How to ease into clean eating?

melbhall · January 2011

So I hear about clean eating all the time, but I have no idea how to really ease into it... I'm pregnant and have been craving pure junk (I mean break and bake cookies and long john silvers). There's really no point in tracking my calories if I'm always going over and eating pure crap. My question is how to slowly make transitions to a cleaner life. Keep in mind we are a frozen pizza, splenda, diet soda, potato chip, sugary cereals kind of family. I don't want to do anything drastic because I know I'll give up. But I would like a few pointers of how to slowly introduce new items or ideas to my family. I'm scared I'm already polluting my 18 month old son with some of the convenience crap I give him, and I know my husband will support me, if he has time to adapt.

Any thoughts? Please don't judge my poor food choices, that's why I'm here asking for help...I know I have a problem!

Grokette · January 2011

Make 1 small change at a time. Cut one item for a fresh, whole food and when it becomes habit, then cut a second item.

Before long your body will start craving the good, natural, whole foods and you will find you are eating the junk less and less.

Just take it 1 step at a time.

Feel free to add me if you would like assistance.

erinjoy002 · January 2011

plan your meals. Choose to cook 1 healthy meal a day to start. I found out that planning my meals for the week is SO much easier. I am a mom and if I wait til the last minute to decide what to cool it's chicken nuggets or fast food. I keep already chopped veggies in the fridge so when I do get home from work and make my meal i don't spend all eveing chopping, slicing and dicing.

TrainerRobin · January 2011

Here are two easy ones to start with:

1. Start with picking cleaner cereals. Make a rule that you won't buy a cereal with more than a few ingredients, without high fiber, and without at least some significant protein. Take five minutes in the cereal aisle, grab a box of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran and tote it around to compare it to the other brands. That'll give you an idea of how "empty" most other cereals (including ones that lead you to think they're good for you like Special K, etc.).

2. Next, ease into peanut butters and other processed foods to ensure you're no longer buying products with hydrogenated fats (fully or partially). The last time I checked, my former favorite peanut butter (Jiff) still contained these heart cloggers. New alternatives (better than the old "stir in the oil" ones) like Skippy Natural are yummy and healthy and don't have these modified fats.

Look at the labels of all the processed foods you buy to ensure you're not bringing those hydrogenated fats home. These fats which were liquid at room temp but are now thick at room temp after they added a hydrogen atom, are devastating to our, and our kids', health. I listened to one prominent heart surgeon do a talk about those fats and he discussed how they are now doing autopsies on kids as young as five (who tragically died in accidents) and finding arteries in these young kids clogged like those only previously found in 50+ year olds. Adios Oreos. This nasty stuff is in TONS of foods. But there are brands that are popping up everywhere without these modified oils. Look for them, and that'll be a GREAT start.

Your body will thank you!

TIP (soapbox warning!): Labels can be very deceiving. I have noticed several new labels (including one of the best selling peanut butters) that claim "no transfats" and "no partially hydrogenated oils". Be careful. I turned the label around on one peanut butter that claimed "no hydrogenated oils" (truthfully, I was excited that they had improved their formula and I might be able to enjoy my old favorite again!) and it was true ... no PARTIALLY hydrogenated oils. BUT ... there were plenty of FULLY hydrogenated oils. That hacked me off!! As a lawyer, I can tell you that the federal laws allow claims that foods are "free" of certain substances, as long as they don't have more than a specified amount of the that substance. Thus, they're not really XYZ "free" but close to it. Read your food labels carefully and shop accordingly. If we spend our dollars on the healthier versions, the others will slowly change. At least, that's my hope!

fitinyoga14 · January 2011

Make changes slowly and comfortably. Don't try anything you aren't ready for.

Take care of your re-occuring unhealthy habits first. For example, if your downfall is eating out too much, make it a goal to cook a meal at home 5 times a week.

To get access to convenient clean foods, make a grocery list before going out shopping! There are some sample lists on cleaneating.com. Have an idea in your head of what you are going to cook with the foods you are choosing at the store.

To get used to eating more fruits and vegetables, slowly add them to recognizable foods that your family regularly eats. Its possible to 'healthify' any dish. If your family likes to eat buttered corn as a side dish, try steaming frozen corn mixed with chopped peppers, peas, or carrots, etc, then use seasonings instead of butter.

Soups are also a great way to introduce new vegetables to a family. This is because boiling the mixture to make soup rounds out the flavor so everything pretty much "tastes the same."

