Eating "Clean"

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.

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.