For those who ''eat clean''

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  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
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    I would say I eat mostly "clean" foods, which to me means minimally processed, natural ingredients if out of a package, but primarily fresh produce, lean protein, single ingredient items, etc.

    I do have some things that don't fit that mold, but I have never found a need to go 100% natural.

    Today's menu, for example;

    Pre-Workout: Coconut coffee creamer, vanilla protein shake (mixed into coffee)
    M1: Overnight oats; plain oatmeal, chia seeds, 2% Greek Yogurt, chopped Bosc pear, stevia and cinnamon.
    M2: Grilled chicken caesar salad with parmesan cheese, spinach, romaine lettuce, green onion and crostini.
    M3: wrap made with grilled chicken, spinach, mustard and avocado (La Tortilla Factory wrap)
    M4: Pasta - Whole wheat farfalle, grilled shrimp, tomatos, parmesan cheese and zuchinni
    Dessert: Skinny Cow ice cream, 1 pc dark chocolate

    As you can see I'm having a bit of ice cream that is processed crap, I had some vanilla protein, some crostini... so a few "unclean" things. But the majority of my meals are made up of more wholesome ingredients. The ratio of clean/unclean food I eat shifts depending on my goals at the time. Right now I'm eating at maintenance.
  • kmcosgrove115
    kmcosgrove115 Posts: 260 Member
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    Sure -

    Breakfast I don't vary much b/c I now crave my "routine" - 2 slices of toasted Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread with a little organic peanut butter - then a cold chilled fruit like cantaloupe or pineapple or strawberries.

    Snacks vary during the day but a staple are my Wasa multi grain crispbreads with peanut butter - always another fruit and a clean snack like today had a Happy Herbivore Sunshine Muffin.

    Lunch - I try to always get in a good salad per day with a 365 organic dressing - their balsamic fat free with no oil rocks!

    Then a sandwich, mushroom panini with hummus, avocado, onion or like today an Engine 2 burger and a Forks Over Knives potato salad made with Kale, Cilantro, Tahini................

    Dinner will vary - leftovers or a new dish - rice and lentils always and now with the farmers markets around us, we get really fresh chard, arugula, etc - we have venture into our own concoctions like mushrooms sauteed in veg broth with lots of kale and greens, garlic, onions.

    We really HEAVILY on the Happy Herbivore recipes from her books - the Everyday book has smaller portions so your frig is not overloaded with leftovers that you forget.

    Dessert will depend - some nights I crave Rip's big bowl with cold Almond Breeze milk - some nights a dairy free ice cream - my Wasa or last night - beer which I allocate the calories for.........hope this helps!
  • mommylifter
    mommylifter Posts: 123
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    Okay so it seems as if I am on point with eating clean. Although I did notice I am consuming a lot more than the majority on here. I am a huge snacker and often eat cereal to satiate my cravings. I think I need to find a better choice for snacks. Is portion control another important factor here? Because if it is, I am failing miserably.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
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    Okay so it seems as if I am on point with eating clean. Although I did notice I am consuming a lot more than the majority on here. I am a huge snacker and often eat cereal to satiate my cravings. I think I need to find a better choice for snacks. Is portion control another important factor here? Because if it is, I am failing miserably.

    Your daily calories is the important factor. As long as you are meeting your calorie goals, I wouldn't worry about "portion" control. If that "control" is sending you consistently over your calorie goals, then yep, you should take a look at it. Do you really know what a "serving" is? If you aren't measuring, how do you know?

    Also, I think a more important question is do you really know how many calories you are consuming each day? If you snack alot, are you being accurate in the recording of that?
  • jqh23
    jqh23 Posts: 311 Member
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    I am trying to eat as clean as possible... it's a journey and I am making strides everyday. Here are some ideas of regular staples in our household...

    I try and start my day with a large mug of hot water with juice from 1/2 lemon and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to help cleanse my body. I follow it up with 8 oz of water and then 1 cup of coffee and wait about an hour to eat anything.