RMinVA · January 2011

Robin - I love your posts. You often say what I think, and believe, but you just say it SO much better! So true about labels. I heard a news story on the radio the other day that pet foods are even getting into the business of "healthy" labeling. As bad as it is for us, there is even less regulation there.

"One thing" at a time is a great suggestion.

I was fortunate in that I didn't have a fast food or soda habit to break, and a flexible hubby that is patient with my cooking experiments. I began to make as much as I can from scratch....so much better and healthier for you. And I opted for quality over convenience. I do still have some convenience items in my pantry like canned black beans and diced tomatos, but I look for brands with minimal additives and low sodium.

A few things I did out of the gate:

- I started reading labels and looking for products with the fewest # of ingredients and that had ingredeints that I actually recognized.
- i try to avoid HFCS like the plague....it is everywhere!! And I am glad to see that a lot of brands are getting away from it. But unfortunately, many of them have just replaced it with other forms of highly processed sugar. .
- I started making my salad dressings from scratch...very easy and much better for you.
- I started buying rolled outs....never liked the texture of instant oatmeal anyway. It doesn't take that long to make oatmeal with the real thing.
- I started buying plain non-fat, no added sugar yogurt or Greek yogurt and adding a bit of fruit and honey to them instead of the overly sweetened flavored types (read the labels on those sometime!!)

Hope that helps!

stormieweather · January 2011

I started by cutting out all HFCS, MSG, preservatives and artificial flavorings/colorings. I chose products/brands that do NOT have those things in them. It took me 4 hours to do my shopping the first time after we decided to do this. Every product had to be scrutinized and an alternative found. Amazingly, there ARE healthier substitutes and alternatives for nearly every crap-loaded food you ever like(d).

The first thing we did was cut out all fast food. Period. We make our own healthier versions. I buy organic cookies or make my own. We make our own hamburgers from antibiotic-free lean beef and whole wheat bread/buns. I roast baby red potatoes with onions and seasoning instead of french fries. We grill Applegate Farms Organic uncured hotdogs and make cole slaw with organic milk and cabbage. We buy baked all natural chips. I make homemade pizza dough and we put our own toppings on.

But these sorts of foods are rare for us these days. We cut back more and more on processed types of foods, but we don't completely deprive ourselves. They've been a godsend during the transition, which has taken us over a year.

Most of our dinners these days consist of a meat, lots of veggies, and a grain/potato/starch. Snacks are popcorn, nuts, fruit, veggie sticks, pita and hummus, Annie's organic gummy bears and snack mix (for my little one), and yogurt. We eat cage free eggs, turkey (uncured, nitrite free) bacon, homemade pancakes or Kashi cereal for breakfast. It's filling, it's delicious, and we dont' feel deprived (well, except for the teenage daughter, lol).

There is nothing in my house right now that is bad for me or that I have to consiously avoid. I take my lunch and snacks to work so I don't have to think about that either. It really helps to simply avoid the not-so-healthy stuff altogether.

My lifesaver in this transition - Applegate Farms - http://www.applegatefarms.com/products/

TrainerRobin · January 2011

Robin - I love your posts. You often say what I think, and believe, but you just say it SO much better!

Thanks so much, but have to say that your posts are always thoughtful and spot on.

And it looks like we traveled the same path, losing 50+ pounds over three years ago and keeping it off -- partly with running. It's my lifesaver, too!

Keep posting on here. I've seen several of your posts and think they are always very helpful and supportive.

melbhall · January 2011

Thanks so much everyone for the tips. I had no idea where to start and some of you offered websites to point me in the right direction. The problem was, I was confused about what clean eating even was...could I buy wheat bread or did I have to make my own...I have a better understanding now. Not all grocery store items all the devil, I just have to be much more selective! I can't wait to combine these tips and stash them in my coupon binder so I can remember what to do and not to do at the store. I truley want to make this change, not only to eat better and lose weight, but because I am responsible for the health of my babies and I need to have one less thing to worry about each day. I never realized how hard I am on myself as a parent, and I surely don't need the added stress of worrying about how I'm too lazy to cook healthily for my kids.

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone!!!

aweigh2go · January 2011

Here is an 8 week program to ease you into clean eating:

http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/202#86448390

outersoul · January 2011

Like everyone else said, go slow. When you grocery shop, instead of cookies or snacks, replace one item with fruit. Then next time, replace two items with fruits or vegetables. Keep doing the same until you are shopping healthier. However, I don't completely cut out comfort foods. I like to reward myself, in moderation, every once in a while.

How to ease into clean eating?

Replies

Categories