Does anyone have any tips or advice on EATING CLEAN???

bzmommy34

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ukaggirl

Ezekial bread (www.foodforlife.com)...I'm not sure if it qualifies as eating clean for everyone but it's a sprouted grain bread with no refined sugar so it's way better than regular bread. A general rule of thumb I have for anything boxed or packaged is if it has any ingredients I can't buy somewhere else in the store I don't eat it. There are some packaged foods in the organic section of most stores that are ok but in general I try to eat as much natural food as possible. I do allow myself a cheat day, mostly for mental sanity. I have found though that I don't really have the desire to eat bad foods anymore. They just don't taste as good.

Aimeebird1

James Duigan I his clean and lean diet.

Xhellokitty5588x

Lots of veggies-try to eat them as snacks and with all your meals. They are filling, low calorie, and nutritious. Also stay away from most processed stuff. Check out Tosca Reno's Eat Clean diet-she has grocery lists and ideas on her website! I like to prep soups, chilis, stews during the week and make extra for leftovers. Also I pack my lunches the night before-usually leftovers, a mix of veggies and a protein. Also cook up chicken breasts to have to eat during the week. Look at ingredients of things that are processed and go for 5 ingredients or less (give or take, it's just an idea you eat simple, pure things!) and definitely ingredients that are pronounceable.

Xhellokitty5588x

The whole idea of a "clean" food makes no sense. Only calories and macros make any difference for weight loss/gain.

The whole idea of clean eating is a fitness industry exercise in make-believe.

Hopefully it'll go the way of other gems such as "fat makes you fat" and die a quick painless death.....

nope. and nope.

and if it makes no sense, you might wanna rethink your reasoning skills.

eat nutritious whole foods instead of processed pre-packaged foods. yeah man that's crazy.

Alright tighten up the categories of 'clean' and 'unclean' for me. Show the properties of an item that it must/must not possess to be included in these categories. Then show me how these properties are intrinsically bad/good for me.

Then you will have shown your reasoning to me. Perhaps you will help me to 'make sense' of it....

As others have pointed out, humans have been making preserves, pickles, Chutneys, smoked meats, cured meats, cheeses, curds, etc, etc...... these are all processes carried out on raw materials. These foods are all 'processed' in some manner to allow them to be stored for lean times and cold seasons.

If your food colourant or preservative in a pre-packaged item is derrived from a beetle's shell or rainforrest plant is it more 'natural' and acceptable than then same substance made in a lab which has the same chemical composition?

I think you'll find my reasoning skills capable of picking apart nebulous and foggy concepts, thank you very much.......

clean varies from person to person, but the general concept is to avoid processed and pre-packaged foods as much as possible. it's certainly a fuzzy term, full of grey areas that different people interpret differently - such as bread and dairy specifically. I, personally don't do lactose as much as possible, I don't eat bread, and I stay away from most grains as often as possible. That said, I'll eat rice on occasion, or quinoa sometimes. It's not a 100% thing.

but essentially what it comes down to is making a diet that consists of almost entirely foods with one ingredient. how much of your diet you leave for processed foods/things you enjoy that you don't want to "give up" is entirely up to you. I advocate 10%, some advocate 20%, but really it's whatever you need to do so that you're enjoying yourself, because if you don't like doing it you're not going to stick to it.

as for pickled and smoked foods, I do make an exception for those provided they've been processed without synthetic additives. for example, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut - all good. Kefir? I'm all about it. Bacon? Yep - every day. But my bacon is uncured and is nitrate-free. I'll also do some energy/power/protein bars that are made with all natural ingredients just smooshed together in bar form. Sometimes I'll make my own.

there's a gradient of "processing". A homemade power bar is processed, but it's made with all whole food ingredients and is thus (in my view) superior to a... special K brand bar for instance that's got high fructose corn syrup and a bunch of other unpronounceable additives.

so in my personal view, lightly processed foods with whole ingredients are good. so are pickled and smoked foods if processed correctly, and so is some dairy like kefir, which is lactose free.

but like I said, everyone's different. And when someone mentions "clean" eating, they are simply referring to a lifestyle where your diet consists primarily of whole foods and you avoid most highly processed, refined foods from boxes, cans and packages.