    Breakfast - green smoothies (spinach, fruit, unsweetened almond milk & ground flax seed), WW english muffin w/ 1 tbsp natural peanut butter or almond butter, greek yogurt + 1/4 cup of granola + 1/2 banana

    Snacks - almonds, veggies + hummus, 1 cup of popcorn, WW pretzels with yogurt dip, 1/4 cup of old fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 cup of fruit, hard boiled egg

    Lunch - salad with organic greens, cucumber, grilled chicken, 1/2 hard boiled egg & organic ff italian dressing, green smoothie, grilled chicken with onions and peppers inside of a "wrap" (aka a large romaine leaf), chicken sausage & cottage cheese

    Dinner - we stick to tilapia, boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey as our staples with the occasional lean pork tenderloin, flank steak or piece of salmon.

    CHICKEN: grilled lemon chicken with homemade tzatiki sauce, baked chicken meatballs with whole grain pasta, chicken salad - shredded chicken with a homemade ranch sauce (greek yogurt + spices), celery & onion on a romaine leaf or Ezekiel tortilla, buffalo chicken chili, baked chicken dipped in hummus & WW breadcrumbs, buffalo chicken salad - greek yogurt, hot sauce & cilantro.

    TILIPIA: grilled with lemon pepper seasoning, fish tacos - tilapia with lime juice & cilantro on an Ezekiel sprouted tortilla with romaine lettuce and hot sauce.

    GROUND TURKEY: burger with egg whites and ww breadcrumbs, tacos on Ezekiel tortilla, chili, meat sauce with whole grain spaghetti.

    COMFORT FOOD REPLACEMENTS: If I am craving...
    - pizza - I will use a tortilla or wrap, organic pasta sauce, sauteed veggies and organic, skim, shredded mozzarella cheese
    - mac & cheese - "cheeseless" mac and cheese using sweet potato puree
    - spaghetti & meatballs - spaghetti squash & chicken meatballs
    - some kind of ooey, gooey italian pasta dish - pasta primavera with feta cheese
    - ice cream: frozen greek yogurt, "banana ice cream" - mashed bananas blended with a sprinkle of cocoa powder

    I am trying to make the switch to organic coconut oil, omitting salt and using only organic herbs/spices. I have purchased nutritional yeast to start incorporating into veggie dishes as our sides.

    I try not to eat bread much, when I do it's Ezekial sprouted bread & tortillas (flourless and full of protein) or Udi's organic wheat as it's NON-GMO verified. All pastas are whole grain/whole wheat and hopefully include flax seed or sprouted grains.

    Besides coffee and water, I drink organic tea throughout the day. I have eliminated drinking cow's milk by replacing it with unsweetened almond milk and using that as the base of my smoothies.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    How often do you guys shop? And do you keep your greens fresh? I am tired of throwing food away because it goes bad so quickly. Any ideas? I have a food saver but never thought of using it for veggies.
    [/quote]

    I try to shop only once a week, but I never seem to buy enough fruit to last that long.

    To make your fruit/veg last longer soak them in a vinegar bath. Empty the fruit or veg into a bowl or pot filled with water and about a cup of vinegar. Swish it around and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove the fruit, rinse it, dry it and I put it back in the original container that I lined with paper towels (to soak up any extra water). If it's something like strawberries in those plastic c lamshell containers I flip the container over every day so what was on the bottom is now on the top. Fruit lasts for weeks like that. The vinegar burns off any fungus and some of the bacteria that speeds along spoilage.

    And no.. your fruit/veg won't taste of vinegar.

    If you're talking about stuff like asparagus, green onions, parsley, cilantro, or leeks.....stand it up in a coffee cup that has water in the bottom. Same thing for celery. Clean it, cut it up, and store it in a container filled with water (change the water every few days)... it'll last a LOT longer.
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
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    I am working on clean but cannot always afford organic so:

    Breakfast;
    organic multi grain hot cereal
    stevia
    yogurt

    Lunch
    Salad with tuna or chicken
    jazz apple

    Dinner
    Chicken
    potato
    broccoli

    desert
    sliced strawberries.

