Eating clean?? Help please!!!!!

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I've been reading posts, websites & books on eating clean. But I have a few questions. I wanted to try this out & see if I like it. But it says no dairy & no sugar. First off isn't yogurt good for you? Also won't my body go into shock without sugar? I heard organic meats are good. What kind? Are turkey burgers considered organic? There's a whole organic section in my grocery store & I'm always seeing turkey burgers, organic yogurt, organic cheese etc. Please help me & list some good "eating clean" foods :happy:

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  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    I personally don't follow the eat clean routine, so am no expert, but that said, any path you choose is going to negate something that is considered to be healthy. So yes, yogurt is healthy, but not allowed if you are eating clean. No your body will NOT go into shock without sugar; it will probably applaud you! Organic is just a term that refers to how something was raised or grown - without chemicals/additives - so you can find just about anything organic these days.
  • lifechanges06
    lifechanges06 Posts: 26 Member
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    hi
    what is eating clean ? is there a website or something here your looking into?

    please explain
    thanks
    sharon
  • hymiesmom
    hymiesmom Posts: 76
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    I try to follow a clean eating lifstyle as much as possible. Yogurt IS good for you...but not the kind with lots of sugar or artificial sweetner. The whole premise of eating clean is not eating anything processed.

    The more you follow it, the more your body actually prefers it...I no longer get sugar cravings like I used to!

    Good luck!
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
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    From what I read, clean eating and organic aren't the same thing.
    Clean eating is unprocessed foods. Yogurt would be processed.
    As far as sugar goes, you can get your daily sugar from fruits.
    Turkey burger that are prepackaged would not be considered clean eating. If you mad fresh burgers from turkey those would be fine.
    I was thinking about doing this as well, but I live in Wisconsin and cheese is a daily staple here! I doubt that falls under clean eating.
    More reading is needed. But look forward to more post on this!
    Steph
    :flowerforyou:
  • fitcakequeen
    fitcakequeen Posts: 10 Member
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    if you go to Tosca Reno's Eat Clean diet, (google search it) she talks alot about it there. You basically eat as close to it's natural state, meaning no processed foods, whole grains, lean meats, etc. I follow it for the most part, but you will do what works for you. I was eating cottage cheese and some yogurt, but after awhile, can't even stomach that without getting a tummy ache. I have been eating this way for over a year now and when I cheat or go outside of my normal clean foods, I pay a price. I have to say I feel SO much better eating this way. I was always tired and dragging, bloated, gassy, irregular, etc. and now my body inside and out feels so much better. I encourage it, but for me, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. I don't see myself going back to my old eating habits. It's not for everyone though.

    Good luck
    :)
  • louloup
    louloup Posts: 87 Member
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    I am not an expert but all the stuff I have read and try to follow at least 80% of the time is about eating clean , natural foods.

    These include lean proteins: turkey, chicken, fish, lean beef
    Diary: cottage cheese, skimmed milk, natural yogurt, eggs
    fruits, vegetables and nuts.

    Try not to have anything processed, the more in its natural state the better. You honestly feel better the more of these foods you choose and they fill you up more than processed crap :)
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    Eating clean?

    One question I would ask myself before doing this and that would be, could I "eat clean" for all my life and if the answer was no, then I wouldn't start it in the first place. If it is just to lose weight, what happens when I have lost all my weight and start eating processed foods?
  • exercisediva
    exercisediva Posts: 127
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    Eating clean is eating "whole foods" from every food group that are fresh and from their natural source. If you want to research this more, I would suggest reading "The eat clean diet" book by Tosca Reno.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    Here's what "eating clean" means to me: it is mostly about trying eat foods in the form they came in. I'm not a raw food-ist, so I do cook a lot of my food, but I go to the grocery store to buy INGREDIENTS for foods. I want most everything in my cart to have an ingredient list of one item. (Or as short as possible. I do buy some convenience foods, like peanut butter and yogurt, but, for example, peanut butter should have one, maaaaybe two ingredients: peanuts, maybe salt. That kind of thing.) A turkey patty might be clean and it might not be. Is it just ground turkey breast maybe with some spices that is prepared for me for convenience? Or is it: ground turkey breast plus about fifteen other things that I don't even recognize? I would consider the first pretty clean and the second, not so much.

