to stick with it! I just feel so much lighter, more energetic, and healthier when I eat well.

As for recipes, almost any recipe can be cleaned up. One thing you can do is take your favorite recipes and think about how you can make them healthier. Use whole wheat flour instead of white. Use brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Add lots of fruits and vegetables. Take the sugar out altogether, if you can (if not, I prefer to use maple syrup, honey, molasses, or some other less-processed sweetener, which don't cause the same out-of-control feelings in me that white sugar does), use lean cuts of meats, low or nonfat dairy products, etc. Have you seen the Eat Clean Diet cookbooks, or Clean Eating magazine? The recipe possibilities are really endless.

Have fun with your new un-diet! :bigsmile:

molsongirl

Is this a lifestyle change that one can adapt into a diabetic diet?

elli

hi there - i have a question please for the Clean Eating people. I've been a non red meat eater for over 35 years. In the past 5 years I've added lots of products like morningstar meal starters, boca burgers, tofurkey etc. Lately I've been wondering if there's so much fake stuff in there that they're not really all that great for you. Do you guys have any opinions? knowledge? about this? THanks! elli

cherapple

hi there - i have a question please for the Clean Eating people. I've been a non red meat eater for over 35 years. In the past 5 years I've added lots of products like morningstar meal starters, boca burgers, tofurkey etc. Lately I've been wondering if there's so much fake stuff in there that they're not really all that great for you. Do you guys have any opinions? knowledge? about this? THanks! elli

Hi, elli. I was a vegetarian for 5 years, until recently. That was exactly what brought me back to eating meat. I didn't want to eat processed soy anymore. Some soy is good for you -- the fermented kind like tempeh and miso. The rest I group with processed food and I avoid it. I still do eat regular tofu and soy products sometimes, but I don't want them to be my main source of protein. Tofu recipes *are* included in the Clean Diet cookbooks, Clean Eating magazine, and other clean eating sources. I don't know whether that's because they really consider it to be clean, or whether they're trying to cater to the vegetarian market. Anything that comes in a box and has a list of ingredients a mile long -- like Boca and Morningstar products -- is not clean, in my opinion. That's just my viewpoint. :flowerforyou:

cherapple

Is this a lifestyle change that one can adapt into a diabetic diet?

Hi, molson girl. I don't know enough about diabetic diets to say. Are you talking type 1 or type 2? Personally, I think it would be perfect for diabetics because it cuts out sugar and processed carbs, which cause blood sugar to spike, and adds proteins and healthy fats, which help to level out blood sugar. I'm not a doctor or a health professional in any way, but I do know that I have fewer problems with my own blood sugar levels. Logically, it seems like it would be ideal. Give it a shot for two to three weeks and see how it makes you feel, or you might want to bring it up with your doctor first (if your the one on a diabetic diet). If you try it, let us know how it goes.

elli

hi Cheryl - thank you! I really appreciate your input! I probably won't cut it ALL out of my diet but i think i'll definitely cut down. Not that i eat a WHOLE lot of that stuff. But when I was looking at the ingredients I was thinking the same...........if there are a million ingredients, half of which i can't pronounce - it's probably not the best!:grumble: elli

trackgirl89

I just started to "eat clean" after reading Tosca Reno's book and I am convinced that it is the only HEALTHY way to lose weight efficiently. I just started a week ago but this is the first time that I have never felt hungry while "dieting." BUT, it definitely can be difficult to eat as wholesomely as the book says you should. Where do you even buy some of that stuff? There are some whole grains in there that I have never heard of.

cherapple

I just started to "eat clean" after reading Tosca Reno's book and I am convinced that it is the only HEALTHY way to lose weight efficiently. I just started a week ago but this is the first time that I have never felt hungry while "dieting." BUT, it definitely can be difficult to eat as wholesomely as the book says you should. Where do you even buy some of that stuff? There are some whole grains in there that I have never heard of.

Me, too -- I'm so loving the lack of hunger. I have normal hunger now, not what I used to have before I started eating clean, when all I thought about was food! It was like I could never eat enough because my body wasn't getting the nutrients it needed. For the first time in my life, I feel satisfied when I eat. :happy:

Have you looked in the natural foods section of your grocery store, or do you have a natural foods store near you? Even Walmart is carrying more and more natural foods, but you have to hunt for them sometimes because they don't have a special section for them. I don't use all of the ingredients or make all of the recipes from the Clean Eating cookbooks. Start with the ones that contain ingredients that you know. I often leave an ingredient out altogether if I don't know what it is, if it's not a main ingredient in the recipe. It's also fun to try new things. Are there any particular ingredients that you are wondering about? Perhaps we've tried them, or maybe we'll raise our eyebrows in confusion with you! :huh: :bigsmile: You'll find your own favorite clean foods, but don't feel like you have to try them all if they seem too weird or hard to find.

barbiecat

is there a clean eating thread for April?:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Shadowpaws

I'd love to try this... but may I ask how the price tag normally ranges?