Clean eating.
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kshama2001 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Patttience wrote: »Personally i don't like the term clean eating but i guess its useful since we all have a basic idea of what it means. The principle for me is eating mostly whole foods, rather than processed foods.
I still have no idea what exactly, or even a "good idea" of what "Clean eating" is. Most every food is processed in some way, unless you're eating raw meat from the carcass, and digging up tubers to eat with the berries/nuts you just plucked.
And what are "whole foods"? Like, eating a whole lamb? Eating a whole potato plant? PS Don't try that with Rhubarb, the leaves will kill ya.
Yes, technically when I pick a raspberry from my garden and throw it in my garden I am "processing" it but I know you realize that when people say "processed foods" they are referring to convenience foods like in my last post.
whole food
noun
plural noun: whole foods
food that has been processed or refined as little as possible and is free from additives or other artificial substances.
nope actually they are not ...as some define it as anything that I boxed, bagged, or contains more than five ingredients.
Exactly. I have no idea what people mean when they say "processed foods." Yesterday I had someone (on another website) tell me that peanut butter was processed, but almond butter wasn't. The more I hear people talk about processed food, the less I understand what it meant by the term.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »my best advice is to shop around the outside of the grocery store. but it is not necessary to eat "clean" to lose weight.
perhaps if you give us what your clean eating goals are, we might be able to better assist you than "forget clean eating"
I don't think that's bad advice, but I'd hate for someone to take it as gospel. I've seen too many things on this board to believe that there's no one out there who might read this advice and skip the frozen fruits and veggies in the center of my store. Or the canned tuna, canned beans, dry beans, dry rice, lentils, olive oil, etc. because they're in an aisle. There are so many people out there who seem to get tripped up by simple advice that I hate to let this one pass without a disclaimer.
Yep! The perimeters of my store contains the deli counter, the bakery, the wine and mixers, juices, caramel dipping sauce, dairy-free coffee creamers, ice cream, flavored yogurts, lunch meats, etc. I guess all of that stuff would be considered clean by using the "perimeters of the store" definition.
By the way, I'm in no way implying that any of the foods mentioned above are "bad" or "dirty." I eat them all in moderation.
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mattyc772014 wrote: »Thoroughly wash your fruits and veggies.
MFP needs new material. We could almost build a bingo card around the same tired jokes that show up in every thread.
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mashiara81 wrote: »mashiara81 wrote: »my best advice is to shop around the outside of the grocery store. but it is not necessary to eat "clean" to lose weight.
perhaps if you give us what your clean eating goals are, we might be able to better assist you than "forget clean eating"
+1 The perimeter of my store is where all of my favorite things like doughnuts, bacon, and cheese displays are, not to mention the occasional display of Oreos. Cheese is pretty much a seasoning here in the Midwest. :-)
working on a block of smoked butterkase
I usually skip the donuts unless there is cream cheese or bacon or both
Ooh..and with chocolate icing even...now we're talkin'!
Butterkase sounds devine. I've had this thing for blueberry stilton lately, too. It reminds me of blueberry cheesecake.
i hear it has peanut butter filling as well. it's right up the road from me. lots of delicious bakery there
oh that sounds delicious0 -
"No ingredients that you can't pronounce."
This one always cracks me up. There's very little I can't pronounce, and I'm sure there's a lot of other heavy book readers that are the same. Doesn't really help! XD0 -
@diannethegeek I charge for originality. Let me know when your finished with your bingo card.0
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"No ingredients that you can't pronounce."
This one always cracks me up. There's very little I can't pronounce, and I'm sure there's a lot of other heavy book readers that are the same. Doesn't really help! XD
Me, too, but I know plenty of people who can't pronounce 'quinoa'... lol0 -
"No ingredients that you can't pronounce."
This one always cracks me up. There's very little I can't pronounce, and I'm sure there's a lot of other heavy book readers that are the same. Doesn't really help! XDmashiara81 wrote: »
hahahaha. Since I can pronounce words that give more than 6 points in scrabble, my body must be well equipped to handle the toxic nuclear waste they put in Lance crackers! Who's up for a processed food party? No quee-noah allowed!0 -
YellowBird0722 wrote: »Basically I suck at it. Tips and helpful hints?
Clean eating is a vague label. Drop it.
Hit your calorie goal. That is all you need to do to lose weight.
