June 2010 - Clean Eating Challenge

Nlongenecker

For tips & recipes, check these sites out:

eatcleandiet.com (official site)
cleaneatingclub.com
eatingcleanworks.com
cleaneatingmag.com

kelly_a

So far for me things have been great I don't know how you all view dairy but I drink ff milk and eat ff greek yogurt. Those are my only two things because I have done a vegan challenge and I tried rice milk and soy milk neither worked for me but I didn't try Almond milk. I may try that next but for now I drink ff milk. All the other choices I make come from lean meats, fruits, and veggies!!

I do eat dairy..... organic ff milk, and eat ff Greek yogurt, natural Swiss cheese, and Laughing Cow cheese wedges. I have tried rice, soy and almond milk in the past and it was ok.

lulabellewoowoo

This is day three for me and not having any bread or sugar is killing me:grumble:
Hopefully it will be easier in the next couple of days,I'm hanging in there guys:drinker: to us for making a change.

Whenever I go without bread and sugar, it takes like four days before it kicks in. I actually sometimes feel like I have the flu. But it will work itself out. Keep at it

lulabellewoowoo

For tips & recipes, check these sites out:

eatcleandiet.com (official site)
cleaneatingclub.com
eatingcleanworks.com
cleaneatingmag.com

Hey stranger, welcome back. These sites are great. Thanks for posting.

lulabellewoowoo

2 for me/1 junk

Sick yesterday (son was kind enough to share). Husband bought me organic ginger snaps, which I am not going to count as junk as it was the only thing I could stomach and the success is in the effort. Let's see how we can all do through the weekend. We are stronger than our weaknesses.

pmjsmom

For tips & recipes, check these sites out:

eatcleandiet.com (official site)
cleaneatingclub.com
eatingcleanworks.com
cleaneatingmag.com

Thanks for these. I am saving them as I am always on the lookout for new recipes!

I'm still doing well at 80 %/day eating clean. I think I was already eating pretty clean because the transition is a bit easier than I thought it would be!

lulabellewoowoo

3 for me/1 for junk

Doing good. How is everyone else doing? Weekends are toughest for me as it is the time to "go out". But we can make wise choices, or even use one of these days as our "cheat days". Just remember to make it a "cheat" snack or meal. Doesn't mean we have to scrap the whole day. Our bodies will thank us for it tomorrow.

pmjsmom

I was doing some reearch on clean eating and have found that opinions vary widely. I even found one person who thinks that if you cut up your food you are eating "processed" food!

I did, however, come across this definition which I think is more appropriate for most of us.

"In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

Eliminates refined sugar
Cooks healthy meals
Packs healthy meals
Makes healthy choices when dining out
Drinks a lot of water
Eats 5-6 small meals per day
Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
Always eats breakfast

Eating clean can be a major transition for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food. It takes discipline in order to make eating clean a habit but it is possible and has so many long-term health benefits.

What do you think? According to this definition I eat clean most of the time already!

kelly_a

I was doing some reearch on clean eating and have found that opinions vary widely. I even found one person who thinks that if you cut up your food you are eating "processed" food!

I did, however, come across this definition which I think is more appropriate for most of us.

"In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

Eliminates refined sugar
Cooks healthy meals
Packs healthy meals
Makes healthy choices when dining out
Drinks a lot of water
Eats 5-6 small meals per day
Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
Always eats breakfast

Eating clean can be a major transition for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food. It takes discipline in order to make eating clean a habit but it is possible and has so many long-term health benefits.

What do you think? According to this definition I eat clean most of the time already!

Thanks Kathy! I agree with all of your post! lol, I *chop/process* most of my veggies! I am glad to say that I do most of the things listed as to what a clean eater practices. I cook healthy meals for myself, but my family (dh and sons 18 & 20) are not clean eaters, which is where a challenge can arise. I do really good most days, and am lucky enough that I have the time that allows me to be able to cook 2 different ways at least 1-2 times a day. We might eat out once a month or every other month. I try to eat as clean as I can when eating out, or it may be that I am having 'a favorite in moderation'..a cheat meal. When I have an unclean meal, my body is not happy for about 1/2 a day. Sometimes it just isn't worth that!

I am 2 clean & 2 junk. should do good from here on out. On my junk days it is usually only 1 meal. so, still, that is progress to me! planning and prepping is what helps me be successful. whenever I go to a ballgame, get groceries or any road trip, I always take clean, healthy snacks. mostly finger food, but easy to grab and go!

keep it clean folks!

NewImprovedCnbethea1

Hey everyone I ate 2 slices of pizza today and I really didn't even want it. I am going to be right back on track tomm so that put me at 4/5 for the month!!!

lulabellewoowoo

4 me/junk 2

pmjsmom

I almost did 100% over the weekend but then my daughter brought home some donuts! I had 2 but they were really not worth it! Does anyone else notice that former favorites don't taste as good as they used to?

NewImprovedCnbethea1

I almost did 100% over the weekend but then my daughter brought home some donuts! I had 2 but they were really not worth it! Does anyone else notice that former favorites don't taste as good as they used to?

