I'm scared to eat clean!!!!
chandra38
Posts: 110 Member
Okay, so maybe a little dramatic. I'm more intimidated by the thought of throwing out all the convenience foods/drive thru's/etc. It overwhelms me to come up with fun, easy to make snacks, side dishes and dinners that are healthy. It doesn't help that I've eaten pre-packaged junk for most of my life, so even though I know it's bad for me, it's still comfort and familiarity that wins out over the effort of fully changing my lifestyle.
I have changed some major things since joining MFP though, so all is not lost on me. Instead of drinking nearly 2 liters of soda a day, most days I have none or maybe half a 12 ounce can. I no longer buy twinkies, ho-ho's, zingers or other packaged cakes. I don't even keep sweets in the house, so these are BIG improvements for me.
However, when it comes to driving thru, I'm a big weenie! You should see me at dinner time, sweating and fretting over what to make for my family. It just isn't natural for me to eat healthy, but I WANT IT TO BE!!!! I need help, seriously, with ideas for meal planning, how to incorporate more veggies, and just plain motivation! I want to be healthy, not just skinny, for my family. I also want my boys to grow up with a good example so they don't have to go through this like I am.
When it comes to serving veggies, I tend to go with raw or steamed and my kids are not liking that, and I'm don't really like cooking something that no one eats. I hate looking at my diary for several days in a row and not seeing a single veggie or fruit!!!! I need help... or a personal chef. :laugh:
I have changed some major things since joining MFP though, so all is not lost on me. Instead of drinking nearly 2 liters of soda a day, most days I have none or maybe half a 12 ounce can. I no longer buy twinkies, ho-ho's, zingers or other packaged cakes. I don't even keep sweets in the house, so these are BIG improvements for me.
However, when it comes to driving thru, I'm a big weenie! You should see me at dinner time, sweating and fretting over what to make for my family. It just isn't natural for me to eat healthy, but I WANT IT TO BE!!!! I need help, seriously, with ideas for meal planning, how to incorporate more veggies, and just plain motivation! I want to be healthy, not just skinny, for my family. I also want my boys to grow up with a good example so they don't have to go through this like I am.
When it comes to serving veggies, I tend to go with raw or steamed and my kids are not liking that, and I'm don't really like cooking something that no one eats. I hate looking at my diary for several days in a row and not seeing a single veggie or fruit!!!! I need help... or a personal chef. :laugh:
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Replies
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Tosca Reno has a clean eating cookbook out if you need recipe ideas. I like to use onceamonthmom.com for some different ideas too... it is a freezer cooking site with diet meal plans,whole foods, gluten free, traditional, etc... You do a lot of cooking in a day or over a weekend and then freeze it... easy throw in the oven/crockpot meals! The site even includes instructions, shopping lists, and labels.0
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How about if you use recipes from some place like skinnytaste.com to get you started on recipes and ideas? It will take some of the scariness out of figuring out how to make healthy substitutes for things your family loves.0
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My boyfriend is terrible about eating vegetables when I make them! I've heard about a lot of people that use a food processor to cut up veggies into small pieces and then just mixing them into whatever you're making for dinner!0
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Then don't. Eating clean doesn't always mean faster weight/fat loss.0
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I personally enjoy eating clean because it gives me so much energy and makes me feel great.
What I usually do is just look up healthy recipes online, from anywhere, count the calories and eat portions that are right for me. I'm not afraid to save food as leftovers for later.
The "recipe" message board on MFP is great for finding healthy, low-cal food, but Google-ing "healthy recipes" or "healthy lunch" or something like that works just as well.
Good luck!
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Then don't. Eating clean doesn't always mean faster weight/fat loss.
Eating clean should not be use just to lose weight. You can eat as clean as you want but you will not lose weight if you eat more than you should. Eating clean is about longevity and good health in general.0 -
Check out www.100daysofrealfood.com. Its a great site with lots of reicpes, and lots of info for someone just starting out. Most of their foods are family friendly since they have 2 small kids themselves.
And don't try to do it all at one, you've made a great start, just keep doing what you're doing. Its not an easy change to make overnight.0 -
Then don't. Eating clean doesn't always mean faster weight/fat loss.
This.
If you are scared or intimidated or w/e than don't do it. Do what you will stick with. If you want to get there do it slowly don't just jump over board with out knowing how to swim.0 -
Holy Cats! I know how you feel, but I gotta tell ya... I started buying Clean Eating Magazine and I have found some absolutely FABULOUS recipes that even my picky 14 year son will devour! Super good for you foods with most recipes using ingredients you typically have around the house... okay, with some exceptions like quinoa, and sucranat, but I if I don't know what they are, I try them or I don't make that recipe.
