Who Eats Clean?? or vegetarian...or vegan?

I am a clean eater. It started as a book by Tosca Reno that emphasized the importance of eating non white, non processed, whole and healthy foods. It is a simple common sense approach that really makes a difference. Check her book out!

I am also going vegetarian, and am slowly cutting out meat over the weekend. I like meet, but I feel so much cleaner and healthier when I don't have it. I also love tofu!

I've been a vegetarian for gosh... 13 years? Yikes! I do no meat at all - no fish, no poultry, no nothing. I do eat eggs and I do eat dairy products. My decision came when I was very young (obviously as I'm only 23) and it was for animal ethics reasons. I volunteered at a zoo and had a hard time with the hypocrisy of worrying over our petting zoo animals all day while I went home and ate their brothers. As I got older I did more research which lead me to the way I eat now. I never really liked red meat so that transition wasn't hard, I really loved chicken and miss it occasionally but I really don't agree with how they're cared for in the slaughtering process, and the fish thing had more to do with impact on ecosystems than anything else. Anyway, my eggs and dairy are cage free and organic so I try to stay true to my principals.

All that being said, there are REALLY healthy ways to be vegetarian and REALLY unhealthy ways. In high school, I slipped into the REALLY unhealthy one. Basically, for me, it comes down to keeping track of a protein to carb ratio. If I'm going to have a lot of carbs, then I'll have to have a lot of protein that day. If I can't get the protein, I can't have the carbs. That's how I keep myself in check now. Also, finding fun ways to get protein has become the front line of the battle for me. I love tofu, edamame, cage free eggs in everything, and nuts. Greek yogurt is great too.

I've had a lot of successes and a lot of failures at being a healthy vegetarian. My advice is to go for it as long as you're ready for the commitment to food you'll have to make to keep yourself healthy. Without preaching, I suggest you do it :-)

I eat clean as much as possible... to me that means I eat "real" food and not something that has been boxed, frozen, or canned on a shelf for years... when you think about it... it is kind of (well to me it is) really gross to eat something that has a shelf life that is so long... the preservatives cannot even be pronounced and who knows what the long term effects on our bodies will be? So- for me that means I shop along the perimeter of the grocery store, I cook with a ton of spices and fresh ingredients. I can afford better quality things now b/c I'm not sabotaging my grocery bill with tons of processed "cheap" junk... a bag of Doritos is at least $3... so to say you cannot afford fresh produce is ridiculous if you will spend $3 on a bag of chips. Anyway- I eat lean meats and practice portion control. I like tenderloin steak and chicken breasts, shrimp, tilapia, lean pork, ground white meat turkey... I try to buy meats that are hormone free... I mean- why are little girls having their periods so many years earlier nowadays?? Maybe, just maybe, it has to do with all of the hormone filled food we are consuming...? Just *my* theory... lol. It grosses me out that you can buy a hamburger for less than a dollar... what kind of "quality" are you putting into your body? And when I say you- I mean ME- because this is exactly how I used to eat. My whole mindset has changed now.... and like a previous poster stated... when you detox off of all of the processed junk- you will me AMAZED at the flavors you will experience in "real" food... it is incredible. I eat more variety, more types of dishes, more everything now that I eat clean... it isn't boring and it isn't bland. I love it! I also love meat, dairy products (such as cheese- always hated butter), and egg whites. I only drink water b/c I like the taste- never have been a carbonated drink fan so I am lucky I didn't have that to deal with. My whole family enjoys the meals b/c they are fresh, clean, flavorful and shh... don't tell them- healthy! lol It isn't a diet- it is a lifestyle. I do get stares at the grocery store with my 5 kids in tow buying a cart full of fresh ingredients... but me and my family are priceless- worth a heck of a lot more than a $2 box of "pizza rolls."

Edit: I'm a part of your Christmas challenge...feel free to friend me if you want if I can help you in any way transition into cleaner eating... it isn't something that you have to go full on with right away... but small changes make big changes and after a while- it is the new norm and you won't even want to go back to eating processed/boxed/frozen "food."

I've been vegetarian for...15 years? It wasn't a difficult transition for me at all initially. My sister and my best friend had become vegetarian just before I did. I spent a lot of time eating in a very unhealthy manner. I have known many fat vegetarians, contrary to popular belief, and at one point I weighed 250 pounds. Not that that was related to being vegetarian. I would have been fat, anyway. MFP helps a lot in regard to meal planning because I can enter my calories for all day in the morning and plan what I'm going to eat. It helps me to see where I'm heavy on fat or low on protein. I do most of the cooking in our household, so I do some double cooking. For thanksgiving there will be a turkey and two kinds of gravy, one vegetarian and one not. We might have hot dogs for dinner, some vegetarian and some not. If we're grilling, my wife makes herself a steak and me a veggie burger. Some things once my wife tried them, she started eating as well. We eat exclusively vegetarian sloppy joes, biscuits and gravy, and tacos. For the most part, I just make vegetarian side dishes with something else for her and try to come up with creative ways to get my protein. (I know I still don't get enough.) When your family starts seeing you eat differently, they'll eventually become curious. You may find that they like what you've made for yourself more than what you made for the family.

Hi there!
I have been a veggie for over 15 years....I love it...I do fulltime animal rescue/rights work...

I would LOOOVE to talk to you about how this came to be....

I am now in the process of going Vegan...for Moral reasons and dietary reasons...

Today it is so easy to have a veggie lifestyle...there are so many faux meats and so much information online and so on....

What would you like to know???

~Chrissy

I started reading the book Food Matters about three weeks ago, and on the first Monday made the decision to get started as he suggests...."vegan until dinner."

For me its got nothing to do with animal rights, etc. just simply something I have always pondered, eating vegetarian or vegan, and this was a good way to try it out. Well actually once I read in the book the impact I can have on the environment simply by changing two meals a day at my house, that got me.

I've been doing it going on three weeks now. No meat, dairy, etc. until dinner time. It wasn't hard at all and I havent' wished for cheese, etc. during the day. All my sugar cravings are gone too. And I find that I really look forward to dinner, whatever the meal may be, and no longer look forward to the dessert I used to have afterwards which is really awesome too.

I've also been slowly working my way towards a vegetarian/vegan clean eating lifestyle. I have been doing "vegan until dinner" this past month, and it works well (for me). I drink green juice in the morning (kale, lemon, ginger, beet, celery, cucumber, etc), eat more salads throughout the day, and then have a cooked meal at night. I've cut out all processed foods, sugar, sodas, and even dairy. I've never felt better

I think that realistically it should be done in stages, so that you never feel deprived and want to go back to the old unhealthy eating habits. I just ordered the book Skinny B*itch, and am excited to read it.

One book I do love, and really has helped me transition to a healthier lifestyle, is the book The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. She is a strong advocate of the slow transition, and offers up "transition foods" to substitute for unhealthy ones. She even incorporates wine and chocolate in the diet, who can argue with that? :drinker:

Eating clean isn't really that hard, it is just learning a new habit :happy: