Eating clean for beginners

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2

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  • rebysue
    rebysue Posts: 136
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    Great question. I've been wondering the same thing. Thanks for the info all!
  • THINandFABULOUS
    THINandFABULOUS Posts: 170
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    I'm a student and so I'm always on the go. Does clean eating include granola bars as well? Like Kashi, Fiber One or Special K's?
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
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    bump
  • Nikki582
    Nikki582 Posts: 561 Member
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    I heard Jillian Michaels say... "If it doesn't grow in the ground, and it doesn't have a mum, you don't eat it." (paraphrasing) :)

    I want to eat clean.. my biggest issue is I cook for my husband and kids and my husband, while supportive of my healthy lifestyle, wouldn't be happy if i forced my eating onto him
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    I try to eat like this . I am always shopping.
    ^^this plus cleaning. Cleaning produce, pots, cutting boards....

    My biggest suggestion, at this point, is make very sure you are comfortable in your kitchen. Undercabinet lights, a mat in front of your sink (you'll be doing some serious time there)... Get the best knives you can afford and a few different collenders. I can't emphasise enough the value of a really good kitchen scale. It's fun when you get used to it and you will develop an almost personal relationship with your produce manager and butcher. I get a very warm greeting when I go in and, if I forget to ask for something I usually do, they clarify;) They let me know when they have something fresh or special. They are your friends and they can really help you.
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    I want to eat clean.. my biggest issue is I cook for my husband and kids and my husband, while supportive of my healthy lifestyle, wouldn't be happy if i forced my eating onto him

    Blah! I cook real food. They can eat whatever after that (IE don't outlaw anything). At least they've gotten the needed nutrition. Then, if they have room....:P
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
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    And don't take your kids shopping with you :) I did this last night, and she started crying "I hate your new diet!!! I want cccooooooookkkkiiiiiieeeeesssssssss!!!!" :sad: People stared, I was embarrassed, and the deli lady tried to give her a cookie. Keep in mind, I have an 11-yr old who is in the "you hate me" mode of life, so not everyone has this issue--we never did before! :explode:

    Ahahaha
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    Here's another super-informative site

    http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/category/clean-eating-boot-camp/

    Don't be fooled by the website name. The site is EVERYONE! It made me look at processed differently. There are a ton of recipes and meal plans. Thiings you'd be surprised you can eat.

    I hope you check it out.
  • EQHanks
    EQHanks Posts: 170 Member
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    Eating clean is a goal of mine. I think for me its going ro be a huge challenge but I want to try my best!
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,381 Member
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    I rented "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" after someone posted about watching it. I had it on my list for a while and just got around to renting it. Don't remember who suggested it but it was very good and worth a watch for anyone trying to get healthier.

    I am not going to do juicing but It made me a beliver on dropping processed foods. I have been trying to eliminate the junk but this documentary convinced me that it is best for me and that food is killing us just as bad as smoking. I am going to watch it one more time before I return it to the library!

    This movie really drove the point home on dropping processed foods period.

    Is cheese, yogart, milk, and white/brown rice processed? I guess all breads would be considered processed, right?
  • makemeover428
    makemeover428 Posts: 16
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    I just got the Best Of Clean Eating 2 cookbook. I use to get the magazines all the time but love the cookbook because you get more than 200 recipes and cuts out all the adds etc. It cost me 26$ CAN. LOVE IT!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Lean meats (chicken, fish, turkey, pork)
    Whole grains (oats, wheat, quinoa, brown rice)
    Veggies
    Fruit
    Healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seets)
    Healthy carbs (peas, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.)
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    I heard Jillian Michaels say... "If it doesn't grow in the ground, and it doesn't have a mum, you don't eat it." (paraphrasing) :)

    I want to eat clean.. my biggest issue is I cook for my husband and kids and my husband, while supportive of my healthy lifestyle, wouldn't be happy if i forced my eating onto him

    My daughter isn't happy about it right now, but it is being forced. She will thank me for it when she is older and has established healthy habits and is healthy herself. I'd be doing her a disservice if I did not make her eat clean.
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    Is cheese, yogart, milk, and white/brown rice processed? I guess all breads would be considered processed, right?

    Bread can be fantastic! If you don't like making your own find a really good bakery. I have a recipe that uses cracked wheat and wheat berries. Making your own can be really fun, very healthy and worth it just for the smell.

