Eating "Clean"

Go to Prevention.com they are doing a 28 day "eating clean" challenge. They have recipes posted and advice. Also, you can buy Eating Clean for Dummies. I'm trying to eat clean as well.

LOL'ing at the unintended irony of that book title.

keep in mind, i have no problem with the foods that are considered "clean", just the zealotry of some of the adherents of this diet and the wholly unsubstantiated claims some make about how "clean" foods cure a whole range of medical conditions. also, it makes me sad that some people end up with eating disorders because they try to "eat clean" and fail.

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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.

Sugar Pops are tops!

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.

I never met my great-grandmother, so I can't exactly use that. And the middle of my grocery store is the freezer section, where I buy most of my veggies during the off season, not to mention my breakfast sausage and ice (I have an old fridge that doesn't make its own ice)

As for #4, I don't need an excuse to avoid quinoa. I've never tasted it, but it looks like something my grandma wouldn't eat for sure, not to mention it's expensive. My grandma never bought expensive foods. I used to spend a few weeks each summer there, and she made bacon and eggs for breakfast, with a small bowl of cereal on the side (just like they say in the commercial, *part* of a complete breakfast) For lunch she usually made soup out of a can with saltines and PBJ with *gasp* white bread, bought from the center aisles.

My grandparents grew up in the depression and knew how to nourish themselves without stressing over it.

Even if the obesity problem could be 1000% guaranteed to be a result of the foods we have available, humans have to get education and adapt, because that food isn't going anywhere. Taking away alcohol didn't work; imagine what would happen if Pepsi, Butterfingers, and Captain Crunch were banned? I imagine a brisk business for that black market.

For some people, I think it's true that adapting means abstinence from trigger foods. Others do well with frequent moderation, others with infrequent but indulgent consumption. Whatever works.

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I've just realized or more like caring what exactly is in the food I eat. I can barely pronounce most of the ingredients. I want to eat clean, I really really do. I just don't know where to start.. I have a 12 year old with my same food habits and well she's even worse than I am.. she has an aversion to fruits and veggies - so much so it's almost a phobia. When I go to the grocery store I feel like everything is bad. The meat is bad because of what is fed to the animals, the dairy, the eggs, and the vegetables and fruit with all the pesticides and fertilizer... are strawberries really suppose to be that big??... I feel like I'm going crazy. I want to eat clean, but I don't know how...

First - take a deep breath. You are getting lots of great advice and support here, and it is wonderful that you are looking to make a change for you and your daughter!

It can be a challenge to go from processed foods to straight up veg & chicken so what I'd recommend is a slow and steady approach. Find a good, organic/whole/natural stuffed grocery store and exclusively shop there for one month. I love Whole Foods. There are lots of great already packaged options that will look and feel similar to what you already enjoy, but are a step in the right direction as they are sourced from organic/whole farms. Gradually, try to phase these out because they are both expensive and because making food yourself is healthier, but to start out try to replicate your normal grocery list from a whole grocer and then take baby steps from there.

PS - for me, the added expense of shopping at Whole Foods is 100% worth it. I know it isn't for others but the higher cost and quality of food means that food lasts longer, I actually make sure I consume it before it DOES spoil, and I am less likely to over eat serving size because because it is expensive!

"Wrong! It is lack of activity. People sit around way too much."

So obese people got that way from lack of activity and sitting around?

That's what happened to me. When I began to make an effort to not be lazy, I found that it benefitted me in many ways, especially by being able to drop the excess fat.

Here's my take on it.

Over the last couple years I've transitioned into eating "cleaner". I make food from scratch as much as possible. Not only does this reduce sugar and sodium, but it's cheaper and tastier. I don't feel that cutting down on wheat and dairy are necessary, but they do have a lot of calories so I've cut back. I also plan on visiting farmer's markets more, and next year I'll have my own small garden. I like the idea of supporting small ag, and it's good for the environment in a lot of ways, for example bees have more places to eat and pollinate. So there's my motivation for that. No idealization or idea that it's magical in any way.

I am just not concerned about GMOs. Eating something that has had its genetics tweaked just does not affect yours. I would say that something that is genetically modified to fight off pests is safer to eat than something that's been chemically modified with pesticides. All those nasty things fed to animals are fed to them for a reason and have been proven again and again to be safe.

Recently I got sick of counting calories and stopped. I figured if I mostly ate clean that I wouldn't have a problem. WRONG. I instantly gained 10 lbs so I'm back over here again- almond butter adds up quickly yo. You'll lose weight with IIFYM but you won't look or feel your best if you spend all your calories on junk. If you eat clean, you can still eat too many calories. Both help, but neither fill the big picture alone.

Like with all things, be sensible. If a plan sounds like a bunch of voodoo, it probably is. Read with a scientific critique mindset. Some people sound like they're part of a damn cult, and are more than likely orthorexic.

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Before I started working with a trainer, I would look up meal plans online, for example if you wanted to lean out just google "leaning out meal plans" or on bodybuilding.com it has some great plans to follow as well. My trainer has me on a specific diet now, eating 6 times a day and combinations of food I never thought I would eat haha.

You must master the diet. It's 70% diet 30% workout. If you fail at your diet, especially for us girls, it will be even harder to meet your goals.