The End.

exactly "but like I said, everyone's different. And when someone mentions "clean" eating, they are simply referring to a lifestyle where your diet consists primarily of whole foods and you avoid most highly processed, refined foods from boxes, cans and packages." this is clean eating. what defines clean is strict or more loose depending on the person and their diet, and any restrictions or intolerences. Food is different than a product a food scientist made up and made to have a shelf life of a year.

Michael Pollan said it best "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants".

leighann881

Thanks for all the great advice!!! A couple more questions...
What do you think about red meats?
Frozen Veggies?

Love red meat :-) I only eat it about once a week but only because I like variety and I eat fish, chicken, pork, etc.

Frozen veggies are great. Make sure you don't over nuke them.

ashlinmarie

I wouldn't say that I'm eating "clean" but my husband and I decided to cut out as much processed food as we can for April and see how we feel at the end. He's tired a lot but 80% of what he was eating was processed and the other 20% I cooked. He still eats bread and lunch meat as we can't get a chicken or turkey or pork and make our own (we live in Japan so what we can get meat wise is limited). I still eat tortillas on occasion and cheese as well and coffee creamer, though I mix processed creamer with the natural stuff. Big thing is, he's avoiding cans of soup, anything that comes in a box or sits on a shelf and goes in the microwave. We bought lot of frozen fruits and veggies for fresh smoothies and to steam and I bought some fresh stuff for snacks or because it isn't too expensive to buy fresh. So far I haven't felt stressed about it or anything...I'm just being more conscious about what I put in my body even if it isn't 100% perfect.

koshkasmum

When I first read about clean eating I thought it meant I needed to wash my produce before eating it. I had always considered that a given.

After reading more I decided that eating clean really seemed to mean eating home food prepared from fresh ingredients: Food brought to you from a farmer not a factory. And I thought, that is how I have always eaten. That's how people used to eat. That's just normal. Your grandma probably always ate clean. (Yeah, I may be old enough to be your grandma....)

A friend once told me that I was the only person she knew who cooked dinner every day (after getting home from a full time job and a lengthy commute.. I was astonished. Cooking is not such a big deal. What did her other friends eat? Dirty food, I guess........

leighann881

The whole idea of a "clean" food makes no sense. Only calories and macros make any difference for weight loss/gain.

The whole idea of clean eating is a fitness industry exercise in make-believe.

Hopefully it'll go the way of other gems such as "fat makes you fat" and die a quick painless death.....

nope. and nope.

and if it makes no sense, you might wanna rethink your reasoning skills.

eat nutritious whole foods instead of processed pre-packaged foods. yeah man that's crazy.

Alright tighten up the categories of 'clean' and 'unclean' for me. Show the properties of an item that it must/must not possess to be included in these categories. Then show me how these properties are intrinsically bad/good for me.

Then you will have shown your reasoning to me. Perhaps you will help me to 'make sense' of it....

As others have pointed out, humans have been making preserves, pickles, Chutneys, smoked meats, cured meats, cheeses, curds, etc, etc...... these are all processes carried out on raw materials. These foods are all 'processed' in some manner to allow them to be stored for lean times and cold seasons.

If your food colourant or preservative in a pre-packaged item is derrived from a beetle's shell or rainforrest plant is it more 'natural' and acceptable than then same substance made in a lab which has the same chemical composition?

I think you'll find my reasoning skills capable of picking apart nebulous and foggy concepts, thank you very much.......

clean varies from person to person, but the general concept is to avoid processed and pre-packaged foods as much as possible. it's certainly a fuzzy term, full of grey areas that different people interpret differently - such as bread and dairy specifically. I, personally don't do lactose as much as possible, I don't eat bread, and I stay away from most grains as often as possible. That said, I'll eat rice on occasion, or quinoa sometimes. It's not a 100% thing.

but essentially what it comes down to is making a diet that consists of almost entirely foods with one ingredient. how much of your diet you leave for processed foods/things you enjoy that you don't want to "give up" is entirely up to you. I advocate 10%, some advocate 20%, but really it's whatever you need to do so that you're enjoying yourself, because if you don't like doing it you're not going to stick to it.

as for pickled and smoked foods, I do make an exception for those provided they've been processed without synthetic additives. for example, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut - all good. Kefir? I'm all about it. Bacon? Yep - every day. But my bacon is uncured and is nitrate-free. I'll also do some energy/power/protein bars that are made with all natural ingredients just smooshed together in bar form. Sometimes I'll make my own.

there's a gradient of "processing". A homemade power bar is processed, but it's made with all whole food ingredients and is thus (in my view) superior to a... special K brand bar for instance that's got high fructose corn syrup and a bunch of other unpronounceable additives.

so in my personal view, lightly processed foods with whole ingredients are good. so are pickled and smoked foods if processed correctly, and so is some dairy like kefir, which is lactose free.

but like I said, everyone's different. And when someone mentions "clean" eating, they are simply referring to a lifestyle where your diet consists primarily of whole foods and you avoid most highly processed, refined foods from boxes, cans and packages.