My absolute favorite was on the cover last month... Honey Mustard Chicken with Roasted Bell Peppers. I serve it with Brown Rice and it is fantastic!
The magazine even has sections that give you a weekly shopping list and a break down of how much each meal per serving costs... so they even try to make eating clean and healthy affordable.0 -
BOM = bell peppers/onions/mushrooms. These veggies are extremely healthy and delicious in stir fry. Then put around them maybe broccoli or eggplant or peas, string beans...and then add 1 fake meat package/tofu (if you are me). Put in stir fry pan, maybe invest in something that cooks next to the stove, makes it easier). Use only a little bit of oil of your choice (olive, canola etc). Put on it Mrs. Dash, onion powder and try not to use salt. Use siracha hot sauce on it. I do this almost every night right now. It is easy peasy.0
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My best advice is to pre-plan your meals for the week ahead of time. Take an hour or two over the weekend, sit down and literally right out "lunches, snacks, dinner" for each day... or make 7 variety's and pick which one you feel like that night. It takes the worry out of it and it gives you time to look up some recipes or cooking techniques ahead of time.
As for veggies and the kids... nothing wrong with steamed! Try adding some light seasoning and some cheese (not cheese sauce, but grated cheese. It's a great source of calcium and vitamins especially for kids). In my family we love "one pot wonders" where we kinda just throw everything together once they are cooked (or just cook them together even)... throw it on the plate and there you go. The most basic recipe is this:
pick a meat (chicken, ground turkey, ground hamburger, stew meat)
pick either pasta, rice, or neither. (go for the whole wheat and measure ahead of time for serving size)
pick your veggie (mixed, broccoli, grean beans, peas... we are really tight financially so for us this is pretty much always frozen)
pick some seasonings (italian garlic and salt/pepper, seasoned salt, paprika, etc... base it off of your meat)
throw it all together, sprinkle some cheese on top and volia! Or add in a little bit of terryaki sauce and you've got a stir fry.
We've also called this pig slop... because our experiments have often came out looking... interesting. But it was always delicious!
Good luck and take this time to HAVE FUN! Try new things, or different ways of cooking.
My final suggestion... get a george forman grill. They are fairly cheap nowadays, even for a "family sized" one. Once you get your timing done it is a QUICK (cooks both sides at once, cooking time is in half) delicious way to cook your meat or to grill some veggies (zucchini!)0 -
This may not be the best idea for this time of year, but one of the easiest ways to cook veggies is to roast them (plus it makes veggies that I don't like other ways taste great!) Potatoes, carrots, zucchini, peppers, onions, brussel sprouts all taste great just being cooked in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and a little pepper. Grilling works better this time of year too -- corn, squash/zucchini, sweet potatoes sliced thinly...
If you have a crock pot, it is really easy to cook a chicken in it as well -- just rub a few spices on (thyme, rosemary, oregano or basil) and cook on low all day. You can even throw some potatoes/carrots in with it (the other vegetables probably wouldn't be able to take the long cooking time).
I completely agree with taking it one step at a time too.0 -
if you steam your veg, add enough seasoning to bring out the flavor. salt and pepper are friends. try an unseasoned spoonful then adding a shake of salt on a spoonful. you'll see the improvement immediately.0
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Then don't. Eating clean doesn't always mean faster weight/fat loss.
Eating clean should not be use just to lose weight. You can eat as clean as you want but you will not lose weight if you eat more than you should. Eating clean is about longevity and good health in general.
But the thing is you don't have to eat clean for good health.0 -
Starty by eating cleaner.. then cleaner..then cleaner. Why does it have to be an all or nothing?0
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Bump0
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I'm a big fan of Clean Eating magazine. They even offer recipes online. I have a lot to learn, but I have discovered that I can eat nutrient-dense food that really satisfies my taste buds and is really good for me.
I would make smaller amounts so that you don't have to toss out stuff that's not getting eaten. Keep offering it to the kiddos. You're exposing them to a different way of eating and kids often need to see new foods a few times before they try anything new.
