~ Clean Eaters Thread ~

fitgal411

I want to eat clean! I just was researching "clean foods" a few days ago and it sounded like something I would want to try. Is it too late to join?

SusieSonshine

I want to eat clean! I just was researching "clean foods" a few days ago and it sounded like something I would want to try. Is it too late to join?

Welcome fitgal!! :flowerforyou:

astridfeline

I want to eat clean! I just was researching "clean foods" a few days ago and it sounded like something I would want to try. Is it too late to join?

It's never too late!! Welcome!:flowerforyou:

astridfeline

I just read through some of the threads and will need to check out the Clean magazine you have been talking about. I saw some posts about breakfast ideas. I have been drinking Green Smoothies for breakfast. I have found when I start my day with them I eat better for the whole day. It also eliminates the need for coffee! And I when I am in coffee mode, I drink expresso only! Here's a basic recipe from Martha Stewart, but you can add or delete to your own tastes.

In a blender mix
2 oz of spinach-I use much more spinach-a huge punch !
1 celery stalk
1 cucumber-I usually use 1/2
1/2 apple
1/4 fennel bulb
1" ginger root
3 springs of parsley
3/4C honeydew melon-I often use frozen mango or pineapple,my husband always adds a banana-but this adds additional calories

another version: I add 1/2 fresh beet and strawberries-delicious!!!!!

Thank you for the recipe!!! I'm gonna try it! Sounds very nutritious! :flowerforyou:

I agree--I will have to try this! Welcome spotter. :flowerforyou:

hmo4

I put cottage cheese in my smoothies! My fave is my Funkay Monkay Smoothie:

Ice
1/2 c cottage cheese or greek yogurt
skim milk, or soy milk
chocolate protein powder
banana

It's soooo good. I've also put coconut oil in it too. :bigsmile:
Great post workout.
I have count cals too fot accountability.:drinker:
Jess, how do you do the sweet pot with cottage cheese?

astridfeline

I finally found a recipe for this head of red cabbage I have sitting in the fridge!! It's from Sunset magazine, I found it using the myrecipes.com site. I will fix this tomorrow and let you know if it's as good as it sounds.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1140621


Red Cabbage Salad with Dates

Yield
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

* 1/2 head red cabbage (20 oz. total), finely shredded
* 3 oranges, peeled and segmented with membranes removed and juices reserved
* 1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds
* 5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
* 2 tablespoons walnut oil
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* Salt

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, orange segments and their juice, almonds, and dates. Drizzle with walnut oil and lemon juice and mix gently to coat. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
138 (43% from fat)
Protein:
2.7g
Fat:
6.5g (sat 0.6)
Carbohydrate:
20g
Fiber:
4.1g
Sodium:
92mg
Cholesterol:
0.0mg

Gerda Endemann, Stanford, CA, Sunset, JANUARY 2006

jessmomof3

I put cottage cheese in my smoothies! My fave is my Funkay Monkay Smoothie:

Ice
1/2 c cottage cheese or greek yogurt
skim milk, or soy milk
chocolate protein powder
banana

It's soooo good. I've also put coconut oil in it too. :bigsmile:
Great post workout.
I have count cals too fot accountability.:drinker:
Jess, how do you do the sweet pot with cottage cheese?

I've been known to add cottage cheese to smoothies too. :bigsmile: Love chocolate powder w/ a banana!! YUM!!

I cook the sweet potato first, then mash it a bit w/ my fork. Top w/ the cottage cheese & cinnamon and kind of mix it together. It's delicious!

jessmomof3

I want to eat clean! I just was researching "clean foods" a few days ago and it sounded like something I would want to try. Is it too late to join?

