Eating clean/ organic/ vegetarian.

crazyjkgirl

I've been reevaluating my eating even further and am interested in cutting back significantly on processed foods, possibly meats, and just overall increase my clean eating.

I'm not entirely sure if at this point in time I can afford to eat 100% organic. I'm also not sure if my family would be very accommodating with vegetarianism. However, I am looking for general advice and feedback as to how others have done this.

I guess I feel slightly ignorant. I'm unsure how to prepare a menu for a week or so (well, even a whole day!) that does not include any meat or processed foods. I worry about my ability to eat enough calories if I take on this approach. I'm struggling now often to eat the 1,200 and I've been eating ice cream almost daily!

If anyone cares to help me out by looking over my food diary and critiquing it- that'd be great.

msarro

There are tons of websites out there with vegetarian recipes.
vegweb.com
sparkrecipes.com
daawat.com

Don't confuse eating clean/organic with being vegetarian. You can eat nothing but twinkies all day and still be a vegetarian.

As for how to budget it, its actually surprisingly cheap. Ethnic markets are one of your best friends (asian and indian markets are great because of bulk tofu/beans), learn to make seitan, and try tempeh. See what you like. If you buy things prepared, it can get expensive. However you can pretty quickly assemble meals that are 100% home cooked.

If you cut out meat entirely, learn about combining other sources of protein to create complete proteins. I suggest keeping milk in your diet unless you have a reason not to, but thats just my opinion. Hope that helps some?

jojoworks

ditto to what msarro said, I'd also add that by reducing processed/packaged foods you'll be eating cleaner/healthier just with that change. I'd also encourage you to shop at natural food store if you have any near you, the choices tend to be better (but processed is processed even at a "health" food store....try not to overbuy stuff in boxes). start with small changes, get comfortable with them then try some more new things....if you're shopping at a food coop, ask questions, the staff tend to be very knowledgeable.

good luck!

lutzsher

We eat completely clean in my house, started due to my husbands health but soon realized it was THE only way to eat. We do eat meat but only lean cuts (so NO ground beef or fatty pork, bacon, lunchmeat, sausage, etc). I precook chicken breasts, slow cook lean pork roasts, use tuna, or hard boiled eggs to make sandwiches for lunches and everything else we eat is either grown (fruit and veg) or I handmake. I even make our own BBQ and pasta sauces now . . . oh, and we handmake the pasta on the rare occassions we make it! It is a bit more planning and effort but well worth it. We know know exactly what we are putting in our bodies. I don't always buy organic depending on the price, but in the list of food that it is harder to get the chemicals off, or foods we tend to eat a lot of I do try to buy organic (ie. strawberries, peppers).

crazyjkgirl

Yes, that helps. I understand that eating clean and organic is a different thing than eating vegetarian. I think more than anything I'd like to eat no more processed meats. I am looking into buying from the farmer's market instead of the grocery store for this. I just don't like the information I know about corn fed cattle and steroid injected chickens.

At this point in time, I'm most likely going to eat the vegetables and fruits that I have been. They are not organic but I cannot afford to pay more for them. I'm looking to further increase my intake of both vegetables and fruits though.

aliceofwonderland

Try tofu, veggie burgers, paneer, tempeh, beans, nuts, and shakes with added protein powder

tlowder

I agree with the gradual approach others have expressed. Become an obsessive label reader and experiment with making favorite items from scratch, you'd be surprised about how much money you can save. My goal is to not purchase anything with high fructose corn syrup and it has been an eye-opening experiment. Also, when it comes to organic produce you can be selective. Here is a link to a recent list of the items with the best and worst records of pesticides so you can prioritize what may be worth spending extra:
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

msarro

At this point in time, I'm most likely going to eat the vegetables and fruits that I have been. They are not organic but I cannot afford to pay more for them. I'm looking to further increase my intake of both vegetables and fruits though.

See if there are local butchers who sell meat if that's your primary concern. The operations that juice up their cattle/chickens tend to be large corporate factory farms (jimmy dean, purdue, hatfield, kunzlers, etc). Your average farmer a) can't afford the steroids/hormones, b) has to show his animals at local fairs to bring in a secondary stream of income so mistreating animals isn't an option, and c) cares a bit more than the large factory places (opinion on this last one, but from what I've seen it tends to be true).

