What made you a clean eater

skatardrummer

I've just recently jumped on board with clean eating. It's difficult with low income, but I've always FELT better eating clean. And let's face it, you can EAT MORE. After joining this site, I realized how much of our caloric intake comes from preservatives in canned and boxed goods. When I eat these things, I can't eat much in a day to stay in my calorie intake range. Mother earth really does know best.

What made you a clean eater, and are there any processed foods you would still consider relatively clean (ie certain oatmeals)?

deebelky

i saw the clean eating book the first time on a friend's kitchen counter. i was about 38 y.o. -- that was about three years ago. i've started and stopped and have gone full force and kind of in between a few times now, but swear by the lifestyle when it comes to good health and just plain feeling good. it has helped me lose my weight (along with some calorie counting), and i'm a true believer that you can lose weight based solely on eating clean--even without exercise. i did it... although i do exercise now.

anyway--i was entranced by tosca reno. she rocks and her story was so real. it wasn't a gimick and that's what convinced me. it's a true lifestyle that is so accomplishable. i love the cooler idea, the menu plans, the shopping lists, the how to clean out your pantry, etc. it took a lot of preparation, but she spelled it all out. thank you tosca!

deebelky

i felt like i should add this in full disclosure.... i do not eat 100% clean. :-) i have in the past, but i do allow myself a small percentage of not clean stuff. just works for me.

KombuchaCat

When I quit smoking about 3 years ago I started to think about all the toxins that I had put in my body. I felt so much better and wanted to extend that non-toxic life to my food as well.

WendyFitMomCHANGED

Seeing a photo of myself back in Jan (24lbs heavier than I am now) and reading this girl's website. http://whitneycarlson.com/ She started pretty much where I was at that moment and I had tried all kinds of things with no result. I bought Tosca's book and keep updated on the eat clean blogs out there.

Best decision I ever made!!

healthymission92

I like how it makes me feel. They also taste better to me, I'd rather have a homemade fresh meal with proper ingreediants than something from a box.
I still eat things people consider 'unclean' like cottage cheese, protein powder, wholemeal breads (sometimes), oatmeal.
But to me I think they're healthy so it doesn't bother me.

msstuard

the term clean has meant different things over the years. That said I'm not following any of he popular books out today. But I have a family member with Cancer who is following a macrobiotic diet. First to support her and now because I believe it to be a better way to live I have started eating my own version of clean, Somewhere between macrobiotic, and vegetarian. It is a very loose version of the forks over knives diet. I eat much more then the diet allows. But I have cut things way back.

Rachelle_Ohh

Fear of staying fat and being very sick. Also having PCOS and realizing that I need to DRASTICALLY change my diet and exercise routine.

fitfocusedfamily

I have so much more energy when I eat clean. I, too, believe the food tastes so much better and like the fact I can eat more food than when I eat the processed junk.

I'm starting a 30 day challenge for anyone looking to tighten up their clean eating. Message me if you're interested.

whiskeycharged

I still eat things people consider 'unclean' like cottage cheese, protein powder, wholemeal breads (sometimes), oatmeal.
But to me I think they're healthy so it doesn't bother me.

They're healthy and clean in my book.

kathyms13

im not total clean but eat mainly veg and fruit, i was eating this way for some months but now the hospital have told me i have to as ive been diagnosed with diverticulitis deasese

christi921

It started for me when I realized I have gluten insensitivity. I tried going gluten free and paleo at first. I couldn't stick 100% to the paleo -- I just couldn't look at another egg in the morning! lol! So I am somewhere in between now.. The times I have cheated, I felt awful so I am working on a happy medium now so I can maintain this way of eating as a lifestyle without feeling like I am missing out. I am aim for 90% clean a day.

garlic7girl

Weel. I lost a lot of weight initially eating a lot of LF and NF foods etc and was skinny but was not HEALTHY...I became more intrigued when I read a book about the hormones etc in our meats which lead to me reading other books about chemicals in foods etc. Then I decided to eat a cleaner diet...not perfect but much better then I used to!