I was a little intimidated at first to try some of the recipes because the ingredients seemed unusual to me. Tomorrow we will have haddock (a cold-water fish), simply prepared, and I have never had that before in my life. Gradually, I am making small changes that I am comfortable with in hopes of improving my health. I feel better already although it's been such a short time. Go for it! Hope you do well with your new eating habits 0 -
Get a subscription to the Healthy Cooking magazine from Taste of Home, or google it to read ideas online. They put together tons of simple and usable recipes for the whole family. I love this magazine. If memory serves, it evens includes a week meal plan with shopping list. The nice thing about having the magazine, is that your family can help pick out ones they are interested in trying.
I also second SkinnyTaste.com. Gina has boatloads of recipes with great photos, and they are full of flavor.
Also, search the recipes on here. Lots of good ones.
But, start small. Try these things, to ease into healthier options.
1. Find fruit and veggies you and your family enjoy, and have them as a snack option. Use cottage cheese or yogurt as a dip. (My family loves plain greek yogurt mixed with dry ranch dressing mix. Heck, I use plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream and no one notices.)
2. Plan ahead. It is easy to use a crock pot, and prep meals ahead so you don't panic come dinner time. This also applies to lunch.
3. Swap out items for healthier options. I stopped buying standard yogurt, for greek to get more protein.
4. Monitor portion sizes. If you just can't live without something, add it in, with moderation.
Good luck!0 -
Pinterest has lots of great ideas. While it may not be the most appropriate method of cooking for the summer, crock pots are awesome! You can just throw a bunch of stuff in before work, and it is magically ready and delicious by dinner time. Another thing i use to cook healthy food is the George Foreman grill. That thing is a life saver, and it traps all the grease out of your meats. The George is also awesome for making paninis on 9 grain bread.0
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This. Eating clean has little to no affect on weightloss. If you don't want to, don't.Then don't. Eating clean doesn't always mean faster weight/fat loss.0 -
Then don't. Eating clean doesn't always mean faster weight/fat loss.
Eating clean should not be use just to lose weight. You can eat as clean as you want but you will not lose weight if you eat more than you should. Eating clean is about longevity and good health in general.
But the thing is you don't have to eat clean for good health.
Eating clean is definitely healthier... Processed food is full of crap.. aka sodium, chemicals, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, etc. Did you know that a can of mushrooms can pass FDA inspection and have up to 40 maggots in it? Disgusting. That alone is enough to make me want to stay completely away from canned/boxed and highly processed foods.
People who eat clean notice a huge difference in digestion, hydration, skin elasticity, body composition, muscle definition, etc. You can lose weight without eating clean.. but eating clean makes a huge difference is the way ur body feels.. literally. It'll be a lot less squishy. Especially if you have a lot of body fat to lose.
But again.. you don't have to throw it all out at once... just start eating cleaner. I don't eat completely clean but I definitely eat cleaner than i used to and I've seen great results.0 -
My boyfriend is terrible about eating vegetables when I make them! I've heard about a lot of people that use a food processor to cut up veggies into small pieces and then just mixing them into whatever you're making for dinner!
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I know exactly what you mean! It's so hard to change eating habits - especially when you have children that are picky eaters. I don't know how much food I've wasted trying to get him to eat healthier food. The one thing I've been able to do is add spinach to his smoothie - he hasn't figured it out yet. As for me, by the time I get home from work, I DON"T WANT TO COOK! Let me know if you find any EASY vegie recipes.0
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Some good advice here! I was going to say about planning ahead and using a crock pot. I set up a whole chicken this morning for myself. It's more or less boiled with some veggies - I'll use the liquid to make soup later that will include the chicken, some veggies and maybe some lentils or other beans.Get a subscription to the Healthy Cooking magazine from Taste of Home, or google it to read ideas online. They put together tons of simple and usable recipes for the whole family. I love this magazine. If memory serves, it evens includes a week meal plan with shopping list. The nice thing about having the magazine, is that your family can help pick out ones they are interested in trying.
I also second SkinnyTaste.com. Gina has boatloads of recipes with great photos, and they are full of flavor.
Also, search the recipes on here. Lots of good ones.
But, start small. Try these things, to ease into healthier options.
1. Find fruit and veggies you and your family enjoy, and have them as a snack option. Use cottage cheese or yogurt as a dip. (My family loves plain greek yogurt mixed with dry ranch dressing mix. Heck, I use plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream and no one notices.)
2. Plan ahead. It is easy to use a crock pot, and prep meals ahead so you don't panic come dinner time. This also applies to lunch.
3. Swap out items for healthier options. I stopped buying standard yogurt, for greek to get more protein.
4. Monitor portion sizes. If you just can't live without something, add it in, with moderation.
Good luck!