My sources: Being a vegetarian who grew up on a small farm

kickitlarson

Well after looking at your diary you need to eat more fruits & veggies definitely. I have been a vegetarian for the past 5 years and not that healthy. I tried raw a couple times and felt amazing. This time around I did it the way we are supposed to eat - the food naturally correct for our bodies and I lost 30lbs in only 2 months. I only eat fruit, veggies, nuts & seeds - some people would call it extreme - I call it delicious. If you would like to go vegetarian there are tons of resources out there as Msarro listed some. You can also go to online recipe sites & check out their vegetarian categories for ideas.

I do have to disagree with some as soy is not the miracle product most people make it out to be. Your top two food categories are fruits & veggies, followed with whole grains/rice/pasta, then legumes, beans, seeds and fortified dairy substitutes, and oils/fats of course last. So don't think that the only place you get protien is from beans - that is not the case. Beans are hard to digest and you don't get protien from protien your body makes it out of amino acids. Look into QUINOA - amazing source of protien if you eat grains. Quinoa has all nine essential amino acids & your body can actually break it down.

As far as organic & money there is a list of the dirty dozen - these are the fruits & veggies you should only eat organically because of all the pesticides. However, organic does entail more than that (sustainability, GMOs, fertilizers and such). People freak out about organic fruits & veggies but then still eat meat which ends up having more of the junk in it, if not organic, as these animals ate high quantities of non-organic corn and grain feed so you end up eating all the pesticides the animal ate - milk is the same way!!

A healthy vegetarian/vegan diet (should be the same) would include high amounts of fresh whole ingredients, listed in order of importance:
Fruit - make sure its ripe!!! (calories & mental well being) (should be organic: apples, peaches & berries)
Non Sweet fruit - tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, zuchinni, eggplant
Veggies (lots of organic baby greens, celery!!)
Grains: Quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats
Beans/Seeds: lentils, garbanzo, black beans. Learn how to prepare these so as not to cause digestion problems
Fortified non-dairy products: soy milk is ok but learn how to make your own almondmilk & rice milk - cheaper & less waste (use the pulp for baked goods)
Oils, nuts, refined goods: Nuts, nut butter, spices, salt

This is the cheapest diet in the world if you learn to do it properly. Seek out farmer's markets & talk to them. Get to know them because produce is the most expensive chunk here. Get your nuts & grains in bulk at a local healthfood store. You don't need all those superfoods people talk about. The majority of them are just companies trying to make a buck on the latest craze. Eat the food that looks good in its natural state.

kickitlarson

Amazing resources (my husband is going vegan finally so I've been collecting all these links!!):

http://www.goveg.com/
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=articles
http://fatfreevegan.com/

Food combining:
http://www.happycow.net/health-food-combining.html
http://www.rawplus.com/images/foodcom.jpg

A search on a recipe site only including veg dishes:
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?categ=168&categx=195,18,97,106,207,289&ls=h&Search=Search&s_type=/recipes.php

As far as meal plans go, eat simple early in the day. Sweet juicy fruits are best eaten for breakfast and alone. Fruit digests the best when eaten by itself (well any food is best eaten mono). Then move onto denser fruits for mid morning snack. Lunch should be your biggest meal with carbs. Dinner should be your biggest protein meal. You need calories early for energy and protein in amino acid later for recovery.

karissastephens

bump 4 lata

barty

Bump

ccgisme

If you are fortunate enough to be in a college town with lots of ethnic foods, investigate the different veggie options. I have access to a Vegan Indian restaurant that is phenomenal. (Yay Ann Arbor! If anyone is interested, the restaurant is Earthen Jar and they make non-dairy mango lasses which are great!) I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, but I like to mix things up. I'm working towards being a functioning flexitarian, but still eat more meat than I really need to.

If you have access to a farmer's market, that's another good choice for locally grown fruits and veggies that are in season. (I have to say it again - Yay Ann Arbor!)

Sounds like this wouldn't be an option for you now, but if you have access to a CSA (community supported agriculture) check it out. These are farms that raise food, often organically, and sell shares or partial shares to individuals and families. You usually buy in for a certain season and you pick up food once per week during that season. My wife and I are doing this for the first time and our first pick up is this Friday.

Also, if you eat eggs, buy them from a local farmer who lets their chickens graze. The eggs tend to be much fresher and much cheaper than organic eggs in the grocery store.

Good luck!

lilay

Bump for later

badrianne

Bumping for anyone that has addtional useful tidbits to share!