Clean Eating

[McTortle]

Apparently, I need to move to a clean eating habit, only I'm not 100% sure what this really means.  Looking for recommendations of websites/cookbooks/anything that y'all might have up your sleeves!

Please and thank you!

[merigayle]

To me, clean eating means a diet without processed foods, including breads, white sugar, etc. Pretty much cooking from scratch with wholesome ingredients.
This is a good start for an omnivore http://www.toscareno.com/

I do not eat gluten or any grains and no dairy, but my diet is more of a vegan paleo with eggs in times of food desperation (when there is no other choice for food).

[McTortle]

Thank you!

[caribougrrl]

essentially, clean eating means cut out the crap (refined and processed food, sugary things, salty things, deep fried things*)

how do you eat now? how much change is it going to require?






*unless you have lovingly prepared these yourself from good ingredients and used good oil and only once in a while

[McTortle]

I do a lot of convenience eating - sort of. . .

Breakfast - usually greek yogurt, berries and all bran bran buds
Lunch - almost always out - this will be changing starting Sunday when I cook for the week and make most of my lunches ahead of time
Dinner - lately it's been veggie dolmans from Whole Foods and some berries.  Or popcorn.

Snacks - yeah, um. . .popcorn?  (Ok - it's usually junk food and/or candy from the office candy dish   )

I know it's going to be a bit of an overhaul.  And that's fine - I can do the planning ahead and prepping on Sunday for most things.  If I know what I'm planning and prepping. 

If that makes sense?

[caito]

I agree with meri & caribougrrl and will add that to me think about clean eating in terms of eating real, whole foods found in nature helps me choose what to eat. Nuts instead of pretzels, for example. Veggies, fruits, lean proteins, beans. I do eat grains and try to eat whole grains that are minimally processed as possible.  But I am still human and so I don't let good be the enemy of perfect.  Every now and then I really need a piece of pizza or tortilla chips and it's no big deal because I will make clean choices at my next meal.

[caito]

And yes, food prep on Sunday helps me tremendously!

[merigayle]

Yep, I do most of the cooking for the week on my day off.

[caribougrrl]

I do a lot of convenience eating - sort of. . .

Breakfast - usually greek yogurt, berries and all bran bran buds
Lunch - almost always out - this will be changing starting Sunday when I cook for the week and make most of my lunches ahead of time
Dinner - lately it's been veggie dolmans from Whole Foods and some berries.  Or popcorn.

Snacks - yeah, um. . .popcorn?  (Ok - it's usually junk food and/or candy from the office candy dish   )

I know it's going to be a bit of an overhaul.  And that's fine - I can do the planning ahead and prepping on Sunday for most things.  If I know what I'm planning and prepping. 

If that makes sense?

the reason I asked is because it might help to focus on one or two things at at time instead of everything at once which can be overwhelming

like stop eating white foods (which don't need to be white): no white sugar, no white flour, no white pasta, no white rice, no white bread... dairy is an obvious exception

then, once you've got that under control, stop eating foods with artificial sweetners, preservatives with chemical names on the label

by the time you've done both those things, most highly processed foods will no longer be in your diet

[caribougrrl]

oh, and most clean eating advocates will tell you no alcohol... but they can pry red wine out of my cold dead hands as far as I'm concerned

[McTortle]

oh, and most clean eating advocates will tell you no alcohol... but they can pry red wine out of my cold dead hands as far as I'm concerned

oh thank goodness. . .

We're good without the white grains, if we're gonna do grains at all, they're whole.

The artificial sweeteners is harder for me - I love my splenda in my coffee.

[Magic Microbe]

You don't have to go all in at once.

[radial]

The artificial sweeteners is harder for me - I love my splenda in my coffee.

It took me a while to accept this, but just because Splenda has no calories, that doesn't mean it isn't messing with your metabolism.  People who don't know much about nutrition like to chant, "calories in, calories out," but weight loss isn't that simple.  Here's a pretty good article about how artificial sweeteners can actually make you fatter.  (Just don't follow his advice to start using real sugar!)

[McTortle]

It took me a while to accept this, but just because Splenda has no calories, that doesn't mean it isn't messing with your metabolism.  People who don't know much about nutrition like to chant, "calories in, calories out," but weight loss isn't that simple.  Here's a pretty good article about how artificial sweeteners can actually make you fatter.  (Just don't follow his advice to start using real sugar!)

You don't have to go all in at once.

True!!

[caito]

I agree about artificial sweeteners. I view clean eating as less about calories and more about health. Keep the chemicals out of my body!

[McTortle]

I agree about artificial sweeteners. I view clean eating as less about calories and more about health. Keep the chemicals out of my body!

And, really, for the most part, I can understand this.

But, I'm really not sure what to do about coffee.

[caribougrrl]

And, really, for the most part, I can understand this.

But, I'm really not sure what to do about coffee.

learn to like it unsweetened? start drinking lattes (milk is sweet)?

[McTortle]

learn to like it unsweetened? start drinking lattes (milk is sweet)?

I could try it without sweeteners - never without milk! 

[onawhim]

You could do the whole 30. 

[McTortle]

You could do the whole 30.

Hmmmm. . .that could be a good kick start for this. . .