I've got a challenge for you!!

emailcrystalo

Can you go an entire day without eating anything processed?? That's my challenge to you today - EAT 100% CLEAN!! That goes for salad dressing, drinks...EVERYTHING! Can you rise to the occasion?

Belliny

sounds hard but I will try tomorrow it will be a challenge for me!

garlic7girl

I have and it is! But when I say worth it you will not regret it!

TryingtobeHealthy4Life

Def gonna try tomorrow

oAshlio

I probably couldnt do this until we went shopping next-- and since my fiancee is the one working and just lets me buy the food, it would kinda be up to him. LoL. But I can sure try next time we go shopping in a week or two. I would have to plan for the occasion though!

jstout365

Great Challenge! At first I was thinking, no, I won't. I am addicted to Clif Builder's Protein bars. But I may give it a go on Sunday since that is the easiest day to drop the convenience and I am cooking all my meals for the week, so lots of fresh food in the house.

I do pretty well as far as keeping the processed foods (to me anything with more than two ingredients on the package) out of my diet. I currently indulge in the protein bar, an English Muffin in the morning, a slice of low-fat american cheese, sometimes some salad dressing, and the occasional cookie as a treat. The rest is made from fresh foods and whole grains that I cook for myself or packaged whole foods like tuna in water.

irishjune

Where do people draw the line on "processed"? I'm trying to eliminate "frankenfoods" - the stuff my great-grandmother wouldn't recognize, like diet soda, fat free cheese, etc. I try to stick with foods that only have ingredients I recognize and could have in my own kitchen ( minimal additives & chemicals). But really, that natural peanut butter I just ate was still processed by someone, even if it is just peanuts & salt.

jstout365

irishjune - I personally have like a sliding scale of "processed" foods. I agree that most food we buy from a store has in some way been processed even if it was to be cut up or packaged.

Here are my breakdowns:

Highly Processed (your Frankenfoods ):

- Have a LONG list of ingredients that read more like a chemical equation than a food product.
- Have ingredients that have their own set of ingredients often meeting the above criteria.
ie - diet soda, most sugary snacks, a good chunk of frozen meals, some chips and most dips, some meat products.

Moderately Processed:

- Moderate list of ingredients with no to a few additives or chemicals.
- Most of the ingredients can be read by a human and found in the store.
ie - some cheese (even the low-fat kind), cured meats, some lunch meats, some fruit&nut bars or a very few energy/protein bars, some cookie brands.

Processed, but whole food:

- Anything packaged, but containing just the food item and water or natural seasoning (not natural flavors).
- Something you can prepare at home on your own.
ie - tuna packets, nut packs, some natural chips/popcorn products, some organic lunch meats, very few salad dressings


I try to keep away from the highly processed foods, eat a limited number of the moderately processed foods and have free range on the processed whole foods.

irishjune

Nice breakdown, jstout! That's pretty much how I operate, also. Feels like a mix I can live with in the long term!

Dianafrance8

Are vinegar , mustard, olive oil, coffee- processed? I'm not sure what is and what isn't .

go3gurl2go1

Thank you for the challenge!! I've been eating crappy lately because I've been under some stress. I've still managed to eat under my daily intake, but it hasn't been all that healthy. This challenge came at the right time

I also stubbled upon this article today (I'm taking it as a sign haha!):

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10-rules-of-clean-eating-live-by-them-and-live-long-and-lean.html?mcid=DC_newproducts_012113&rmid=newproducts_012113&rrid=13648411

jstout365

Are vinegar , mustard, olive oil, coffee- processed? I'm not sure what is and what isn't .

The short answer: Yes to all because they are not in the original form at the time of harvest.

The long answer: While they are processed, most of them are only transformed into a product not far from their original state. Most of those do not have man made chemicals added to them so they are in a more "natural" form of processed. Unless a food is in the raw and fresh state, it has most likely been through some processing. The key is to pick processed foods that are as close to the original food as they can be. The farther you get away from the whole foods, the less likely it is that it will provide you with the good nutrition.

go3gurl - Great Article!!! Thanks for the link. I've been doing a lot of those for the past few months and can attest to the fact that it really does help with energy and how you feel.

Maybe as an add-on to the challenge we can do a new veggie/fruit a week challenge where you try a veggie or fruit you have never had before. I was surprised when I went home for the holidays and introduced my mom to kiwi fruit. My son and I love kiwi and they are a great snack. This week I picked up some brussel sprouts and cauliflower. I don't know that I've ever given brussel sprouts a fair try, but I've had cauliflower before, it just isn't something I buy often. I've also recently fell in love with butternut and spaghetti squash.

go3gurl2go1

Maybe as an add-on to the challenge we can do a new veggie/fruit a week challenge where you try a veggie or fruit you have never had before. I was surprised when I went home for the holidays and introduced my mom to kiwi fruit. My son and I love kiwi and they are a great snack. This week I picked up some brussel sprouts and cauliflower. I don't know that I've ever given brussel sprouts a fair try, but I've had cauliflower before, it just isn't something I buy often. I've also recently fell in love with butternut and spaghetti squash.

I didn't like alot of veggies as a kid, but I've been giving them a second chance lol. A mini goal of mine this year is to try new foods and/or learn how to cook them. I thought this would be a fun way to improve my diet. So now when I go to the store, I try and buy something random to incorporate into one of my meals for the week. I actually had spaghetti squash last time (yummm!) and this week i bought cauliflower.

AZChatterB

Well, the first challenge I missed. :grumble:

I traveled today for a conference through the rest of the week and forgot about the day's challenge. Although I did pretty well overall, I did have a chocolate bar (Russell Stover) and then a diet coke at my conference (mostly to keep me awake!).

On the plus side, I went to the hotel fitness center tonight rather than hanging out in my hotel room watching TV.

Dianafrance8

Are vinegar , mustard, olive oil, coffee- processed? I'm not sure what is and what isn't .

The short answer: Yes to all because they are not in the original form at the time of harvest.

The long answer: While they are processed, most of them are only transformed into a product not far from their original state. Most of those do not have man made chemicals added to them so they are in a more "natural" form of processed. Unless a food is in the raw and fresh state, it has most likely been through some processing. The key is to pick processed foods that are as close to the original food as they can be. The farther you get away from the whole foods, the less likely it is that it will provide you with the good nutrition.

go3gurl - Great Article!!! Thanks for the link. I've been doing a lot of those for the past few months and can attest to the fact that it really does help with energy and how you feel.

Maybe as an add-on to the challenge we can do a new veggie/fruit a week challenge where you try a veggie or fruit you have never had before. I was surprised when I went home for the holidays and introduced my mom to kiwi fruit. My son and I love kiwi and they are a great snack. This week I picked up some brussel sprouts and cauliflower. I don't know that I've ever given brussel sprouts a fair try, but I've had cauliflower before, it just isn't something I buy often. I've also recently fell in love with butternut and spaghetti squash.

Thanks or he great info. I've been trying to add more and more super foods, less sugars and salt and only having good fats. I like the "clean"approach. I just didn't realize I've been working towards it already.

BTW. All these different challenges are providing us all with a wealth of training and vital opportunities to change our families lives forever. I am so excited and thankful or what you are going to share next.