Learning to eat clean , Tips

If it didn't exist 100years ago, don't eat it.

PS: As a little note. Although that particular discussion is no longer available I distinctly remember doing just the opposite in particular mentioning the cons both financial and gender based cons regarding its long term use in high dosages. Bearing in mind high dosages are only for professional athletes and HIV/AIDS patients or burns victims.

So please skip the judgement on something that is widely used to benefit people. You assume that anything you know nothing about is something to fear. Well done on being human. The cure is to not judge something until you understand it better or avoid sparking a debate and talking of irony on other related medical topics when you yourself have no contribution to make in said debate.

OP--don't complicate your life (or your eating), "eating clean", "eating healthy" are fads right now. It's all over the media. You'll notice the posters responding that have alot of posts--they have all been hugely successful with weight loss and, or excersise. I'd listen to what they have to say. Start with a calorie deficiet and then branch out from there. Be consistent and you'll be successful Good Luck.

rochelledykes wrote: »

I make the wrong food choices easily. I need some ideas on what to eat.

Hi, OP. You've gotten some good advice anyway -- I'd especially look at WinoGelato's post.

As she noted, and as you can see, the term clean tends to confuse people, as some just use it to mean healthy, but many more (and I'd say the usual claimed meaning on MFP) say they mean by it unprocessed only. However, many of those people seem confused by what unprocessed means, as clearly Panera or artificial sugar or protein powder or many other things listed as clean and "unprocessed" by people using the term are processed, even highly processed. Personally, I think many people have gotten the idea that "processed" means high cal/low nutrient junk food or fast food only, but of course that is not the case -- I like to point out that if I dropped all unprocessed food in order to "eat clean" I'd be cutting out things I think are helpful for me, like cottage cheese and plain greek yogurt, olive oil and even olives, smoked salmon, lean ground beef, boneless, skinless chicken breast (okay, I'm not a fan, but I don't think it's bad for you), tofu and tempeh, dried pasta (which can be the base for a really healthy meal), Ezekial bread (if you like it, I'm not that into bread, but it is processed), canned tomatoes and beans, and on and on.

I don't think you are interested in this argument about clean eating, though, or the silliness about claiming all processed foods are bad for you, so I'd just ask what you currently eat and what you see as the struggles.

Tips I'd give -- start with deciding how often you want to eat (I like 3 meals, but it doesn't matter). With some of those meals it might be easy to plan them in advance -- figure out what you like to eat for breakfast or snacks (if you eat breakfast and/or snacks) and plan those. Lunches may be something to plan and make ahead for a week if you are bringing them to work. Dinner often is the one that changes the most. My template for dinner is a source of protein (meat or a meal built around legumes or maybe tempeh or tofu in place of meat), 2-3 vegetables, a starch. Sometimes as a main dish and sides -- roasted chicken with sweet potatoes (roasted), carrots (roasted), and brussels sprouts on the side, for example. Sometimes as a one-pot dish -- rice with a stir fry of lean beef (or tofu), broccoli, onions, peppers, carrots, and some soy sauce and Japanese 7 spice (it's amazing, really). Or shrimp sauteed with whatever vegetables are at hand (let's say zucchini, cauliflower, spinach) in some olive oil, add in some chopped olives or pine nuts and then add to pasta with a bit of feta cheese.

These are just a few of the things I like, but you can start with your own preferences and goals and play around. Maybe log a few things in advance to see how they work. If you give more specifics we can help more.

Welcome!

Oh, and I found it wasn't hard to save some room for a little after dinner extra once I had it down -- ice cream (one serving) or fruit on a day I'm more strapped for calories or a bit of good chocolate or good cheese if I want an alternative to sweet.

Dear Posters,

Please continue answering the OP's questions and be sure the follow the MFP guidelines:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10007789/flagged-content-reported-posts-warning-points

If you would like to continue to debate the effects of sugar on the body please move that discussion to this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10538258/effects-of-sugar-split-from-learning-to-eat-clean-discussion/p1?new=1

Thank you for your cooperation,

4legs

I'm not a diet Nazi, but I emphasize whole foods and cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed food stuffs. To me that's clean enough. I also look forward to Friday night pizza night.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/coconut-oil-healthy_n_5167057.html

janejellyroll wrote: »

Rachie19852014 wrote: »

If it didn't exist 100years ago, don't eat it.

A rule that arbitrarily excludes broccolini, Vidalia onions, and purple cauliflower.

And includes a lot of processed foods like breakfast cereal, crackers, and Wonder Bread.

namici wrote: »

rochelledykes wrote: »

I make the wrong food choices easily. I need some ideas on what to eat.

It seems to me you never asked about "Clean" eating, but just how to eat healthier. Lots of good suggestions here without getting too crazy. Some people here are telling you half-science/half-quakery though. (ie: "don't eat fruit at night because... the sugar turns to fat."). If you want the honest truth about how foods affect your body, talk to a Registered Dietitian, the nutrition experts.

Thread title...Learning to eat clean , Tips

She kinda did??