Clean Eating!!?

Imajicat

Im leaning to everything in moderation!

I think that is where it's at. Everything in moderation, including moderation. I'm going for the 80/20 thing. I'm going to eat clean 80% of my food. To me that means fresh fruit and veg, whole grains, lean meats and tofu, etc. 20% I'm going to allow myself to eat what ever kind of thing I want that fits in my calories. So If I eat great all day and then spend 280 calories on a chocolate bar, I still feel like I did well and then I will be less likely to feel deprived and over eat a bunch of crap when I'm frustrated with clean eating.

Lilith47

Been clean eating for a week and love it... I hope I can keep it up forever!

supergirl6

Eating clean is overwelming because it is not convenient at all. It's best to start very slow and work clean eating into your habits over a long period of time otherwise you'll hit a tough week and be back to non-clean eating because it is usually easier and quicker.

When I started (and I'm still building) I started with dairy products. I like dairy, but I am lactose intolerant. I read an article that going organic with your dairy can eliminate a lot of the problems you get from dairy, so I did and it worked. Then I moved on to fruits and veggies because they take up the bulk of what I buy. This is sometimes contingent upon cost, but I rarely buy any of these things in cans anymore. I also buy about 60% of them organic. I'm growing most of my veggies in my garden this summer, so that'll help too.

After I got those two things mostly under control, I moved on to clearing out the processed foods in my meals. This was easy for dinners since I was already making everything from scratch anyway, tough for lunches. I'm still working on getting as much of my food non-packaged, non-processed as possible. I do organic meats as often as possible, but that's one thing that's really contingent on sale prices.

Basically, I try not to buy anything that has been given hormones, if I can't pronounce any of the ingredients, if it has a lot of added sugar and salt to preserve it - basically, if it's not "food". I haven't cleared everything processed out of my diet and I doubt I ever will, but I've reduced how much processed food we eat in our house by measurable degrees. My husband still likes his diet coke on occasion and I still have a microwavable lunch every now and then. These things have become more the exception than the rule though.

ads7428

I find the more I make from scratch using raw ingredients, the less likely it's going to have preservatives or unwanted sweeteners and flavours. I make my own pizza, muffins, pies, nuggets, if I feel like it, I make it. I know exactly what goes into it and I can also tweak the recipe to make it healthier. And the more you take your time to make it, you don't end up eating it so often because it becomes less convenient.

Using raw, fresh ingredients taste great and feels great

Thats great!that sounds like a great option for me. Im going to try to take more time to make my own food instead of relying on the boxed goods etc. These are alllgreat tips! Thanks everyone!

rllewell

If you don't know where it came from, don't eat it.
If it comes in a package don't eat it
If you read the ingredients and there are ingredients that you can't even pronounce, don't eat it
If it grows in the ground, eat it
If it comes from a tree, eat it
If it was once an animal not too long ago, eat it =D

Haha, so basically
- lean meat (good cut of steak, chicken breast, turkey, fish)
- vegetables (especially greens)
- fruits (ALL OF THEM =D)
- WATER

stay away from
- processed foods
- artificial foods
- fast food
-soda
- high sugar foods

But at the end of the day, the 'stay away from list' you can still indulge in them, in moderation =]
80% clean, 20% not clean. because we are human, and it's pretty much way too difficult to have
a 100% clean diet haha

A great example to go by and 80% clean and 20% not clean is a good % to strive for daily. Only thing I would add or emphasize is try to eat as much in its raw, whole state so you're getting the active enzymes for proper health and nutrition.

Microfiber_wechange

If you don't know where it came from, don't eat it.
If it comes in a package don't eat it
If you read the ingredients and there are ingredients that you can't even pronounce, don't eat it
If it grows in the ground, eat it
If it comes from a tree, eat it
If it was once an animal not too long ago, eat it =D

Haha, so basically
- lean meat (good cut of steak, chicken breast, turkey, fish)
- vegetables (especially greens)
- fruits (ALL OF THEM =D)
- WATER

stay away from
- processed foods
- artificial foods
- fast food
-soda
- high sugar foods

But at the end of the day, the 'stay away from list' you can still indulge in them, in moderation =]
80% clean, 20% not clean. because we are human, and it's pretty much way too difficult to have
a 100% clean diet haha

I was wondering what this clean eating everyone keeps on mentioning means. Thanks for the explanation. So, my British mixed vegetables in a tin don't count as clean eating???

Squiggs67

If you don't know where it came from, don't eat it.
If it comes in a package don't eat it
If you read the ingredients and there are ingredients that you can't even pronounce, don't eat it
If it grows in the ground, eat it
If it comes from a tree, eat it
If it was once an animal not too long ago, eat it =D

Haha, so basically
- lean meat (good cut of steak, chicken breast, turkey, fish)
- vegetables (especially greens)
- fruits (ALL OF THEM =D)
- WATER

stay away from
- processed foods
- artificial foods
- fast food
-soda
- high sugar foods

But at the end of the day, the 'stay away from list' you can still indulge in them, in moderation =]
80% clean, 20% not clean. because we are human, and it's pretty much way too difficult to have
a 100% clean diet haha

This is the perfect response. Eat lots of fish and drink lots of water!!
Most importantly...be good to yourself :happy: