Eating "Clean"

Yeah, keep in mind:

Pranksters sat outside a farmer's market once and got a ton of people to sign a petition to ban DHMO.

What is Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Dihydrogen Monoxide is *water*.

H2 (di-hydrogen (2 hydrogens)) O (mono-oxide (1 oxygen))

So, yeah.

Chill. Drink more Dihydrogen Monoxide. Work on finding ways to like fruits and veggies. Have fun cooking from scratch. Seriously. It's not all out to get you.

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The fact that I feel terrific every day and fully expect to live well into my 90s, I attribute to eating clean.

The fact that I feel terrific every day and fully expect to live well into my 90s, I attribute to stress-free living from daily cannabis use.

lucky.
Is it 420 yet?

I get off work at 3:30, home around 4. It usually works out about right...


Also this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBq8esOBGeE

You've gotten so much good advice about the "Eating Clean" part of this that I'm not even going to comment.

However, very concerned about your daughter. Get her help about the fruits and veggies aversion. You could be doing her a great disservice. Not nutritionally (ie vitamins and minerals) although that is part of it. I like to think of fruits as nature's dessert (natural sugar as opposed to processed sugar) and veggies as a filler (I can fill up on veggies for little calories and little fat but lots of fiber and necessary carbs). I've noticed both adults and children (to include teens and tweens) that eat the wrong portions of the wrong stuff because they don't or won't eat veggies. So they try to fill up on say pizza because it has tomato sauce and that's a veggie right? And they don't get full, or they have to have 4 pieces to my 1 piece because they don't touch the salad that goes with it. That to me are bad habits that can turn into obesity and lead to a lot of health risks. Perhaps she'll be lucky and not have it affect her until later in life but then she really doesn't have the tools to cope with it when it catches up to her.

Once the source of the aversion is found, then get her to help with dinner. Make it a point that there are always veggies with dinner. I'm blessed with a son that loves broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and probably brussel sprouts if I'd fix them for him. But I do see my friend's step-daughters who have to be tricked into eating veggies, like the cauliflower "mashed potatoes". And until they discovered that most of the "mashed potatoes" was cauliflower, they were eating it up and loving it. So you might have to find a way to trick your daughter. The wonderful thing is that there are a lot of recipes for "hidden" veggies that can be researched and gotten off the internet.

You can do this and discover what is right for you and your family!

Hello

Sounds like you are pretty stressed out over this, I've been there.

I got some really easy advice to follow and this is what I do.

My friend said eat "Close to the hoof, and close to the plant" Meaning stay away from processed foods. Eat meat but avoid deep fried or processed deli etc. Eat leafy greens, fruits and veggies and not in a fruit cup but fresh, raw and "clean" . And drink tons of water.

I have great success in dropping weight when I clean up what I'm eating in this manner. Avoid all juices, pop, alcohol.

And when I slip up, guess what I tell myself..... "Its not what you do some of the time that matters most, its what you do MOST of the time"

Good luck hun~

I started by reading Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food". Excellent book.

I've never consciously thought of "eating clean" but I do avoid as much of the processed, pre-packaged stuff as I can. I've almost become phobic of the unnecessary chemicals they add. I love using Corn Pops and Gorilla Munch as an example. Corn Pops has a huge list of ingredients while Gorilla Munch has three (corn, salt, cane sugar). Gorilla Munch tastes the same, maybe better, and has the same shelf life. I digress...

I'm not a huge fan of veg but I do love my broccoli. As boring as it can be, I stick to what I love. My diet is restrictive on fruit, but again for the amount of fruit I can eat I stick to what I love. The bf and I have experimented with stuff like plantain, avocado, or dragon fruit by buying only one and seeing if we like it. That's a good place to start.

I like to think of fruits as nature's dessert (natural sugar as opposed to processed sugar)

Agreed. Nothing like a dripping slice of fresh, sweet pineapple to finish off your day

Also, as for "do your own research?"

Your research is only as good as your primary sources. You can do *plenty* of "research" online that will lead you to believe that Jewish lizards live underground and control the United Nations.

There's this thing called "confirmation bias." We tend to believe what we *already think.*

So, you can probably find plenty of "chemicals are evil" sites on the net. You can find plenty of "natural is good" on the net.