I often try to cook on the weekend some things I can microwave, at least for the first part of the week so I'm not hungry when I get home and needing 2 hours to prepare a particular dish.
I don't know how "clean" this is, but when I'm in a pinch, I will buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket deli, microwave some corn on the cob (in the husks) and maybe some other veggie. I'll have some fruit for dessert. I use the left over chicken to make other things like to top salad (buying the salad that's already if pressed for time), fried brown rice (not really with lots of oil though, but throwing in some egg whites, peas and maybe pineapple, a little soy sauce for flavor).
Have you tried making veggies - steamed or grilled - and maybe using some balsamic vinegar? That's something I love and your kids might go for the veggies if they've got some more flavor. Great on things like green beans or asparagus. I haven't tried it on many others.
Stir-fries are something you could do if you plan ahead. I like to chop of veggies and meat on the weekend so the prep work is done when I get home. All that's left to do is the few minutes of cooking. If I buy lots of chicken, I'll cut it up and freeze some of it ready to thaw and sautee.
I don't eat clean in the sense that I have excluded all condiments, like soy sauce, but I cook most of my food from scratch now and it's so worth it compared to buying pre-packaged, ready to eat foods. Just give it a try and be creative.0 -
Starty by eating cleaner.. then cleaner..then cleaner. Why does it have to be an all or nothing?
Yeah.
You don't have to set a start date for this. Just start making small changes. Eventually you'll change everything.0 -
when I first started I bought the two biggest loser cookbooks, the orginal and then eventually the family cookbook. They both have really good recipes and I would just go through the book on Sunday and decide what I wanted to cook and shop for those ingredients. Took most of the guess work out of the process. Also too they make up for serving sizes so you are not wasting a lot of food. If the meal says serves 4 it will serve 4 and it has all the nutritional info with each recipe. I lived in a pretty rural area so had to sometimes modify the recipe for the ingredents I could find, but they all tasted good and my family all ate them with no fuss or fight. I found that having a good cookbook made starting a clean lifestyle easier. They cover all the topics too from breakfast to snacks and even desserts.0
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Maybe you could make 'clean' versions of the fast food you love: home made burgers don't have to be calorific, but are delicious. Home made pizza too - it's not too hard to make the dough, or you could use packaged bases for a quick meal. Or make your own potato chips coated in herbs/spices and baked with a small amount of oil.0
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Tosca Reno has a clean eating cookbook out if you need recipe ideas. I like to use onceamonthmom.com for some different ideas too... it is a freezer cooking site with diet meal plans,whole foods, gluten free, traditional, etc... You do a lot of cooking in a day or over a weekend and then freeze it... easy throw in the oven/crockpot meals! The site even includes instructions, shopping lists, and labels.
thanks
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I'd like to put in a plug for Saving Dinner or e-mealz. If you're stressing what to make, these are great. they provide weekly menus, shopping lists and recipes. also has frugal/slow cooker/freezer/vegetarian options. As a comparison, SD is more clean foods. The recommended sides are straight-forwsrd. It had the benefit of offering standard, low carb, low-fat and (i think) paleo options. EM uses more convenience items -cream of mushroom is the one I recall. The sides are more interesting than SD, while still simple. Also, it can be tailored to take advantage of specific grocery stores. I remember Wal-Mart because that was the only one that applied to me.
Ill also toss in a mention of Fresh 20. this one's gimmick is a weekly shopping list off only 20 items. it also included a price estimate.
My family's favorite is Saving Dinner for simple reason of our taste buds/palate. It slso had great instructions and I believe I am a better cook for it. While the bulk off their info is online, they also habe 2/3 hard copy books, too. I started with the first one and we actually made more than 90% of the recipes and only 2-3 were committee duds.
If you try one of these, I would .make a commitment to trying all of them. don't pick and choose unless absolutely necessary. you'll be surprised at what you like
eta: SD also has kosher variations, and I want to say I heard about some gf stuff too.
(I do like the sides better from EM)
if you decide to try one if these services0 -
I am with you. I want to eat clean, I really do. I do NOT like vegetables, I love fruit. I just can't get myself to eat the veggies unless I have some kind of dip to go with them. I am going to focus on the amount I eat right now of what I do have, to learn and control myself with what I enjoy and hopefully down the road I will tie in more healthy options and set a good example for the kids and hubby. Baby steps for this chick, this change is happening slow and I'm okay with that
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