    This would be a good day. Something I didn't have all weekend. I would have air popped corn for a snack.
  • HealthyDreamy
    HealthyDreamy Posts: 42 Member
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    Great ideas - savign this for later :0)
  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
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    Breakfast: whole grain English muffin with natural peanut butter OR hard boiled eggs OR refrigerator oatmeal
    Lunch: salad with chicken OR tuna, spinach, almonds and balsamic dressing (not clean but clean enough for me)
    Snacks: greek yogurt, almonds, fruit, veggies
    Dinner: lean meat and sweet potato and/or veggies (we also do things like grilled portabello mushrooms and tomatoes, etc.

    I also eat pasta for dinner sometimes, and I always make sure it's whole wheat pasta.
  • MHackrott
    MHackrott Posts: 84 Member
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    I eat instant oatmeal with splenda for breakfast
    A couple of chicken nuggets for lunch with some sweet potato casserole
    For dinner I eat spaghetti with garlic bread


    Oats, Chicken, Sweet Potatoes all in my diet

    It's easy to eat clean

    To Most this is not eating clean. You have entirely to much processed food for this to be considered clean eating, not that I am a master of clean eating but I do know what it is. The oatmeal ok, chickne nuggets=processed grill or bake your own chicken, spagetti and garlic bread again processed try making your own whole wheat pasta or use spagetti squash and cut the bread.
  • mtbardell2013
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    What keeps me "clean" is I make a giant veggie and bean stew or soup on Sunday, then it lasts me for almost the whole week. Cabbage, carrots, greens, (canned) tomatoes, dried beans, lots of garlic, onions! Short grain brown rice on the side. You get so many vitamins because you're also drinking the broth. You really can't get fat on third world food... (oops politically incorrect dieting tips...?)


    But I'd listen to gsarah because she has a smokin' bod. I'm just on my way...
  • Silvervixen79
    Silvervixen79 Posts: 116 Member
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    I eat instant oatmeal with splenda for breakfast
    A couple of chicken nuggets for lunch with some sweet potato casserole
    For dinner I eat spaghetti with garlic bread


    Oats, Chicken, Sweet Potatoes all in my diet

    It's easy to eat clean

    This is not clean eating!! Chicken nuggets are processed. Casserole? Casseroles do not exist in nature. Spaghetti and bread are both processed foods.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,652 Member
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    8 am - shakeology
    10 am - 1 egg with cheddar cheese
    noon - 3 oz steak/chicken/pork steak
    2pm - 8 oz naked juice (varies which flavor but I like the green machine and blue machine)
    4pm snack - 24 almonds
    6pm - 3 oz steak/chicken/pork steak

    the meat will be seasoned with garlic/sal/pepper but no sauces
    So under 1200 calories?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    I do not eat 100% clean but i'm working on it, here's what MOST of my days look like:

    Breakfast - hardboiled egg, greek yogurt & berries OR a 3 egg omlette with spinach and feta OR a green smoothie and some cottage cheese

    Lunch - spinach salad with chicken breast and some fruit OR quinoa with mushrooms, onions and garlic OR a small portion of leftover dinner from the night before.

    Dinner - chicken breast/pork tenderloin/fish or occasionally a very small steak with steamed veggies and mashed cauliflower or rutabaga or quinoa (and sometimes mashed potatoes) sometimes I put feta crumbles on my veggies, and sometimes if I have calories left and there's some in the house I will put a bit of cheddar on my broccoli.