The End.

so complicated!!!!!! lol

For my main meals I like to eat food that is as close to its natural state as possible.... because I think food tastes better that way. If someone really wants to eat "clean" then they should simply eat foods that have few steps between life and death.

Veggies > in ground> alive > pick > dead > eat

Animals > alive > murdered > dead > skinned, etc > cut up > cook > eat

It's not necessary to eat like this to be successful losing weight.... I personally believe that the less processed foods are, the more nutrients they have and the better I feel all filled up with yummy goodness. And they are better for the environment and that just tickles my tree-hugging sensibilities.

But I also like jelly beans and I am having a love affair with Clif Bars at the moment... so whatever :yawn:

Confuzzled4ever

When I first read about clean eating I thought it meant I needed to wash my produce before eating it. I had always considered that a given.

After reading more I decided that eating clean really seemed to mean eating home food prepared from fresh ingredients: Food brought to you from a farmer not a factory. And I thought, that is how I have always eaten. That's how people used to eat. That's just normal. Your grandma probably always ate clean. (Yeah, I may be old enough to be your grandma....)

A friend once told me that I was the only person she knew who cooked dinner every day (after getting home from a full time job and a lengthy commute.. I was astonished. Cooking is not such a big deal. What did her other friends eat? Dirty food, I guess........

Yep.. it's how Grandma cooked.. pre-additives for her though.. My mom and dad always cooked for us too. i always cook for my son. My daily routine work>gym> cook > pass out. Its amazing to me how many people don't even know how to cook. i was a terrible cook, but I could make some things before I really got into it and I always cooked. Just what i cook has changed drastically from then to now. I'd probably make my grandma proud if she knew how I eat now.

It's getting hard to get fresh untainted ingredients. That's where the difficulty comes from. It's not just about eating the cucumber, it's about finding the one that isn't GMO and eating that one and the expense. It costs more to eat the way nature intended.. ridiculous really..

PatsyFitzpatrick

For me I use MFP diary and work to eat FRESH food. I do eat processed like peanut butter I love Jiff. But everyday my goal is to eat better have more local fresh food. It is what your great grandparents did. Ate from their backyard gardens. Purchased from local dairy farms. If it expires in 1 year or more NOT fresh.

Topsking2010

Bump

kayemme

I am new to the whole eating clean idea. I get the concept of not eating processed foods and staying away from the whites (sugar, flour, & salt) but how do YOU do it? Any tips for a newbie? Thanks!

take it slow and adopt it into regularity. it takes patience.

with that said, try to replace an "unhealhty" snack with something you feel is more whole or less processed. do it one snack at a time, then start experimenting with meals.

really, once you start to get into it, it's fairly easy, it's a transformation, not a change.

gmallan

Don't know if this has been said already bit think about starting your own veggie/herb garden. I'm not a massive green thumb but nothing taste better and fresher than veggies grown in your own garden. Can save $$$$ too. You also know how they are grown

GlassslippersAndFairyDust

I'm hoping the notion that "only carlories and macros matter" dies a quick and painless death.

I certainly agree that for most Americans, weight loss should be their number one priority in terms of improving their health. To do that, calories and macros are key.

For people whose dietary amibitions have graduated from weight loss to overall health, there's certainly a lot more to it than calories and macros. You can hit your calorie / macro goals by eating turkey and cheese sandwiches all day every day, but vital nutrients required to fight infection, improve immune function, sustain brain function, improve bone density, fight chronic illness, improve digestion, and much more would be seriously lacking.

It's analogous to learning to play a sport. Start with the basics: passing, catching, blocking, basic play mechanics. Once you've reached a certain level of comfort and competence, if you want to be great, you add-in some of the advanced skills (without forgetting the basics).

this :flowerforyou:

Byrdsong1920

Buy a small fold up cooler and couple ice packs...prep your meals on sat/Sunday for the week and try to enter meals night before.... I like easy things like chicken or turkey chili...crockpot,..walk away and done in few hrs. Chop all vegs and fruits on weekends! This way you can easily assemble salads and meals. SHOP AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS for better prices and fresh produce.