This is why I encourage people to use Google scholar. Read the actual scientific studies behind food and dieting instead of people's personal opinions. Yes you will get conflicting studies, but I find the double-blind studies into any one topic are often in agreement vs the blind or not blind studies which are easily skewed by the participants' personal ideas or agendas. Researching isn't about asking other people for their opinions, researching is about reading science or doing your own science. Research is about education not having a conversation. Real research is what led me to the diet I'm currently on when prior to reading the studies I was against what I'm doing. Getting people's personal opinions and advice on how to do the diet properly is merely doing the polishing that the studies don't do, but I take advice with the science in mind. The double-blind studies dealing with processed, pre-packaged foods are also pretty much in agreement. It's unfortunate people stop educating themselves once school lets out :brokenheart: Or perhaps their schools didn't teach proper research skills :brokenheart: :brokenheart:

The fact that I feel terrific every day and fully expect to live well into my 90s, I attribute to eating clean.

The fact that I feel terrific every day and fully expect to live well into my 90s, I attribute to stress-free living from daily cannabis use.

lucky.
Is it 420 yet?

It's 420 somewhere

It is in the East.

Thank you all - I really needed to hear all of that. I am going to take one step and one day at a time. :happy: :happy:

Think about it this way, if all those "scary chemicals" really were bad, we'd all be dead. You've eaten them your whole life, so have I and everyone else you know. We're fine. So there's nothing to worry about.

Ignore the fear mongering. They're just trying to sell you stuff.

Can you explain why all illnesses have quadrupled in the last 40 years? And new, unexplained illnesses? I'm not saying that all food is bad or that clean eating is "the way," but to say we have all been eating "scary chemicals" and we are all fine is completely ignoring the obvious.


^^^this !!!

Shop the perimeter. So that is produce, meat/dairy. Stay out of the aisles with packaged treats...cookies, candies, snack crackers.

You'll be eating "cleaner" than about 80% of all Americans who equate the naturally occurring nutrients and phytochemicals in blueberries with a highly processed food which has zero nutritive value.

There is a cleaning eating group here on MFP where you'll find more of us!

For my own part, I'm 50, 21.5 BMI, just did a competitive stairclimb where I did 54 flight in 12 and a half minutes.

My weight I attribute to a calorie deficit.

The fact that I feel terrific every day and fully expect to live well into my 90s, I attribute to eating clean.

right, so everyone who does not eat "clean" by your definition (whatever that is) is a "dirty" eater that is not going to live a long life....?

lol...wowz..

I wish everyone a long and healthy life. My definition of "clean" is in my advice to the OP in the first line. I'd invite you to the Clean Eating Group here on MFP if you have any additional questions.

The fact that I feel terrific every day and fully expect to live well into my 90s, I attribute to eating clean.

My grandmother lived to almost 98 and was on her own until the last two years. She ate whatever. I mean, she ate overall healthy, but she ate cookies and store-bought bread and jarred pasta sauce, etc.

My grandfather was an obese smoker most of his life and lived to 89.

And I've watched people with perfect, healthy lifestyles get sick and die in their 20s and 30s.

Good luck.

Thank you. I appreciate your good wishes and wish you the same.

I've never consciously thought of "eating clean" but I do avoid as much of the processed, pre-packaged stuff as I can. I've almost become phobic of the unnecessary chemicals they add. I love using Corn Pops and Gorilla Munch as an example. Corn Pops has a huge list of ingredients while Gorilla Munch has three (corn, salt, cane sugar). Gorilla Munch tastes the same, maybe better, and has the same shelf life. I digress...

I'm not a huge fan of veg but I do love my broccoli. As boring as it can be, I stick to what I love. My diet is restrictive on fruit, but again for the amount of fruit I can eat I stick to what I love. The bf and I have experimented with stuff like plantain, avocado, or dragon fruit by buying only one and seeing if we like it. That's a good place to start.

So I had to look it up and compare. Corn Pops doesn't have a "huge list of ingredients." 3 main ingredients, (corn, sugar, and soluble fiber,) and a few minor ingredients (salt, molasses, annatto, starch, coconut oil,) and a preservative (BHT.)

That's not a "huge list" by any means. They aren't even scary words.

As for a nutritional comparison, same number of calories, same amount of sugar, and Corn Pops has more fiber and more vitamins. I would say Corn Pops is actually the more nutritious choice.

So I had to look it up and compare. Corn Pops doesn't have a "huge list of ingredients." 3 main ingredients, (corn, sugar, and soluble fiber,) and a few minor ingredients (salt, molasses, annatto, starch, coconut oil,) and a preservative (BHT.)

That's not a "huge list" by any means. They aren't even scary words.

As for a nutritional comparison, same number of calories, same amount of sugar, and Corn Pops has more fiber and more vitamins. I would say Corn Pops is actually the more nutritious choice.