    At the beginning of the week we cook up a batch of quinoa, mushrooms and onions, some eggs, and a bunch of chicken, and we also wash and bag our fruits/veggies so that it's easy to grab for lunches which is helpful. I don't drink milk (though I do consume some dairy still), and I eat bread perhaps once a week because I haven't been able to let go of the Sunday breakfast at our favourite diner tradition :)

    Having said all that....I do eat a piece of chocolate nearly every day (70% cocoa) and lately I have been enjoying some ice cream...very not clean, but very yummy.
  • Carol_Magee
    Carol_Magee Posts: 69 Member
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    Guidelines to good health - the weight loss will surely follow. Thank you!
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
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    I'm not sure quite how clean my diet is but I think it's pretty clean!

    A typical day:

    Breakfast
    2 eggs, scrambled on a slice of wholewheat or rye toast, with 6g of butter topped with cottage cheese and crushed walnuts

    Snack
    If im hungry before lunch I'll have a portion of fruit (usually strawberries, raspberries or grapes) and spoon of nut butter (walnut if i didn't have walnut for breakfast, otherwise almond or peanut butter)

    Lunch
    Pan fried salmon with a steamed veggie (Broccoli or bok choy), maybe with some wild rice(about 20g) or a oyster sauce for the veggies, depends how I feel.

    Snack
    If I didn't have a morning snack i'll have that snack here.

    Dinner
    Roast chicken or duck leg with a baked sweet potato, boiled beetroot and a roasted or pan-fried leek.

    Snack
    10g of really dark chocolate melted into some fat free greek yoghurt with a spoon of peanut butter.

    I know it isn't perfectly clean because I eat bread and I also often have something I cook i a pot like a bolognese, chilli or curry for dinner but on the whole i think it's pretty healthy and I enjoy everything I eat.
  • ambmoore74
    ambmoore74 Posts: 3
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    I am also trying to "eat clean." Produce, produce, and more produce...mostly green and fresh of course. No bread, no noodles, and nothing out of a box. Little meat and fish, all as organic and plain as I can get it. Rarely do I add anything to the meat except maybe honey or lemon. I like to throw fruit with almost anything. I was avoiding oatmeal, but had to add it for breakfast...I was starving! Yogurt has become a guilty pleasure of mine. (I know, not a clean food.)

    Question...I know that powders are all the rave now. But I have never seen it growing in the wild, how is it "clean?" No offense intended.:embarassed:
  • ambmoore74
    ambmoore74 Posts: 3
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    Love that meal plan, sounds wonderful. :love: I miss my ice cream, freezing Yoplait Whips these days...:brokenheart:
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    I don't eat or drink anything pre-made, out of a box or a can (with very few exceptions like bread and the occasional pasta) :) Typical day:

    Breakfast: 2 Free Range Organic Eggs, scrambled; whole wheat toast with a tsp of honey
    Snack: Fruit
    Lunch: Usually a sandwhich on whole grain bread with flax, with fruit or yogurt
    Snack: Fruit or Salad
    Dinner: Fish or Lean meat with a large veggie serving and a small carb (such as pasta or homemade potatoes - never out of a box)
    Snack (usually I don't eat after dinner as dinner at our house is usually very late but occasionally I'll have a low cal popsicle)

    Always 8-10oz of water, never any soda.
    On weekends, I'll allow myself 1 5oz glass of white or red wine.
    I strongly suggest you do a little research on the ingredients that come in most pre-made foods. Some of it is inevitable because its so difficult to make things yourself but your body will thank you if you make the switch. Good luck!
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    I eat instant oatmeal with splenda for breakfast
    A couple of chicken nuggets for lunch with some sweet potato casserole
    For dinner I eat spaghetti with garlic bread


    Oats, Chicken, Sweet Potatoes all in my diet

    It's easy to eat clean

    This is not clean eating!! Chicken nuggets are processed. Casserole? Casseroles do not exist in nature. Spaghetti and bread are both processed foods.

    First thing I thought of was the instant oatmeal. You can make oats and I'd put it in the "clean" category but all that powder is sugar =/