Here is a 12 week clean eating rotation I got off the yaya site a few years ago (sorry, have no clue who made it, maybe someone else can give credit) It's great for eliminateing bad foods slowly, to avoid any shock! LOL!
Hopefully, this will help you in some way.
Basically, you want to get rid of processed foods. Eat whole foods (foods grown in their natural state) whenever possible.
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12 week clean eating rotation:
I'd like to repost this b/c there are some changes that I've made in the definition of "clean eating" a while back, and I wanted to share. First off, NO artificial sweeteners (except Stevia) are "clean". I personally try to avoid Stevia as well now. It really tastes like hairspray to me! I don't consider artificial sweeteners clean anymore b/c they tend to just perpetuate the craving for sweets (see my other posted articles on sweeteners). Also, for me, I try to avoid wheat products now. I definitley know that I can't handle white flour, and only will eat it on my cheat days (and just endure the feeling sluggish and horrible). Also, in my quest for a good sauce without starch or sugar I have found--THERE ARE NONE!! The only thing I've found is Tamari sauce which is like soy sauce but wheat free. I haven't found it too hard to find "clean" stuff, but it's challenging to the variety. I will sometimes eat something with a little artifical sweetener in it, but I really try to stay away from aspartame....
Well, here it is…the Clean Eating Rotation. If you all have been paying attention to some of the nutrition threads, I began to desire an organized way of gradually improving my diet to make it as clean as possible. As you know, there's a lot to it! I began to think that the best way to make the changes was to do them gradually, as others suggested, and what better way to try to incorporate gradual change than a rotation! I've spent about 7 hours going over this; reading past Firm Forum posts, doing internet searches and finding websites, and using books (Which include Sugarbusters, Firm for Life, and a Jenny Craig Food Log). That is where most of this information has been obtained. I'm not a dietician or nutritionist, so keep that in mind.
This rotation consists of 12 weeks. I did it that way on purpose, because I wanted something that would compliment the 12 week Firm rotation (although, I'm not good with exercise rotations and could never complete it! ;-) ), and also b/c I feel it's very difficult to try to begin a successful clean diet, when there are simply SO MANY changes that need to be made. I feel that gradual change is easier.
I've sequenced the substitutions in a particular order, but feel free to change the order if you desire. If, for example, drinking water is not a problem for you, you can skip to the next week. However, if eliminating refined flour requires extra time for you, you may want to consider devoting the "Water" week to perfecting the "Grains" week, thus devoting 2 weeks to grain refinement instead of just one. It's up to you. However, certain weeks may work better when done consecutively. Notice, for example, that I've put eliminating carbonated beverages before eliminating sweetened juices. This is to give you time to adjust to life without your trusty Coke at your side. Perhaps it's not as traumatic for you to give up Coke if you can keep the Ocean Spray crangrape juice a little while longer! Remember, just as in any exercise rotation, you may choose not to follow the rotation in the order that I have listed because it may not suit your particular goals or needs to do it this way. That is fine.
Many thanks to Keta (Khuynh), Beth (Weighttrain), and Suzie M. They may notice that I've plagiarized some of their posts! I thank them for imparting their wisdom to help me with this rotation. Be sure to read the labels, especially the ingredients labels or any food you purchase. There's a lot of stuff hidden in seemingly "healthy" food. If you feel that you need more time to make the changes, by all means take longer than a week.
This is JUST a guideline. I recommend starting with those changes that are easiest for you to make. If you're just NOT ready to give up your white bread just yet, but think you may be able to in about 11 weeks, then simply bump the grains list to the bottom, simple as that!
The Clean Eating 90 Day Rotation:
*** Week 1: Fast Food Meals***
Goal ... Eliminate trips to fast food restaurants from the diet.
Substitute ... If fast foods MUST be consumed, choose only grilled chicken (if choosing a sandwich try to forgo the bun), or salads with low fat or fat free dressing. No sodas, even diet (some contain sodium). Drink only water. Note that even "healthier" fast food choices can still contain high sodium content. Substitute easy to prepare, make ahead portable meals, like a portable survival kit, protein bars such as MetRx Protein Plus, Myoplex Low-Carb Bar, EAS Simply Protein bar, or Biochem Ultimate Lo-Carb Bar (Note: protein bars are non considered a meal replacement. They are snacks or meal supplements at best, and some contain as much sugar as candy bars! Check the sugar content listed on the label), yogurt, Myoplex Low-Carb Ready to Drink nutritional shakes*, homemade energy bars, fruits, veggies soy nuts**, sunflower seeds, low-sodium peanuts, tuna or albacore canned in water (rinse or soak in water to remove excess sodium. If you are pregnant, nursing, or considering pregnancy use sparingly due to mercury found in canned tuna), cottage cheese doubles (cottage cheese and fruit combined made by Breakstone, I believe)*, wheat nuts, dried fruits such as raisins, figs, cranberries*, almonds, pumpkin seeds, dates*.