Welcome! We're not an exclusive club, anyone can join, anytime!! :drinker:

kelly_a

ok, so i went and bought the JM Master Your Metabolism...and have only gotten thru 30 or so pages....this might be harder than i originally thought. i have been eating bran flakes, high fiber cereal for months...and ingredients are whole grain wheat, wheat bran, SUGAR, HFCS, salt and malt flavoring. and occ'l eat oatmeal, but not steelcut.... not as healthy as i thought, and then i had switched from skim milk to Soy Slender soymilk, b/c i thought regular milk had too much sugar in it, and just from what i have read so far....JM is not a big fan of soy? and should we go ahead and eat regular foods instead of light, lowfat, fatfree? man o man, my frig, cupboards are gonna be bare. and to peel fruits and veggies, i thought eating the whole thing was good for fiber? anyway, i know i have a lot to learn, and much to read yet, but excited to be learnin bout the hormone and metabolism info.....and eat CLEAN! :bigsmile:

astridfeline

Kashi makes a great cereal--GoLean--no HFCS and very little sugar. It has high protein and fiber. I use Smart Bran cereal too, I think that is Nature's path brand. I haven't read jillian's book, but probably she prefers to peel fruit & veg due to the pesticides, so if you can access organic you wouldn't have to do that. There is also a wash you can use for your veg, I can't remember the name but I've seen it in the store. Sounds like you will have an interesting journey to clean eating, as the rest of us have. MFP is a great place to learn about nutrition!

PS. definitely ditch the fat free products--sugar is often added to make those processed foods edible, plus I just don't feel fat-free dairy provides enough satiety or taste. We all need some fat in our diets to help absorb certain vitamins. I personally use 2% dairy b/c full fat is too rich/caloric for me.

m2kjenn

I have become a big fan of Kashi - it is one of the few products that JM endorses and trusts. They do have great options.

I was so surprised about how bad low fat foods are. all the chemicals are so bad!!! I've cut them out and just watch my portions. I have fallen in love with Greek style yogurt, I add in ground flax seed and it keeps me full all morning.

It really is a journey, so much to learn.

1Corinthians13

Hello everyone! I've decided that I kinda wanna eat clean. What I mean by that is...I enjoy my wine, but I want to eat cleanly as much as possible. Can I just hop in here? I hope to learn a lot from you guys who have been eating cleanly for awhile.

astridfeline

the door is always open--welcome!!

neeterskeeter

I want to eat clean! I just was researching "clean foods" a few days ago and it sounded like something I would want to try. Is it too late to join?

Welcome fitgal. There's no deadline to join, as far as I know.

neeterskeeter

Hello everyone! I've decided that I kinda wanna eat clean. What I mean by that is...I enjoy my wine, but I want to eat cleanly as much as possible. Can I just hop in here? I hope to learn a lot from you guys who have been eating cleanly for awhile.

Welcome 1corinthians13.

1Corinthians13

Thanks!


Is it okay for me to be here even though I like my wine? :laugh:

Hmmm, I guess i"M not off to a very good start with my artificially sweetened coffee?

m2kjenn

Hello everyone! I've decided that I kinda wanna eat clean. What I mean by that is...I enjoy my wine, but I want to eat cleanly as much as possible. Can I just hop in here? I hope to learn a lot from you guys who have been eating cleanly for awhile.

Happy to have you. I think each of is at a different level as to how "clean" we eat. My opinion is to make the changes I can, every little bit helps. I enjoy wine as well. One way you can make that "cleaner" is to find local wineries in your area, at least then it is greener as there are no transportation cost. There are also some "organic" varieties out there, I haven't tried any yet, but I've read they are really good.

neeterskeeter

This is kind of off topic. But last night I was at the gym running my long run (I like to run it on the treadmill and watch TV ) and watching the Miss Universe pageant. Of course all of those women have such skinny, toned body, IMO some of them are way too skinny, but some of them look healthy skinny. None of them looked super defined which is more my taste/goal - like Jillian Michaels or Gwen Stefani. I was just running and wondering what these girls eat and what kind of work outs they do. I wonder if they eat clean. I wonder if they take in enough calories.

