looking for friends & tips on"Eating Clean" :-)

I'm a vegan and highly recommend it. I don't have much weight to lose (about 5 pounds gained over holidays) - normally have trouble gaining weight, not losing it. Eat as many veggies (lots of different colored kinds) and fruit as you want. Count calories on the nuts and healthy fats, like avocado and olive oil, but be sure to include in the diet as it will help you to feel full. These healthy fats are important for brain functioning as well. I don't eat any fish, meat, or poultry, but if you do, eat in moderation and make sure that the fish is wild and the meat/poultry free range/organic. I eat a careful amount of wild rice also. Every week I make a big salad and pot of veggie soup that I eat from all week. Suggested snacks include apple with almond butter or veggies and humus, a piece of fruit like a banana or watermelon, and a measured amount of almonds or walnuts. I also drink a lot of Brandon Brazier's protein shakes (which contains healthy sources of protein) - in the shake, I add ground flax seeds, a banana, a handful of spinach (great calcium source), and blueberries for their antioxidants, if I have any handy. Hope that helps!

Oh and one more thing - make sure to eat only organic grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. as these are considered "dirty" fruits; that is, they are very heavily coated with pesticides, which is very difficult to remove before eating.

Hi. I've been an avid supporter of clean eating for years. You will find that as you "clean up" your diet you become sensitized to the natural flavors of foods and enjoy them more without added flavorings your body does not need. As to tips, telling us a bit more about your current lifestyle would help. For instance, I recommend starting by throwing out all the extraneous food in your house (catsup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, frozen foods, really anything heavily processed) but that may be unrealistic if you have others in the household who will not be adopting your new eating habits. Good luck to you!

Congrats on getting back on the wagon!!!!!! You do not have to cut breads and pasta out just remember moderation. The extremes are almost never the way to go small changes make huge differences.

How do you climb a mountain? Answer one step at a time. A single step may seem insignificant but hundreds of steps later you are a mile up the mountain. Many people try extreme changes and may work for awhile but almost inevitably will go back to where they started. Instead of eating bread or pasta for every meal maybe take one day and substitute something else that is healthier for the bread, for example you are going to have a tuna fish sandwich instead of bread use a leaf of lettuce.

Hi! My name is Heidi, I'm 30 years old with one daughter and my fiancé has a son too. I'm looking to start clean eating as well. I enjoy lots of different foods so being creative with it seems like it is going to be a fun and exciting challenge. I am a little worried about the cost as I am the only one in my household who eats a lot of fruits and veggies and it gets expensive. About a year and a half ago I got divorced -- was quite thin at about 135lbs. After that I met my fiancé and he has terrible eating habits, needless to say stress and lots of different circumstances led me to gain 20lbs - currently at about 155. The most I've ever weighed. I don't feel I look bad, but it would be nice to try on clothes and feel sexy in them again instead of worrying about my muffin top hanging out. I also struggle with acid reflux and eating healthy and exercise helps this problem a lot.

I just got a new blender so I'm excited to try out some smoothies. I enjoy treats -- ice cream, chocolate -- so I plan on allowing myself a cheat a couple times a week.

Good luck!!!!

Hi there,I have been successful with Tosca Reno's Eatclean website..She makes the most sense,and is an inspiration to me.

Hi! It's great that you are looking to change your diet by eating clean. One thing I would recommend is get the Eat Clean Diet book. I bought that a few years back and use it all the time. She gives great motivation and guidelines for going clean. Also the Eat Clean Magazine is great and gives lots of recipes and meal plans. Whenever I am writing a new menu I always check those out for ideas. You don't need to give up breads and pastas for good, just make healthier choices.

Hello, I'm new here as well. I've been trying to eat cleaner for awhile now and I've been mostly successful but I'm not 100% there. I started the journey when I decided to try to control psoriasis through my diet. I don't want to take any medications other than the topical stuff and I think eating clean definitely helps. I found that I feel so much better when I eat clean and crummy when I don't.

I will definitely check out the web sites posted here.

The advice that has helped me the most:
- Be very careful when eating out ...go for simple dishes
- When cooking at home use fresh ingredients & recipes with few ingredients (other than spices/herbs).
- Buy organic when you can (especially for foods on the "dirty dozen" list as someone else noted). Fresh and organic can get expensive but your health is so worth it
- Shop at a farmers market. They have such a variety of seasonal produce & some also carry things like local raw honey, local cheeses, etc
- if you can, join a CSA (community sponsored agriculture). These are programs offered by farms where you pay for a "share" at the start of each growing season and then receive whatever is harvested on a regular basis. My CSA delivers to a local drop site weekly. It has really helped me to try new things. There are times that I have to google the description of a veggie bc I don't know what it is!
- I love meat and try to eat only organic. I'm fortunate in that I have access to organic beef through my boyfriends family farm, and venison from his company's hunting ranch.
- If you haven't already, switch to whole grain bread and pasta. Be sure to check the labels to make sure it is actually whole grain.
- Don't beat yourself up when you slip. My weakness is Hooters boneless wings, French fries & Blue Moon beer. I splurge every couple weeks and feel like crap afterwards but it's so yummy during!

Good luck! I look forward to sharing experiences and progress.

With a diet like what you are stating I am seeing a food binge in your future.

You can eat "clean" and still gain weight, you have to make better choices. Why not whole wheat instead of white pasta and bread instead of just eliminating that category? They do make brown rice pasta you know.

Im not new to fp but got off track & im back on the wagon, seems extreme dieting didnt work for me, id like to try ckean eating and change my whole lifestyle, i need ideas of how others eat & how to stay off of breads & pastas.. thank you! :-)

I would definitely recommend the Clean and Lean approach by James Duigan. I'm following it as much as I can and I have to say it definitely works for me.
If you want send me a friend request then you can see in my diary what I am eating every day.

I haven't cut out breads or pastas, but I have cut down, and only have whole wheat versions of each, making sure the fiber content is high, and the sugar content is low. Likewise, I've gone from white rice to brown, and recently tried quinoa as an alternative grain option.

My other changes:
- no added sugar (only naturally occurring, such as in the fruit I eat)
- no processed foods ... or as little as possible
- lots of fresh fruits and veg, with a handful of nuts as a snack should I get hungry.

That said, with all the whole foods / fiber intake, hunger is never a problem.
My food diary is free to view, should you wish to have a peek (constructive criticism/suggestions welcome!)