Any Hardcore 'Clean Eaters' Out There??

In full disclosure I am not a 100% clean eater. What my family eats at home is clean, but I usually end up eating 2 or 3 meals a week out that I really can't account for.

One of my favorite staples for clean eating is brown rice. I LOVE it, and it can go in or under so many clean dishes. We cook a lot of our dishes just using a meat, some veggies, and some herbs and spices. Beans are great too, as are nuts! Fruit is great, but I limit my sugar intake so usually not a lot of that for me

If you know how or are willing to learn, you can probably make most your favorite dishes 'clean' by cooking from scratch. You have to think ahead of time for that, but once you get used to it, there's no problem!

A crockpot can really be your best friend for this since it can transform randomly thrown in items into delectable dishes with very little work.

When I lived by myself I would prepare a lot of brown rice at once to have in the fridge ready to use for the next several days. Lots of bulk cooking and eating leftovers.

Rather than eating "just salads" I frequently work the salad veggies into my main course. Serve fajita meat on top of rice, mexican seasoned squash, shredded lettuce and baby spinach! That way I didn't miss the tortilla's as much and I didn't more myself by eating ' a salad' every day.

I really enjoy eating this way. You can eat a much larger variety of foods while trying to lose weight for one thing. I know exactly what has gone into my body, so adjustments are easy. I don't get post meal slumps anymore, and most of my carb "gimme now!" cravings have vanished. If I do have one it is way easier to resist.

A great starting point in the grocery store is to read labels. If a simple item has too many ingredients, something is wrong. If have no idea what an ingredient is, write it down, don't get it, then look it up later.

I avoid all HFCS, MSG and Soy so I look for that first. If either of those are listed, I don't need to read any further. Eliminating those three things wipes out almost all junk food.

Anyway, I love eating clean foods, but I know some people don't for whatever reason. A lot of organic food is expensive, but I find that the basics like meat and veggies are reasonable and frequently on sale.

Organic prepared foods tend to be the most expensive, but I don't buy much of that either. There are certain things which are more crucial to be organic than others. Spinach, apples and strawberries are three of the most important to buy organic. Things you will peal like bananas are not as critical. (Apples have so much goodness in the peal! Eat it!) I try to buy organic meat when I can, and it really does go on sale a lot. Organic eggs and dairy are good too.

Okay, well it's really late, but I hope you can make an informed decision!

I love eating raw for 75% of my day and lots of fruit and veg. I
personally love tahini. Breakfast: Mix a tablespoon of it with banana and apple and a dash of agave. Its great for calcium and protein and has such good oils. When I was pregnant I ate jars of it and didn't get any stretch marks
learn to make stir frys and hardy cook the veg.
learn new exciting salad dressings
buy some Raw food cook books and be inspired.

The crux of clean eating is really very simple: eat food as close to its natural state as possible.

No processed foods (read the ingredient label - if it sounds like a high school chemistry class, it is not clean). No trans fat (read the label and reject anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils). Limit saturated fats. No refined sugars. No high fructose corn syrup.

jessmomof3 is right - stick to the perimeter aisles of the grocery store.

Most clean eaters eat 5-6 times daily with meals that include a lean protein, veggie and/or fruit and a whole grain where possible.

If you are looking for good, clean recipes check out Clean Eating magazine.

I'm a clean eater, but I had no idea there was actually a term for that - so thanks!! I am, however, guilty of eating processed fake meats because I'm a vegetarian. I've cut it down to only a few times a week, getting my protein elsewhere.

I avoid high fructose corn syrup if at all possible and no trans fats. If you eat out, all bets are off unless you eat at a natural foods place.

You should check out Dr. Weil's site: http://www.drweil.com/ and sign up for his daily recipe newsletter. He is very into clean foods, including an awesome broccoli soup I just made for lunch.

Have fun!!

Just to add on to what everybody else is saying, eating clean is pretty easy once you get used to shopping differently and cooking/preparing most of your meals at home versus processed foods or restaurants. Like everybody else I'm happy to help if you need suggestions/recipes.