Some Clean Eating Questions

kermiefan

I read Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. Right now, I'm doing a trial of organic eating and chemical free living--but I would like to try clean eating.
I read up about it on the threads here-but also online.
I'm a little confused. Some places online say No Dairy products. Some say artificial sweetener is ok. Some are very strict and almost seem like a diet while others say that as long as there is no white sugar, white flour or white potatoes you're good--and to avoid processed foods.

I'm just confused as to what exactly I should do. I do think, however, that it will be easier to do clean eating than organic eating. Not only are the organic products a lot more expensive, but, it's hard to live a normal life when you're doing the organics only/chemical free thing. There are no restaurants that have organics and also, you can't very well be a dinner guest at someone's house and refuse to eat their food because it's not organic and because the lettuce they use in a salad might have chemicals on it etc, for example. It seems to me that clean eating is much more suitable to every day life.

So any advice for me or insight on this?

Also---ok--everyone that's a clean eater--what do you do when you go to someone's house as a dinner guest? If I brought my own food to someone's house after being invited for dinner or lunch, they would take great offense if I only ate my own food and didn't eat their food or went over the package ingredients with a fine tooth comb to make sure it's not packed with HFCS, MSG, or extremely processed.....also, if I refused to eat something like pasta because it's not whole grain. KWIM?
When a situation like that comes, do you just chance hurting their feelings and figure they'll get used to it? Or do you eat the items (though limiting your portions considerably) and figure it won't KILL you??
And for that matter, do you guys take days off from clean eating? or if you take an occasional day off-like one a week or something like that--will it undo what you've done all week???

Thanks in advance for helping me out on this!!!!!! :flowerforyou:

lizzys

i think ,clean eating is the best .some organic is better, some is not.,like fruits and vegs are good. the rest i think your buying the organic price. try growing it yourself, use containers. if you dont have room.

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
It took me awhile to get my friends to understand that I'm following a strict eating plan and would prefer to get together for events that don't include eating or at least, don't include my eating. I've eaten before I went somewhere and then had a cup of tea and enjoyed the company once I got there. I've had discussions with the host ahead of time about what was being served and offered to bring part of the meal. It takes practice and trial and error but my health is worth the effort. :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

StiringWendel

For me, eating clean is what works best for you while being aware of your food. The technical definition of eating clean (per Clean Eating magazine) involves the following:

1. Eating small meals 5-6 days a week
2. Drinking at least 2 liters of water a day
3. Getting label savvy (buying products with few ingredients, etc)
4. Avoiding processed and refined foods
5. Knowing the enemies....like trans fats and saturated fats, fried foods, foods high in sugar, etc
6. Shopping with a conscience (humanely)
7. Learning proper portions
8. Reducing the carbon footprint
9. Savoring food
10. Taking food with you for work or outings
11. Making food a family affair

I don't adhere to all of those, yet I consider myself to be a pretty clean eater. For instance, I can't eat organics as much as I would like (for many reasons), which means I'm not adhering strictly to numbers 6 and 8 on that list. But that's what works best for me, and, in my opinion, what works best for you is going to be the plan you can stick with. Again, being aware of what you are eating and how it impacts your body is half the battle (again, in my opinion), and it sounds to me like you are very aware so kudos to you!

As stated in the same magazine that has these points, the soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state or as close to it as possible. But in nothing I've read does it say that every morsel eaten needs to be clean. There are times when I have to eat away from my home. When I can control the food outside of my house (like on a road trip), I do what I can to take food with me to lower the amount I'm eating in restaurants. But when I can't control the food (like going over to a friend's house for dinner), I go and enjoy the meal. If something is served that I don't want to eat (like a big piece of chocolate cake since I don't do desserts anymore), I politely say 'no thank you', but I enjoy the rest of the meal without concern whether it was prepared with organics or clean ingredients.

I can't say I ever take a 'day off' clean eating, but, I certainly take meals (anything I eat away from the house) off during some days (though I keep those times to the bare minimum). And, quite honestly, sometimes I prepare meals that are a little less clean (using processed sauces or something like that) than others simply because I want to.....but I don't do it for a 'break' from clean eating. I simply do it because I think flexibility should be built into any lifestyle.

Good luck to you!

jessmomof3

I'm a clean eater (as you know).

I just got back from a weekend away from home at my inlaws (who are most definitely NOT clean eaters!!). I pack and plan ahead of time. I take my own foods and they are fine with that! I don't expect them to buy food especially for me. If I'm going to be eating out, I just make the best choice possible. I look up nutrition info on restaurants and plan ahead of time.

I don't do all organics, I try to do some but don't buy all organic fruits/ veggies/ milk. I do eat dairy, some people don't and that is their choice also!

My relatives and friends know that I eat healthy and I try not to make a big deal out of it. If people are really your friends, they will understand that you are making healthy changes and maybe you bringing a side healthy dish will help them too!! I never try to make other people feel guilty for what they are eating. If they ask me, I'm more than willing to volunteer my opinion. I usually bring a veggie tray or fruit bowl to friends houses for meals. Typically if it's a grilling out type of meal, I will bring chicken breast or lean meat, whole wheat buns, etc. If I'm offered a dessert, a no thank you is all I say. If I'm pressed into oh you're thin, you can eat it, then I will just tell them something like I didn't lose 70 pounds from eating dessert. :laugh:. Then *they're* just being rude trying to push something on me.

I never take a day *off* because it's just my routine / lifestyle now. I don't want to eat the junk and whenever I have in the past, I felt miserable from it.

HTH!