I always used to read this book called the Secrets of Skinny Chicks -- it featured supposedly "everyday" women who managed to stay skinny and in tip top shape, and said how they did it, including what they ate and how they worked out on a typical day. The problem was that most of these women were professional, former, or aspiring models, actresses, beauty pageant contestants, athletes, etc... definitely not my definition of an "everyday" woman, because most of them got paid to look good, or wanted to, or used to, etc. That book used to be a big inspiration for me but now when I look at it, I realize it isn't in my goals, because most of the women eat low-fat, low-carb foods that have articificial sweeteners etc., and many of the women only eat about 1200 - 1400 calories a day, plus work out a lot, and I aim to keep my *net* calories at about 1200-1300 a day.

I guess what I'm wondering is, what are realistic goals for a truly "everyday" woman? I am an attorney with a busy job and I don't have kids but I like to spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and our pets... I am not the type to get so caught up in training or working out that I never see them or my friends, etc. I mainly eat clean, stick to 1200-1300 net calories, and I run or work out for about 45 minutes a day, with one rest day a week, and some of my runs are much longer, like an hour and a half for pace runs or long runs. (I am training for a half marathon). Is it realistic for me to want to acheive a super toned, cut, slim body? Do women have to starve themselves and spend all their time working out to reach those levels? I guess this is why I'm looking forward to doing P90X, I think that will probably get me in the best shape ever if I stick with it, and I also plan to keep up my running schedule, more or less.

jessmomof3

ok, so i went and bought the JM Master Your Metabolism...and have only gotten thru 30 or so pages....this might be harder than i originally thought. i have been eating bran flakes, high fiber cereal for months...and ingredients are whole grain wheat, wheat bran, SUGAR, HFCS, salt and malt flavoring. and occ'l eat oatmeal, but not steelcut.... not as healthy as i thought, and then i had switched from skim milk to Soy Slender soymilk, b/c i thought regular milk had too much sugar in it, and just from what i have read so far....JM is not a big fan of soy? and should we go ahead and eat regular foods instead of light, lowfat, fatfree? man o man, my frig, cupboards are gonna be bare. and to peel fruits and veggies, i thought eating the whole thing was good for fiber? anyway, i know i have a lot to learn, and much to read yet, but excited to be learnin bout the hormone and metabolism info.....and eat CLEAN! :bigsmile:

I used to eat Fiber One cereal, and then realized it has aspartame and other yucky stuff in there. And... found it was really triggering my IBS!! (which is pretty much gone from just eating clean!) Kashi and Nature's Path make great cereals. GoLean is my favorite Kashi cereal, and I love the Pumpkin Flax Granola and Peanut Butter Granolas from NP. My kids love the Peanut Butter Bumpers or Panda Puffins which are good organic cereals (and I like them sometimes for something sweet!).

I just recently gave up my light soymilk. Most of them have splenda (sucralose) in it. There is a lot of debate about soy, just find what works for you. I do choose lower-fat dairy just because it's not that much different. I will eat fat free or 2% cottage cheese, just depends. I don't eat other products labeled as fat free (like dressings) because they usually add sugar to replace the fat.

I still eat the peel on my fruits, I just wash them and cut the tops off of my apples now.

jessmomof3

So what was for lunch today?

I did a kind of clean out the fridge type of salad. :laugh:

Lunch:
Romaine, peas, broccoli, mushrooms,
4oz chicken breast, 1 hard boiled egg, salsa.

astridfeline

A chicken breast with souvlaki sauce it's basically greek yogurt, feta, olive oil, and dill
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1687639

Also, a red cabbage salad with dates, almonds, and oranges:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1140621

Who needs a personal chef?? Not me, but a housekeeper would be great :laugh:

alf1163

This is kind of off topic. But last night I was at the gym running my long run (I like to run it on the treadmill and watch TV ) and watching the Miss Universe pageant. Of course all of those women have such skinny, toned body, IMO some of them are way too skinny, but some of them look healthy skinny. None of them looked super defined which is more my taste/goal - like Jillian Michaels or Gwen Stefani. I was just running and wondering what these girls eat and what kind of work outs they do. I wonder if they eat clean. I wonder if they take in enough calories.