Eat foods that will meet your nutritional needs. Eat in a way that you can sustain long term.
Instead of getting rid of a lot of foods from your diet just start adding things to your current diet. Add more whole grains. Add more vegetables. Get enough protein, fats and fiber.
Aim to cook more foods yourself if you like... Do some meal planning and find recipes for foods you like.
This, in a nutshell.
Also, why do you think you suck at it? Is it because you are confused about what to do? Are failing to be perfect (as you define perfect)? Find it difficult to fit in your lifestyle or burdensome?
I try to eat healthy; it's something that's very important to me. However, I also don't avoid foods I really love like ice cream or pork shoulder or cheese--I think they can easily fit in a healthy diet. I also rely on various packaged foods that help me meet my nutrition goals, like bagged spinach or greek yogurt or canned tomatoes or dried pasta or even protein powder and bars. I think what these foods are will vary person to person (I also buy lunch not infrequently from places that make food that fits in my plan--another convenience that helps me eat well and within my calories). Trying to load yourself up with lots of rules that you don't understand the purpose of and which make it harder for you to do the things that matter for losing weight (staying within your calories) and eating a balanced nutritious diet is generally not worth doing.
You may find that some simple rules help you stay on your plan, so long as you have a strong idea of why you have chosen to do them. A couple of mine (although I'm not perfect and don't beat myself up when I'm not) are eating protein and veggies at all meals. Just as important is working out regularly and getting in a good amount of walking even on days I don't work out. Exercise (when possible) is as important as diet for health, IMO.0 -
I have increased the number of fresh raw fruits and vegetables that I eat. This time of year, where I live, I can easily get 8 servings a day. I don't focus as much on clean as I do on healthy. Whole grains, lean protein, non-fat dairy, and limited salt, help me to stay healthy and full as I lose an average of 2 pounds a week.0
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tl;dr all the comments so I'm sorry if this was said.
Why do you want to eat clean? I ate 100% clean for 6 months because I was told that I could eat as much as I wanted and still lose weight. I did lose some weight but then started to gain weight. I decided to try MFP and learned I was wrong about everything I ever learned about losing weight. I've lost 19 pounds since February and sometimes, I will go an entire week without eating a fruit or vegetable (I tried not to do that as much as possible but they just aren't filling for me!) I hope this helps.0 -
cushman5279 wrote: »Right. It's not about "what" you eat, it's about "how much" you eat.
However, I do practice clean eating about 99% of the time and my body just feels better as a result.
How exactly do you suck at it and what are you hoping to achieve by doing it?
I could most likely give you some ideas but would like to know your goals first
Basically I begin clean eating, do great until I realize I can only make about three dishes. (Not an experienced cook) get tired of what I'm eating. Other things start seeping in. Premade foods. Frozen. Then I fail. Within a month. Just need some hints, tips, and recipes.0 -
YellowBird0722 wrote: »cushman5279 wrote: »Right. It's not about "what" you eat, it's about "how much" you eat.
However, I do practice clean eating about 99% of the time and my body just feels better as a result.
How exactly do you suck at it and what are you hoping to achieve by doing it?
I could most likely give you some ideas but would like to know your goals first
Basically I begin clean eating, do great until I realize I can only make about three dishes. (Not an experienced cook) get tired of what I'm eating. Other things start seeping in. Premade foods. Frozen. Then I fail. Within a month. Just need some hints, tips, and recipes.
Any recipe that starts out with individual ingredients, rather than a box mix, will fit into most people's definitions of "clean". Browse the internet for whatever type of food you are interested in : chicken dishes, pork dishes, crock pot stews, etc. There are a million recipes out there that can work.
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you have to want to change. you have to believe that the benefit outweighs the hassle. you have to believe you're a better parent/spouse/citizen when you're doing it. it's like recycling.
Doritos, Little Debbies, Pepsi... these kinds of things are engineered by scientists and marketers for you to LOVE them, for the packaging to appeal to you, for you to identify with the lifestyle they're connecting the products to.
Carrots from the local farmer don't necessarily have a glossy ad campaign or banner ads on the internet. Eating at a sensible caloric deficit doesn't have spokesmodels on popular magazines touting their success with it.