When I was reading In Defense of Food, Pollan mentions this. A few rules for eating include things like:

1. Don't eat anything your grandmother didn't.
2. Don't eat ingredients your grandmother wouldn't recognize.
3. Pick your food from the periphery of the grocery store, and not in the middle. (Most of the things in the middle of the grocery store are processed chemical foods... the stuff in the periphery include vegetables, simple breads, dairy and meat.
4. If you can't pronounce it easily, don't eat it. (This, of course doesn't apply to the interestingly-named quinoa).

Strike that... make it your GREAT-grandmother.

stupidest rules ever!

i honestly don't understand how anybody can be so gullible as to buy into this nonsense.

there is nothing to fear about food.

the huge diversity of food choices today is a good thing.

where food is placed in a grocery store is a silly way to choose your meals.

if you can't pronounce something, you need to go take a remedial English class at your local community college.

...ugh! there so much stupidity that passes for profundity these days. SMDH.

stupidest rules ever!

My grandma had pretty awesome food, all the time. Chocolate chip cookies and Coke for breakfast.

So I had to look it up and compare. Corn Pops doesn't have a "huge list of ingredients." 3 main ingredients, (corn, sugar, and soluble fiber,) and a few minor ingredients (salt, molasses, annatto, starch, coconut oil,) and a preservative (BHT.)

That's not a "huge list" by any means. They aren't even scary words.

As for a nutritional comparison, same number of calories, same amount of sugar, and Corn Pops has more fiber and more vitamins. I would say Corn Pops is actually the more nutritious choice.

When I was reading In Defense of Food, Pollan mentions this. A few rules for eating include things like:

1. Don't eat anything your grandmother didn't.
2. Don't eat ingredients your grandmother wouldn't recognize.
3. Pick your food from the periphery of the grocery store, and not in the middle. (Most of the things in the middle of the grocery store are processed chemical foods... the stuff in the periphery include vegetables, simple breads, dairy and meat.
4. If you can't pronounce it easily, don't eat it. (This, of course doesn't apply to the interestingly-named quinoa).

Strike that... make it your GREAT-grandmother.

stupidest rules ever!

i honestly don't understand how anybody can be so gullible as to buy into this nonsense.

there is nothing to fear about food.

the huge diversity of food choices today is a good thing.

where food is placed in a grocery store is a silly way to choose your meals.

if you can't pronounce something, you need to go take a remedial English class at your local community college.

...ugh! there so much stupidity that passes for profundity these days. SMDH.

Especially when you take into account the obvious facts, like the fact that my grandmother is still alive, and still eats food, so I'm sure she recognizes modern food. Or the fact that farmers have engineered pigs and chickens to a point that they would be unrecognizable to someone 50 or 60 years ago.

So there are a couple of things on here that do concern me.

Organic VS GMO,/commercial...The difference is HUGE in production practices, not necessarily in "weaker chemicals = more chemicals" but in expected yield, time commitment, breeds of plants, etc, but it IS better for you. I'm not a crazy internet researcher, but I am a farmer. We don't sell commercially, just enough to keep us through the growing season, and supplement our diets, but I do know a lot of the commercial practices. They are necessary, because our population couldn't be supported by other means; however, if you have a choice, choose wisely. We still go to the grocery store every week. If you can get to the farmers market, go. If you can't, see about joining a CSA, as many deliver. Or get in touch with a local farmer and buy directly from the farm, especially if you're looking to get healthy meat. For most people, a weekly trip "to the country" is not feasible, but an extra freezer full of a side of beef/pork/a few chickens from one trip is well worth it. We don't raise our own cattle, but we buy from someone who does, and split it between my family, and four other relations. If you buy from a farmer, you can usually have the butcher make custom cuts (8oz steak instead of 12oz), but the bottom line is when you go to the freezer you know where your food came from. The farmer we buy from only gives antibiotics when the animals are actually sick, and no growth hormones. The last turkey I bought was running around on Friday afternoon, and we were eating it the next Sunday - no comparison in taste to the last butterball I bought. Eggs are MUCH better if you can find someone who raises chickens locally, and allows their hens free range. You'll see the difference in the yolk, and you'll taste the difference.

Your daughter is old enough that she can do a lot of the cooking, too. Have her help you plan the meals, and even if you eat cucumber 3 days in a row, it's a start in the right direction. We had a 12 and a 15 year old live with us until the younger one was a junior in high school. We started out having them help with picking out the meals, to help cooking the meals, to one night a week we just turned the kitchen over to them, and they cooked (sometimes hard to eat with a straight face...but they were so proud!) What I learned with them, was nothing worked cold turkey. We didn't drink soda, but they came from a house where all they drank was Pepsi and Mt. Dew. Instead of completely stopping them, we limited it to one 2 liter a shopping trip, until eventually they didn't even notice we stopped buying.

To add to the broken record, baby steps. Cook with whole food when you can.