I always used to read this book called the Secrets of Skinny Chicks -- it featured supposedly "everyday" women who managed to stay skinny and in tip top shape, and said how they did it, including what they ate and how they worked out on a typical day. The problem was that most of these women were professional, former, or aspiring models, actresses, beauty pageant contestants, athletes, etc... definitely not my definition of an "everyday" woman, because most of them got paid to look good, or wanted to, or used to, etc. That book used to be a big inspiration for me but now when I look at it, I realize it isn't in my goals, because most of the women eat low-fat, low-carb foods that have articificial sweeteners etc., and many of the women only eat about 1200 - 1400 calories a day, plus work out a lot, and I aim to keep my *net* calories at about 1200-1300 a day.

I guess what I'm wondering is, what are realistic goals for a truly "everyday" woman? I am an attorney with a busy job and I don't have kids but I like to spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and our pets... I am not the type to get so caught up in training or working out that I never see them or my friends, etc. I mainly eat clean, stick to 1200-1300 net calories, and I run or work out for about 45 minutes a day, with one rest day a week, and some of my runs are much longer, like an hour and a half for pace runs or long runs. (I am training for a half marathon). Is it realistic for me to want to acheive a super toned, cut, slim body? Do women have to starve themselves and spend all their time working out to reach those levels? I guess this is why I'm looking forward to doing P90X, I think that will probably get me in the best shape ever if I stick with it, and I also plan to keep up my running schedule, more or less.

I think it is very realistic to achieve a toned, lean, healthy body by eating clean and exercising without "killing" yourself. I am 45yrs old, 5'5", 125lbs, pretty lean and toned and that was achieved by eating healthy at least 80-90% of the time and exercising 5-7 days a week for about an hr. Yeah, sometimes I dont take a "rest" day because I just love the way exercise makes me feel and I dont feel drained, I have the energy to workout most days a week. I also vary my workouts. Now that I am doing P90X my workouts are longer because the program is like that, unfortunately. I have a husband, a son with autism, I work about 6-7 hrs 4 days a week and I have three dogs. I am also training for a half marathon. I eat out at least once a week, usually twice a week, and "cheat" at least once a week. So I am not telling you this to brag but to tell you that it is possible. I hope this helps. :flowerforyou:

neeterskeeter

This is kind of off topic. But last night I was at the gym running my long run (I like to run it on the treadmill and watch TV ) and watching the Miss Universe pageant. Of course all of those women have such skinny, toned body, IMO some of them are way too skinny, but some of them look healthy skinny. None of them looked super defined which is more my taste/goal - like Jillian Michaels or Gwen Stefani. I was just running and wondering what these girls eat and what kind of work outs they do. I wonder if they eat clean. I wonder if they take in enough calories.

I always used to read this book called the Secrets of Skinny Chicks -- it featured supposedly "everyday" women who managed to stay skinny and in tip top shape, and said how they did it, including what they ate and how they worked out on a typical day. The problem was that most of these women were professional, former, or aspiring models, actresses, beauty pageant contestants, athletes, etc... definitely not my definition of an "everyday" woman, because most of them got paid to look good, or wanted to, or used to, etc. That book used to be a big inspiration for me but now when I look at it, I realize it isn't in my goals, because most of the women eat low-fat, low-carb foods that have articificial sweeteners etc., and many of the women only eat about 1200 - 1400 calories a day, plus work out a lot, and I aim to keep my *net* calories at about 1200-1300 a day.