    I don't find it necessary to eliminate dairy. Yeah, it has been processed by being pasteurized, but that is hardly the worst thing done to food these days. I do buy organic dairy, though. There are probably as many different ideas of what "clean eating" can mean as there are different people out there. I would start with small changes and try to think about whether the food you are putting in your body is REAL (as in, your great grandmother would recognize it as food) or if it is cleverly manufactured, marketed and processed to resemble food. Start there and, when you do by processed/packaged foods, look for short ingredient lists with things you recognize.

    (And no, your body won't go into shock from cutting out the sugar.)
  • caylie04
    caylie04 Posts: 1
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    From my personal experience, i've been to many diet doctors and eating "clean" or "organic" is always good but in moderation. i dont believe organic food is worth paying for, as long as you eat healthy. Anything natural such as meats, cheese, eggs, fruits, veggies and water are the best things to be "clean". If it's in a box, can or pre-made and put into a bag, its screaming loaded with sodium and unnecessary junk! fruit is a great way to get plenty of good sugars that your body needs. any melon or berry are the lowest in calories at that. oh and salt, a killer! try using more things like garlic powder, pepper, or anything but plain old salt. i'm not sure about veggy burgers, i just know if its made by you then it's much better for u :)
  • gecallo
    gecallo Posts: 135
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    I always wash/rinse my fruits and veggies, and dishes....wait....WHAAAAA?!?!
  • carrieg87
    carrieg87 Posts: 3
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    as far as yogurt is concerned if your grocery store carries stoneyfield soyogurt (trust me the peach is super tasty and you can't tell that it's soy based. turkey burgers as long as it says that its organic. I personally eat a more tofu/soy based products when it comes to eating "meat or chicken" the rest of the time i eat mainly fruits. if you ever get a sugar urge for things like skittles try benefiber citrus chews, they aren't gummy but they are sweet!
  • xonophone
    xonophone Posts: 474 Member
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    Eating clean?

    One question I would ask myself before doing this and that would be, could I "eat clean" for all my life and if the answer was no, then I wouldn't start it in the first place. If it is just to lose weight, what happens when I have lost all my weight and start eating processed foods?

    I totally agree! You need to (IMO) come up with an eating plan that is sustainable for life.

    Similar to other posters on this thread, in my own experience, I eat a lot more fruits, veggies and dairy than I did before joining MFP, and I feel fantastic. I also eat yogurt every single day, something I never did before because I couldn't stand the taste. Now I discovered I love whole milk yogurt (plain mixed with fresh fruit or with honey & cinnanmon). I have cut out almost every type of packaged prepared food from my diet, I buy my veggies from a CSA and my meats from a local farm where the animals are raised in fields, and I feel better than I ever have in my life.
  • WifenMom
    WifenMom Posts: 40
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    I'm on a program that limits sugar but not dairy. The TYPE of dairy you choose is of course important ... meaning soy milk or skim instead of regular milk. Eggs are FINE though (a protein) and cheese is fine (in limited amounts) Cheese is considered a "fat" for your meal but you can still have it!

    Sugar is taboo if it's in the first FIVE ingredients ..and the recipes that come with the program that call for sugar as an ingredient - we use evaporated cane juice (which is a sugar granule bought in the regular sugar aisle in the grocery store) or demerra sugar.

    I have lost 18lbs so far ..that's with falling on and off the program. Some of the other members have lost 70lbs or more since OCT of last year. (they are sticking to the program and working out and doing excellent)

    The program I'm on works ...if you are interested give me a holla! Laure
  • needtoloseweight25
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    Whatever u do don't waste your money on a weight loss program. I am on the Food Lover Fat Loss System. I could have just gotten the same information from buying a book on the low glycemic index. Do what works for you and research as much as u can.
  • sweetn3ss
    sweetn3ss Posts: 341 Member
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    I have the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. The foods are real good, and most are very easy to prepare. Tosca Reno is married to the owner/editor of Oxygen Magazine. They have free recipe up at www.oxygenmag.com! Eating clean is not a diet it is a life style change!