I really want to.......

KarenJean91

Start eating clean. I'll be honest. I eat so much processed crap it's ridiculous. Thing is, I don't know how. I don't know any healthy CLEAN low-cal recipes, and simply don't know what to eat! Any help? Maybe an example of a normal day for you of clean eating? Please and thank you.

pastryari

Step 1: Turn on faucet.
Step 2: Hold desired food under faucet and rinse.
Step 3: Eat the now clean food. Enjoy.

mdcoug

I'll confess, I am not a clean eater either. Especially not when compared to those who do make this claim. But, I do try to make as much of what I eat healthy. I do have a cookie here and there and will never turn down a glass of wine, but when it comes to planning my meals, here's what I try to do:

Shop the outer perimeter of the store: produce, meat, dairy, bakery.
For dinner, create a menu with a protein, veggie and starch (whole-grain preferred).
When preparing items, use my own ingredients: e.g. olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs instead of bottle marinade
Eat dinner leftovers for lunch!

I think, for a beginner, those are some easy guidelines to incorporate, then continue educating yourself about clean eating.

alaskaang

Just start out simply replacing one processed item at a time for something fresh, or just one or two meals a week. It can be daunting to change your entire cooking/eating habits all at once. But once you get used to cooking with fresh ingredients, it gets easier and easier. We eat almost no pre-packaged foods. A typical day for me would be as follows:

Breakfast: Egg and veggie scramble - 2 to 3 eggs, zuchini, onions, and spinach. Just sautee the veggies a bit first, add the eggs, and cook till done.

Lunch: Big salad with protein and homemade dressing - romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and olives plus 4 to 6 ounces of either grilled chicken, fish or taco meat (we typically use moose, but turkey or lean beef works well too) and 2 tbsp of homemade oil/vinegar dressing or fresh pico de gallo. Dressings are really easy to make with one part olive oil, one part citrus or vinegar, and whatever herbs & spices you like. A little dijon mustard added to the mix will give depth and help it stay mixed together.

Dinner: Typically 4 to 6 ounces of protein, 2 to 3 cups of steamed veggies (our standby is brocolli or cauliflower), and a sweet potato or 1/2 cup of rice. We frequently grill chicken, steak or fish. Stir fry is another easy way to go. Get the pan really hot, cook your meat first with onions and spices, set aside in separate dish, then cook the veggies, then mix altogether and serve with rice. The combinations are endless.

ETA: Even if you don't follow the eating style, Paleo cookbooks like Well Fed have lots of recipes that are easy to make and use all fresh ingredients.

Ready2Rock206

Some websites I like:

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/
http://cleaneatingonline.com/

marycmeadows

I eat relatively clean.... I mean not perfect, but it works for me...... a sample day:

Breakfast: I will not give up greek yogurt or protein powder.
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/8 -1/4 cup raw almonds
cinnamon

AM Snack:
hard boiled egg
clementine

lunch:
protein (couple hard boiled eggs, chicken breast, salmon, or tuna usually)
salad (romaine, onion, mushrooms)
slivered almonds OR pistashios
avocado
some kind of vinaigrette dressing usually

PM Snack:
protein shake (1 scoop protein, 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 3/4 cup water, ice, 2/3 cup frozen berries)

Dinner:
veggies (yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, green beans, etc)
sweet potatoes spritzed with olive oil & sprinkled with cumin/cayenne - baked... served with a side of plain greek yogurt for dipping
protein (salmon, chicken, turkey breast chop, etc)

PM Snack:
serving of cashews & almonds....

and I drink usually about 20 cups of water a day.

shmoony

"clean" has such a loose definition. Is cheese clean? It is processed to a certain extent, as is tofu and tempeh. Are eggbeaters, veggie burgers, canned beans, corn and tomatoes clean? What about whole grain bread? It's hard to answer your question without a clear definition of what you consider clean. Please don't give the classic "number of ingredients" or "hard to pronounce ingredients" answer because many very clean and healthy foods have many ingredients that may be difficult to pronounce. Many of the scary ingredients listed on packages are just fancy names for things like lemon juice and vitamin c.

heyshell79

I'll confess, I am not a clean eater either. Especially not when compared to those who do make this claim. But, I do try to make as much of what I eat healthy. I do have a cookie here and there and will never turn down a glass of wine, but when it comes to planning my meals, here's what I try to do:

Shop the outer perimeter of the store: produce, meat, dairy, bakery.
For dinner, create a menu with a protein, veggie and starch (whole-grain preferred).
When preparing items, use my own ingredients: e.g. olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs instead of bottle marinade
Eat dinner leftovers for lunch!

I think, for a beginner, those are some easy guidelines to incorporate, then continue educating yourself about clean eating.

DITTO!!

_stephanie0

an example of my day:

meal 1) 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 scoop protein, berries

meal 2) chicken with black beans and veggies

meal 3) greek yogurt w/ almond butter and an apple

meal 4) turkey with sweet potato and green beans

meal 5) casein ice cream


feel free to add me if you wanna see my diary