Clean eating & Crystal Light?

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ashmarie484
ashmarie484 Posts: 484 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone. I'm strength training & doing P90x trying to get muscle definition. I heard clean eating was a great way to do this. Has anyone had any success with this? And also can you have Crystal Light while on this type of "diet". I am addicted to caffeine and have been using the Energy Crystal Light with Caffeine. Thanks :)

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  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Hi everyone. I'm strength training & doing P90x trying to get muscle definition. I heard clean eating was a great way to do this. Has anyone had any success with this? And also can you have Crystal Light while on this type of "diet". I am addicted to caffeine and have been using the Energy Crystal Light with Caffeine. Thanks :)

    Lol energy balance then macronutrient composition are what's important, the actual food sources won't make a huge difference either way.

    And no, Crystal light is processed and therefore not clean, so not allowed.
  • Jugie12
    Jugie12 Posts: 282 Member
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    Go get a copy of "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno. Read it, make notes in it, highlight, etc. It's got recipes and teaches you how to make this a lifestyle, not a "diet" ( i know it's in the title, but it really is a lifestyle). Tosca's books changed MY LIFE! I started seeing results immediately and I loved it, haven't looked back!

    Crystal light was a life saver for me when I stopped drinking soda because it helped me drink a lot more water. However, it has aspartame in it and I found it started triggering migraines for me. Now I cannot drink anything with that ingredient.

    Watch the sugar and sodium (don't know what the profile for it is) and keep in mind that caffeine contributes to dehydration. You still need water. Milk is also an amazing hydrator - better than water or gatorade after a hard workout!

    Good luck and let me know if I can ever help!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Crystal Light doesn't go with "clean eating". It's completely artificial. If you are serious about eating as clean as possible, then Crystal Light isn't part of your diet.

    You also don't need to adhere 100% to a diet if you don't want to, but you get the best results if you do.
  • ashmarie484
    ashmarie484 Posts: 484 Member
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    Thanks everyone. Im actually reading about it now. I know its a lifestyle change thats why I put the diet in quotation marks. I guess I will just have to cut the crystal light out and suffer through the headaches until they subside.
  • Blueyedtine
    Blueyedtine Posts: 52 Member
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    I'm a caffeine junkie too and I try to limit diet soda as much as possible as I'm striving for a clean diet. Why don't you just drink iced tea or coffee?.. no additives and lots of antioxidants! I get a big Iced coffee with no sweetener, just cinnamon powder and milk. Yum!
  • Tanya0927
    Tanya0927 Posts: 23 Member
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    They do have a crystal light PURE now which has 30 calories per packet (makes 16oz) but it has nothing artificial and is sweetened with sugar and truvia. They're pretty yummy too!
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    What about naturally caffeinated tea, like green tea?
  • ashmarie484
    ashmarie484 Posts: 484 Member
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    They do have a crystal light PURE now which has 30 calories per packet (makes 16oz) but it has nothing artificial and is sweetened with sugar and truvia. They're pretty yummy too!

    Oh awesome, I havent really seen that one. Thanks :)
  • Ariana_75
    Ariana_75 Posts: 224
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    I too used to enjoy my daily dose of energy crystal light but the fact that aspartame was used turned me right off....then my trainer suggested Advocare spark and although it is a bit pricier, the effects are very similar. And I like that it is loaded with vitamins and a bunch of other good stuff! - Sorry don't mean to sound like an infomercial, but I really do like the stuff!
  • 19danno77
    19danno77 Posts: 84
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    I'm not a clean eater by any means (just look at my diary if you want!) but Crystal Light is slightly concerning to me. One: the colors are intense...your mouth can be tinted for hours afterwards, even after brushing. Is that OK? Do artificial colors offer the same phytochemicals as real fruit pigments? I doubt it. Could they be bad for you? Maybe. Two: Artificial sweeteners are essentially natural, but does triggering sweet receptors on the tongue initiate the insulin response from taste/sensation priming? I don't know...I don't think we should make a habit of tricking our bodies. Three: I've noticed after having a glass of Crystal Light that it leaves a chalky film on the glass, especially on plastic cups. I wish I knew what that was...acidulant? Calcium? It's still a nice cheat mixer for alcoholic beverages which I'm guessing are NOT part of clean eating.

    Iced tea, even full-sugar, is pretty dang low in calories, especially Honest T's varieties...something like 50-80 calories in an entire bottle. You can also brew your own from green tea to keep it as clean as possible. Soap box has been mounted, you have been warned. I don't know the real value of strict clean eating, I don't know that anyone does...I do know that the stricter your diet (what you eat, not the pop culture term for losing weight) the less likely you'll be to maintain. Make the big changes that improve your life now...find what works for you. Can't be perfectly clean? Don't want to be? Amp up your dark fruits/veggies and allow for some "sin" foods...ie those that "clean" eaters swear against. The body's a forgiving machine and you need to expose it to toxins, questionable materials and pathogens to remind it that life's not easy...work yourself to a cleaner diet, perhaps, rather than by-the-numbers clean. Besides, you may find yourself annoying friends if you're too hung up on the little things...afterall, what you're doing is a choice...it's not a religious edict nor is it really a morality play, like veganism...but nevertheless, even entering meals on a phone has annoyed friends of mine but that's not in any way dictating their meals or passing judgement.

    Good luck and be well!
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
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    I'm sure you could find a make-your-own natural "crystal light" or drink mix at home, I've found make your own nesquik, dryer sheets, and shampoo. You just have to do some research
  • 19danno77
    19danno77 Posts: 84
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    Oh, and remember, if there are no calories in something, there's technically NO ENERGY in it. So what gives you the pep, is actually a stimulant or a drug of sorts. Not saying this is bad, but it's true. You can get all the nutrients that are stuffed into "energy" drinks from whole foods...if you can't, then it might be worth asking the question: should I eat this?

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