Wanting to try!

jennate2006

Hi all! I am interested in clean eating. Grocery shopped yesterday and bought lots of fruit and veggies and none of those 100 calorie pack items! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to ease into this lifestyle? Im not looking to go 100% immediately but I would love to eat clean as much as possible:) I would appreciate any feedback or some tips! Thanks!

Ianda4rdsmom

I'm just starting this as well. What I have done so far is to take it in steps. First I cut out all fast food - which was a biggie for me! Next, I also cut out all (or A LOT) of processed foods. I'm working also now on cutting out artifical sweeteners. I bought the Tosca Reno book, Just the Rules about clean eating and got a lot of great information from that. I have been continuously incorporating things from that into my day. I don't fool myself that I will eat clean all of the time, BUT I do shoot for 85% of the time (to start) and we'll see where it goes from there.
I'm anxious to see what kind of responses you get to this from the ones who alread do this routinely.

badtastebetty

Plan ahead! I always have snacks with me so that when I am in a cruch, I don't jet over to the nearest fast food restaurant. I usually plan out my Breakfast, lunch and snacks the night before. On my way home from work I will decided what I want for dinner with the calories I have left over (if you're counting).

Also, learn to cook things that are simple and satisfying. I love roasted veggies with yams, I could eat this everyday and it's super healthy and satisfying. I'm big on salmon as well, anything I can quickly chop or season and throw in the oven after work is awesome.

Good rule of thumb when I grocery shop I grab, veggies to roast, veggies to eat raw, fruit on the go, and something I've never tried, or don't have often (recently bought a bunch of fresh herbs which have no replaced my need for salad dressing :happy: )

I also find the key to success if food habits. It may sound boring but I basically eat the same thing everyday (I just vary the ingredients). This may not work for everyone, but it takes the thinking out of it for me, and I stress less.
Also, make room for treats. I still have ice cream, and bubble tea.

SallyJoT

Definitely plan ahead! It is a huge help in being successful with clean eating. Also, Tosca Reno recommends having a cooler that has clean eats in it each day. This helps you stay on track. I find that it is helpful for me to cook a meal for dinner and take leftovers for lunch the next day. This is one less thing I have to plan. Also, I have clean snacks available like apples with almond butter, almonds (Trader Joe's has small individual packs), fresh veggies, sometimes Larabars. The other thing is, start looking a packaging. When I started eating clean, I was shocked at the amount of crap in packaged foods. Best of luck to you in your journey!

antitek

Planning is key. Get a good idea of what the menu for the week will be and spend some time prepping. It is a snap to cook if your vegetables are already washed and cut, just sitting in the fridge waiting to be thrown in the pan. I also make soups and casseroles to throw in the freezer to be used the days I'm to busy or just don't feel like cooking.

RunningRichelle

I also find the key to success if food habits. It may sound boring but I basically eat the same thing everyday (I just vary the ingredients). This may not work for everyone, but it takes the thinking out of it for me, and I stress less.
Also, make room for treats.

Ditto!!

Habit-forming is definitely how I get the job done. For example this week, I'm eating the same thing for lunch at work on MWF- Chicken Kale soup and Tempeh salad. I made both of those things in big batches last Sunday. And for Tues and Thurs, I'm doing PB&J and Greek yogurt.

I, too, plan my dinner ahead of time, and I try to make it simple. Yesterday I got home, threw some brown rice in the rice cooker before I worked out, then after I was done, I cooked some chicken, threw some asparagus in the oven to get nice and crispy, and then bam, there's dinner when I'm out of the shower!

Also, I tend to think of my switch to clean living in terms of 'replacing.' For example, I've got this huge thing of Heinz ketchup at home that I bought from Costco, and it's got HFCS in it. Boo. I feel wasteful throwing the whole thing away, but when it's empty I plan on buying organic!

More examples include replacing my conventional veggies with organic ones, and the same with the diary. The BF FINALLY ran out of his regular milk, and when he tasted the organic I brought home for him, he was like 'Why didn't I let you switch this sooner?!" Hehe!! He was a little resistant because of the cost, but I think he's on board now. :-)

Sorry this is long. Hope it's helpful!

libertygirlfla

Read EVERY label. You will end up eliminating most of the junk with this simple (albeit time-consuming) act. You'll go through a bit of trial and error to find the foods you like and what satisfies you, but before long, you will have lots of go-to healthy foods. Welcome aboard!

jvansyckel

I started Clean Eating in January and I LOVE it. I feel more satisfied with less cravings, I read the book "Clean Eating for Dummies" good book but don't let it overwhelm you, very eye opening and a bit scary to see what is in our foods... I find clean eating easy to do. I'm not a fast food person, or a snack-a-holic. I was eating pretty clean to start with before I read that book. Whole grains, fresh produce and lean meats when possible. Some of the changes I have made in the last three months are I have replaced stopped drinking flavored water and cut Spenda out of my diet. I use Stevia in the raw for coffee, I have replaced "I can't believe it's chemicals" for Coconut Oil , replaced "Carb Countdown" dairy beverage with Unsweetened Almond Milk. I also read about food paring so I make a a lot of stir fry's with Broccoli and Tomato's I eat Bison instead of steak, and Wild Rice, Farro, and Quiona instead of Uncle Ben's. I think the biggest thing is to look for food items with just the basic raw ingredient. no additives, no preservatives. I try do by organic for fruits and veggies when possible, but for other things I will read labels and buy the item with a single ingredient or as few as I can find.