For me it was seeing my uncle die in his 40s that helped me (in my 20s at the time) decide that the path I was on was a painful, awkward adulthood and an early grave. Change your path, one step at a time.
so clean eating now equals saving the world, really?
what would be the difference between bagged carrots from publix and a carrots from a local farmer?
you can eat dorios, little debbies, and pepsi, hit your calorie/micro/macros targets, and still be healthy.
You're putting words in my mouth. Much like deciding to recycle, you have to decide to eat a certain way because Marketers would rather you eat their foods. I'm not advocating one way or another. The OP finds it "hard" to "eat clean" (whatever that means). I gave my perspective about why they find it "hard."
Hope you have a good day.
How can you eat "clean" if you don't even know what it means.
I stand by my statement that carrots don't have a good advertising campaign.
Q: What's the difference between rats and chipmunks?
A: Good PR.
I'll be here all week.0 -
YellowBird0722 wrote: »cushman5279 wrote: »Right. It's not about "what" you eat, it's about "how much" you eat.
However, I do practice clean eating about 99% of the time and my body just feels better as a result.
How exactly do you suck at it and what are you hoping to achieve by doing it?
I could most likely give you some ideas but would like to know your goals first
Basically I begin clean eating, do great until I realize I can only make about three dishes. (Not an experienced cook) get tired of what I'm eating. Other things start seeping in. Premade foods. Frozen. Then I fail. Within a month. Just need some hints, tips, and recipes.
Any recipe that starts out with individual ingredients, rather than a box mix, will fit into most people's definitions of "clean". Browse the internet for whatever type of food you are interested in : chicken dishes, pork dishes, crock pot stews, etc. There are a million recipes out there that can work.
Yes.
I would focus on expanding your cooking skills, and also not make it so all or nothing. There are plenty of premade or partially premade things that can fit in a plan.
Maybe start by deciding to do homemade 2-3 nights per week and expand from that?
If you have time on the weekend, cook a few things and have them available to be quickly re-heated?
A book I'd recommend for a beginning cook is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (his Fish book is great too). As a beginner I'd plan out a few meals at the beginning of the week and buy what you will use. As it will feel more time consuming at first (this becomes less of an issue quickly, as you get experience), plan to make double meals and have it the next night too but also try new things to make it more interesting or else allow yourself to fall back on other things every other night and then work up more gradually.
Also, you really don't need to worry about complicated recipes. My standard weeknight cooking (because I usually get home late and am rushed) is the meat I had defrosting in the refrigerator (or otherwise available), a starch, a veggie. Or in the summer I make a huge salad and cook some protein and sometimes other veggies to add to it. Sometimes I make a pasta sauce or do something more complicated, but the true key is having ingredients that you are willing to cook and eat on hand. I basically think in advance to make sure I will have my protein available and then force myself to work with the other things (veggies, fruits, starches) that are available. Then you don't waste time worrying about needing to buy ingredients and follow a recipe.
As for variety, change up the meats (you really don't need to just do boneless skinless chicken breast as some think), change up the veggies (so much is in season now!), change up the starches, sometimes do hot, sometimes do cold (salads). Make soup or stews on the weekend. Try out different spices and herbs. Stuff like that.
Cooking is a fun and valuable skill and I find it really relaxing. I'd really not overthink it by worrying about all the "clean" doctrine that some buy into.0 -
you have to want to change. you have to believe that the benefit outweighs the hassle. you have to believe you're a better parent/spouse/citizen when you're doing it. it's like recycling.
Doritos, Little Debbies, Pepsi... these kinds of things are engineered by scientists and marketers for you to LOVE them, for the packaging to appeal to you, for you to identify with the lifestyle they're connecting the products to.
Carrots from the local farmer don't necessarily have a glossy ad campaign or banner ads on the internet. Eating at a sensible caloric deficit doesn't have spokesmodels on popular magazines touting their success with it.
For me it was seeing my uncle die in his 40s that helped me (in my 20s at the time) decide that the path I was on was a painful, awkward adulthood and an early grave. Change your path, one step at a time.
so clean eating now equals saving the world, really?
what would be the difference between bagged carrots from publix and a carrots from a local farmer?
you can eat dorios, little debbies, and pepsi, hit your calorie/micro/macros targets, and still be healthy.
AND support local workers. All of those grocery store owners and employees, delivery drivers, etc.
Local workers here work in lots of food processing plants, like General Mills, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Tyson. So, is eating processed foods considered "Eating clean" for me?0
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