Can someone please define "Eating Clean"?

[jtota]

Does anyone out there Know of a good place (preferably online) to get good solid nutrition advice and some advice about "clean eating". I've used Weight Watchers in the past, but that plan doesn't really seem to fit in with weight training. Maybe I'm wrong?

And what's the deal with supplement and protein shakes are they really neccessary? Seems like a lot of extra calories for some one who's trying to lose weight.

 

[Sonya Arellano]

What is clean eating?

In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods. These include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (SAD). These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated and trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, artificial sweeteners, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember whether a food is clean is: If it comes in a flashy package and has a long list of ingredients, it's probably highly processed and you wouldn't want to eat it. The goal is to always read ingredients and buy foods with as few as possible.

Anyone who wants to eat cleaner can develop some or all of the following habits:

* Eating 5 to 6 small meals per day
* Eating every 2 to 3 hours
* Combining lean proteins with complex carbohydrates at every meal
* Never skipping a meal, especially breakfast
* Eating whole foods
* Eating healthy fats
* Drinking lots of water
* Eliminating refined sugar and processed foods
* Eliminating alcoholic beverages (another kind of sugar)
* Carrying a supply of healthy foods when away from home
* Making healthy choices when dining out
* Sticking to reasonable portion sizes at all times
* And exercising for both fat loss and muscle gain (cardio and strength training).

(Adapted from http://www.eatingcleanworks.com and the Eat-Clean Diet books by Tosca Reno)

The goal is to eat natural foods as much as possible. Supplement shakes are a convenience when you are short on time and can be taken every now and then but personally I prefer to get my nutrion from real, wholesome foods. Protein shakes are very valuable especially post workout to help build muscle. I also eat protein bars to help consume more protein in my diet...but be careful of hidden sugars which alot of them have.

Hope this helps.

 

[Libby]

Protein bars

Sonya

What are some of the protein bars you like that are low in sugar? Thanks

 

[Sonya Arellano]

Libby...My favorites are Atkins Advantage (Chocolate Chip Granola Bar), carb conscious Supreme Protein bars (only eat 1/2 a bar as they are 400 calories) and Labrada Lean Body.

 

[Brighton]

Not much to add-- Sonya really summed everything up perfectly!

Just wanted to say that clean eating is seriously life-changing-- in the best way! Tosca Reno's books are great, and they just came out with a magazine dedicated to eating clean last year that is awesome too.

Good luck with everything!!!

 

[snowbelle]

Just a note about the protein bars and shakes...

I have tried to determine the "real story" about these for a while (reading library books, on-line articles, magazines, commercial websites, these forums, etc...). My observations show that any source that has a direct or indirect way to profit from them recommends them, and that medically-based research does not (in fact the medically oriented material says that most Americans get too MUCH protein already, which can have detrimental effects on your kidney, raise blood acid levels, cause calcium loss, and contribute toward osteoporosis). There are end-users (i.e. many forum members) that promote them even though they don't have a financial interest, but everytime I've posted questions about why, the responses are either emotional, or just "believing" that they work, or pointing me back to those same biased articles/websites as proof/justification. (If someone sees this and DOES have a good source, please post!)

I am not criticizing those people at all, I am simply trying to determine the best plan for ME by getting objective information. SO FAR, that seems to be...that protein IS necessary to help build muscle, and that the timing of it shortly after a weight workout may be especially helpful. It does not need to be in the form of a bar or shake (but should also not be in the form of a saturated-fat-laden steak). EXTRA protein (in any form) beyond your body's real needs is BAD for your body.

Since this post was oriented toward clean-eating, and it is clear that these synthesized protein products are NOT, I just wanted to point out that there are other perfectly good whole-food ways to get plenty of protein (lean meat, grain/bean, etc).