Yes the pizza I had was so not worth it!!

I just want to make myself clear I have had 5 good days and 1 bad day so I just reference it 5/6 good days!!!

lulabellewoowoo

5 me/junk 2

Having a tough time keeping focused on it lately. Have to keep reminding myself that I don't want the junk. Hopefully it will become a secondary way of life.

dewdrop

Aw, awesome challenge - wish I had seen this earlier. Anyhow, will try to catch up with you :wink. I have to seriously think about everything that goes into my mouth, but I am so in for this!

lulabellewoowoo

Aw, awesome challenge - wish I had seen this earlier. Anyhow, will try to catch up with you :wink. I have to seriously think about everything that goes into my mouth, but I am so in for this!

Hey Dew, great to see you. It's because of the "no eating after dinner" group that made me think of this. Silly me should have mentioned it. Happy to have you

pmjsmom

Didn't do so well yesterday--had Papa Murphy's pizza for lunch. It was GOOD! AND I had 2 pieces! Oh well, I think that overall I'm doing LOTS better than I used to!

badrianne

Sooo...I have not done that well on this challenge. However, I am not going to dwell on the past. Yesterday I went to the store and bought a ton of veggies and fruit. My fridge was already full of lean protein like salmon and chicken breast.

I also started 30 day shred. I am going to combine that with clean eating and see if I feel better...I feel icky. This may also be due to the Ohio hunidity ;-).

How is everyone else doing? I am going to check out those sites that were posted. Any other good recipes or meal ideas?!

lulabellewoowoo

Sooo...I have not done that well on this challenge. However, I am not going to dwell on the past.

That's the awesome thing about this challenge. It's for one month. So if in all honesty you eat healthy for one day out of 30 where you never had before, you are ahead of the game. Then next month, make it 2. Every little change is a huge success.

tinammd

I am getting started a little late....but I am in starting 6/8.....30days

NewImprovedCnbethea1

Hey everyone I am at 7/8 days good so far I have a great receipe I will share for you all to make it is a soup but it is good cold or hot or over brown rice totally healthy!!

lulabellewoowoo

6 me/junk 2

Still winning the battle. Probably will cheat on Friday with my "date night" and either have a drink or a dessert, but it's an EITHER/OR rather than an AND.

You all are doing awesome. Keep up the good work.

What has been your biggest challenge this week?

For me, it's all the "snacks" at the end-of-the year school functions. How did Chips Ahoy learn to make their chocolate chip cookies so soft and yummy...

pmjsmom

I had a BAD day yesterday! Not on my choices--they were good--but on the amount of food I ate! I feel very bloated today and will be drinking lots and lots of water!

I would love that soup recipe, cnbethea. I love soup and make it a lot.

NewImprovedCnbethea1

My biggest challenge is how the fruits and veggies goes so fast in here!!!

badrianne

Sooo...I have not done that well on this challenge. However, I am not going to dwell on the past.

That's the awesome thing about this challenge. It's for one month. So if in all honesty you eat healthy for one day out of 30 where you never had before, you are ahead of the game. Then next month, make it 2. Every little change is a huge success.

Thanks for that! I did a lot better yesterday. But you are right, for me this is about making small changes that will make a big difference. I am still learning about clean eating so this is a practice month for me.

kelly_a

well, I am not doing very good at all on this challenge. but i am not giving up. my bad eating over the weekend continued Mon & Tues. :ohwell: sometimes I really struggle with cravings during pms, and this cycle has been horrible. i just need to stay out of the kitchen and make sure I have all of my meals and snacks planned and prepared for the entire day. am going shopping tomorrow to stock up on clean eats! something else I have learned from this eating style, at least for me, is that I cannot restrict ALL of my favorite foods. I'd rather have it in moderation occasionally then a full blown binge. One day at a time! Yay us! Clean 'er up gang! :drinker:

oh, 4 clean / 5 crap! :noway:

lulabellewoowoo

7 me/junk 2

Wow, those "sweets" at the fourth graders end of school year party were vicious. Fortunately they were on a completely separate table. But man, did they look good. I still have another second grade party on Monday. Must remember to bring gum or something.

Probably going to cheat this weekend one day, but need to not overdo it so I don't undo everything I've been working towards.

Kelly - no worries. Remember, even one day of eating better is a start. If we only get one day a week for a month, then we can make our challenge two days a week for the next month. but 4 clean days already out of 9? That's impressive. Keep doing good.

kelly_a

so far, keepin it clean today. 2 days in a row!! Yay!

5 clean / 5 crap. 20 more days left and my limit is 10 crap......gosh, halfway there :huh: seriously need to be mindful! plan plan plan!:bigsmile:

roadchic18

Today is my 4th consecutive day eating clean. I must say I do feel better. I've already just about lost all my craving for sugar, and I feel more clear headed. Hoping or 7 days in a row. Must not drop the ball over the weekend.

wanderinglight

I'm joining late but would still like to get in 20 days (will take me to July 1).

Great to have supportive people around!