I guess what I'm wondering is, what are realistic goals for a truly "everyday" woman? I am an attorney with a busy job and I don't have kids but I like to spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and our pets... I am not the type to get so caught up in training or working out that I never see them or my friends, etc. I mainly eat clean, stick to 1200-1300 net calories, and I run or work out for about 45 minutes a day, with one rest day a week, and some of my runs are much longer, like an hour and a half for pace runs or long runs. (I am training for a half marathon). Is it realistic for me to want to acheive a super toned, cut, slim body? Do women have to starve themselves and spend all their time working out to reach those levels? I guess this is why I'm looking forward to doing P90X, I think that will probably get me in the best shape ever if I stick with it, and I also plan to keep up my running schedule, more or less.

I think it is very realistic to achieve a toned, lean, healthy body by eating clean and exercising without "killing" yourself. I am 45yrs old, 5'5", 125lbs, pretty lean and toned and that was achieved by eating healthy at least 80-90% of the time and exercising 5-7 days a week for about an hr. Yeah, sometimes I dont take a "rest" day because I just love the way exercise makes me feel and I dont feel drained, I have the energy to workout most days a week. I also vary my workouts. Now that I am doing P90X my workouts are longer because the program is like that, unfortunately. I have a husband, a son with autism, I work about 6-7 hrs 4 days a week and I have three dogs. I am also training for a half marathon. I eat out at least once a week, usually twice a week, and "cheat" at least once a week. So I am not telling you this to brag but to tell you that it is possible. I hope this helps. :flowerforyou:

It does help, thanks!! I looked at your pics and you are in great shape and look young. Thanks for the inspiration.

lilangel7671

Hey all! Just checking in for the evening! I love all the posts-recipes are great! Thanks! I just made a personal pan pizza-whole wheat crust, cheese, chicken, spinach, pasta sauce, and mushrooms! Not the best eat :ohwell: but it sure was YUMMY!
neeterskeeter-no before pics sorry, Honestly..I didn't think I would stick with it..haha! But this time I'm hooked and totally committed now:bigsmile: Truly my lifestyle is changing right before my eyes-and I am LOVING IT! WOOO! I do however have "befores" for ChaLean but I'm not even halfway yet!
Hehe, Keep the posts coming girls!

hmo4

Well I'm over by 300 cals or so.:grumble: No exercise yet either. I don't wan to get discouraged. I ordered the scale tonight!

SusieSonshine

Hello everyone! I've decided that I kinda wanna eat clean. What I mean by that is...I enjoy my wine, but I want to eat cleanly as much as possible. Can I just hop in here? I hope to learn a lot from you guys who have been eating cleanly for awhile.

Welcome!!! :flowerforyou:

csingleton24

Hi everyone! I'd love to join this thread/club! I started eating clean a few months ago and it really does work! I don't do it 24/7, I usually do it about 85% of the time. Weekends are my downfall! But I do believe in everything in moderation. If I am at a party and they have cake, then I have some. Not a big piece but a small satisfying piece.

I subscribe to CE mag as well and love the latest one! I plan on making the Monte Cristo and Salmon Corn Chowder next week. Anyways, just wanted to say hi and join in! Thanks!

neeterskeeter

Hi singleton and welcome. I was just at CVS and saw a copy of Clean Eating... it had such delicious looking recipes that I bought it even though it was $6 and I *never* spend that much on a magazine!! I am trying to find interesting and yummy clean eating recipes that my boyfriend will enjoy eating with me.

re_define

Hi singleton and welcome. I was just at CVS and saw a copy of Clean Eating... it had such delicious looking recipes that I bought it even though it was $6 and I *never* spend that much on a magazine!! I am trying to find interesting and yummy clean eating recipes that my boyfriend will enjoy eating with me.

The magazine is definitely not cheap but really worth it for the recipes and tips. Also check out their website online, there's even more ideas there My boyfriend who is pretty far from a healthy eater has been reading up on the past two months I have (I caved and got a subscription) and was telling me last night that we should definitely make some of the recipes in there. Yay!

bohrnarapp

I'm in!