    Dairy really depends on what kind, where it's from and what's in it. I can get yoghurt from the chain grocery with cornstarch and jam made very far away or I can get goats milk yoghurt with real organic fruit made down the road a bit. They are different things. Same with cheese. White rice is one thing but brown rice is a grain. I don't like GMO's.
  • clankp22
    clankp22 Posts: 38 Member
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    I'm a student and so I'm always on the go. Does clean eating include granola bars as well? Like Kashi, Fiber One or Special K's?


    Clean eating means having to read all ingredient labels. You will find that those granola bars may be processed and contain ingredients that we don't necessarily know what they are or where they come from. If you do eat packaged foods, make sure the ingredients are whole, real, and few. Try Larabars. They only have fruit, nuts, and sometimes chocolate chips in them and they are still edible!

    For anyone that wants more info, try these sites:
    100daysofrealfood.com
    thejoyofcleaneating.com
    thegraciouspantry.com (as previously mentioned)
    Clean eating magazine
    Tosca Reno books and websites
    and the MFP group

    I have been eating this way for a while now and feel so much better...and have lost weight, too :)
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    I heard Jillian Michaels say... "If it doesn't grow in the ground, and it doesn't have a mum, you don't eat it." (paraphrasing) :)

    I want to eat clean.. my biggest issue is I cook for my husband and kids and my husband, while supportive of my healthy lifestyle, wouldn't be happy if i forced my eating onto him

    My daughter isn't happy about it right now, but it is being forced. She will thank me for it when she is older and has established healthy habits and is healthy herself. I'd be doing her a disservice if I did not make her eat clean.

    I think I could get my child to eat clean, but my partner? I have a hard enough time working with him to eat healthier in general :P
  • Nikki582
    Nikki582 Posts: 561 Member
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    I heard Jillian Michaels say... "If it doesn't grow in the ground, and it doesn't have a mum, you don't eat it." (paraphrasing) :)

    I want to eat clean.. my biggest issue is I cook for my husband and kids and my husband, while supportive of my healthy lifestyle, wouldn't be happy if i forced my eating onto him

    My daughter isn't happy about it right now, but it is being forced. She will thank me for it when she is older and has established healthy habits and is healthy herself. I'd be doing her a disservice if I did not make her eat clean.

    I think I could get my child to eat clean, but my partner? I have a hard enough time working with him to eat healthier in general :P
    Bingo!
  • clankp22
    clankp22 Posts: 38 Member
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    Is cheese, yogart, milk, and white/brown rice processed? I guess all breads would be considered processed, right?

    Bread can be fantastic! If you don't like making your own find a really good bakery. I have a recipe that uses cracked wheat and wheat berries. Making your own can be really fun, very healthy and worth it just for the smell.

    Dairy really depends on what kind, where it's from and what's in it. I can get yoghurt from the chain grocery with cornstarch and jam made very far away or I can get goats milk yoghurt with real organic fruit made down the road a bit. They are different things. Same with cheese. White rice is one thing but brown rice is a grain. I don't like GMO's.

    I agree. I stay away from GMOs, too. Bad stuff! I found a bread that only has 5 ingredients in it...fresh ground organic whole wheat, yeast, water, oat bran, and salt. They sell it at Whole Foods here and it is made by a local baker. Delish! It can be very challenging to find clean bread...especially if you are at big chain grocery stores. Try a health food store if you can.

    Dairy- I have to read all labels...there is always some funky ingredient in things! I am eating plain greek yogurt at the moment. That is the cleanest I can get for now. Rice- read the label...brown is better than white :) Hope this helps!
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    I've been trying to get rid of all of the boxes, jars and packets I used to cook with for awhile now and thought I was doing pretty good but just tonight I realized I'm really not doing that well at all.

    I made calzones tonight but I might as well bought a box of hot pockets to be honest. The cheeses I used are processed, my ham is full of chemicals, I used white flour and the second ingredient in the can of tomato paste was high fructose corn syrup! I think I'm doing a good thing by making the pizza dough and sauce from scratch (it tastes freakin' delicious don't get me wrong) but the reality is my "homemade, from scratch" calzones are still processed crap. It just cost more and took quadruple the time to make--I have a long way to go. *sigh*
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    It makes me laugh when people talk about clean eating like its something new!

    I was brought up in yorkshire village and we didn't have microwave etc (didn't even have TV until I was nearly a teenager).

    My dad had an allotment we grew our own vegetables and strawberries. My mum went to village butcher for fresh meat. Takeaways were holiday treats and we'd get fish and chips to eat on the sea front!

    My weight on when I ate convenience foods cos I was busy working and socialising and travelling by car or bus rather than riding my bike everywhere.

    and many years later I've come full circle and back to living on the foods I grew up on to lose weight again! (with a few adaptions)

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