Cook few chicken breasts,then cut up. During week, Throw on top of salads, or in fiber wheat shell and throw on George Foreman grill with fresh vegs u chopped and low fat cheese. Done in ten mins! Salmon also cooks in ten mins... I eat on top of salads or on top of spaghetti squash as a "pasta alternative"! Sooo good with Classico Sun dried pesto! Quick! Can eat off of for few days, good in Omega3!

I cook a lot of Jamie Easons meals, she is with Bodybuilding.com quick and easy and has videos of foods/recipes. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-recipes-main-page.html
LOVE HER CARROT CAKE PROTEIN BARS, hits the sweet tooth nicely!

Eating clean doesn't have to be expensive or boring! I eat good and up to 1800 cal/day and still losing!

Cheers, Shan
ATL

AnJulNZ

For me I use MFP diary and work to eat FRESH food. I do eat processed like peanut butter I love Jiff. But everyday my goal is to eat better have more local fresh food. It is what your great grandparents did. Ate from their backyard gardens. Purchased from local dairy farms. If it expires in 1 year or more NOT fresh.

What is Jiff? Where I live, Jiff is the product you buy to clean the shower ...

jimmmer

but like I said, everyone's different. And when someone mentions "clean" eating, they are simply referring to a lifestyle where your diet consists primarily of whole foods and you avoid most highly processed, refined foods from boxes, cans and packages.

The End.

Well, thank you for finally posting a well thought out reply rather than your initial rude insult of a post. I think there might be hope for you yet!

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because things like rice are a single ingredient whole food. Bread and pasta can be made with a small number a quality ingredients. Any foodstuff can be bought or made too a higher or lesser quality.

I personally prefer to buy food locally because it lessen the environmental impact of transporting and helps out local producers. But it's not a hard and fast thing and I'll happily have a processed meal if I'm pressed for time and it fits my nutrient requirements.

If I invented a pill tomorrow that contained exactly the same micros/macros/calories as your favourite wholefood clean meal, then your digestive system wouldn't care whether it grew in a field or was raised in a lab. Now i'd prefer to support the farmer, but that's a moral judgement based on what I believe is important to my local rural community. I would also rather tuck into a steak than swallow a pill, because I find the activities of cooking and eating pleasurable.

PS putting "The End" ruins a nicely written and presented post. It gives the impression of trying to shut down other possible counter arguments. It looks like you a) either don't believe they could exist (which, of course, is unbelievably arrogant), or b) believe counter arguments may exist but are scared to hear them(which is intellectually weak, which I find hard to believe given your penchant for reason). You can probably do better than that.....

CoachReddy

but like I said, everyone's different. And when someone mentions "clean" eating, they are simply referring to a lifestyle where your diet consists primarily of whole foods and you avoid most highly processed, refined foods from boxes, cans and packages.

The End.

Well, thank you for finally posting a well thought out reply rather than your initial rude insult of a post. I think there might be hope for you yet!

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because things like rice are a single ingredient whole food. Bread and pasta can be made with a small number a quality ingredients. Any foodstuff can be bought or made too a higher or lesser quality.

I personally prefer to buy food locally because it lessen the environmental impact of transporting and helps out local producers. But it's not a hard and fast thing and I'll happily have a processed meal if I'm pressed for time and it fits my nutrient requirements.

If I invented a pill tomorrow that contained exactly the same micros/macros/calories as your favourite wholefood clean meal, then your digestive system wouldn't care whether it grew in a field or was raised in a lab. Now i'd prefer to support the farmer, but that's a moral judgement based on what I believe is important to my local rural community. I would also rather tuck into a steak than swallow a pill, because I find the activities of cooking and eating pleasurable.

PS putting "The End" ruins a nicely written and presented post. It gives the impression of trying to shut down other possible counter arguments. It looks like you a) either don't believe they could exist (which, of course, is unbelievably arrogant), or b) believe counter arguments may exist but are scared to hear them(which is intellectually weak, which I find hard to believe given your penchant for reason). You can probably do better than that.....

The End was referring to the end of my novel of a post. Sorry that wasn't clear.