* Note: As the rotation progresses, some of these items, which may contain preservatives, will be weaned from the diet as well.
** Note: Soy nuts have the highest phytate content of any food, which makes digestion difficult and may interfere with mineral absorption in the body. Use sparingly, if at all.
*** Week 2: Grains ***
Goal ... Eliminate white flour, bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, commercially extruded cereals such as "Cheerios".
Substitute ... whole grain products (without added dextrose, maltose, honey molasses, brown sugar, or corn syrup) Whole-grain breads, sugar-free breads, flourless whole-grain breads made without preservatives if possible, whole-grain pasta, whole-grain brown rice, wheat bran, wheat germ, oat bran, natural grains, couscous, sweet potatoes, beans and lentils, oatmeal (slow-cooked is preferable to instant). Preferred cereals: Puffed Kashi, Kashi the breakfast Pilaf, Shredded Wheat and Bran , Multigrain Chex. Use bread flour, grain flour, soy flour, and whole-wheat flour for baking.
*** Week 3: Fats ***
Goal ... Reduce saturated and hydrogenated fats in the diet.
Substitute ... monounsaturated fats (olive, canola, peanut oils), polyunsaturated fats (soybean*and corn oils), olive oil, organic butter, flaxseed oil (keep refrigerated, never heat and use quickly), skim milk, low fat or fat free milk, cheese, condiments and salad dressing. Use saturated fats sparingly. Use lean cuts of meat and poultry and select skinless cuts of poultry for cooking. Bake, broil, boil or grill food. In restaurants, order baked potatoes, salads, and meats plain with condiments on the side. Substitute vinegar and or lemon juice for salad dressings. For peanut butter or soybean butter, choose low fat versions, and dump out the top layer of oil, wedge a few paper towels down the middle of the jar, put the cap on and turn the jar upside down. Repeat the process and change the paper towels for a few days at room temperature. You may also want to place the peanut butter between paper towels and run a rolling pin over it to flatten it out and blot up the oil. When the peanut butter has lost its shine then it has much less fat. Also, use cooking sprays, such as Pam, in place of butter or oil when possible.
* Note: As with soy nuts, soy oils contain phytates, which interfere with digestion. Use sparingly, if at all)
*** Week 4: Water ***
Goal ... Increase fluid intake with increased consumption of water. Decrease or eliminate consumption of alcohol or caffeinated beverages, which may increase dehydration.
To determine how much water you need ... Drink the amount of water in ounces equal to half your body weight in pounds. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., drink 125 ounces of water a day (approximately 10-13 10-ounce glasses a day. Drink half of this amount between the time you wake-up and lunch. Drink the other half between lunch and bedtime. Remember, if you are exercising, drink 8-10 ounces before exercising, 3-4 ounces every 15 minutes during exercise and another 8-10 ounces after exercising.
Fluid intake with exercise ... Exercise blunts the thirst mechanism. The most reliable indicator for fluid needs is body weight. To determine your fluid needs: Measure pre- and post-workout weights. Weight should be measured in minimal clothing immediately before and after working out; the weight loss represents fluid loss as sweat. Each pound lost represents 1 pound or 16 ounces of fluid. Ideally, pre- and post-exercise weights should match, indicating that fluid intake matched fluid loss.
Before exercise ... Drink 14 to 17 ounces (about 2 cups) of cool water not ice cold 15 minutes before exercise. During exercise: Drink 5 to 8 ounces (about 1 cup) of water every 15 minutes.
After exercise ... Drink 16 ounces of water for every pound loss after exercise. Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, and magnesium) can be replaced by eating e.g., low-fat dairy products, oranges, grapefruit and bananas.
Cooler beverages (at approximately 40 degrees F) are preferred over warmer drinks, since they are absorbed more quickly and help cool the body. The best fluid replacement beverage is water, but if you are exercising more than 1.5 to 2 hours, sports drinks are recommended to replace electrolytes and carbohydrate.
*** Week 5: Fiber ***
Goal ... Increase fiber intake.
Substitute ... All fruits to be consumed with the skin (except, of course, bananas, cantaloupes, watermelons) Potatoes to be eaten with the skin intact. stone ground wheat bread, wheat pasta, brown rice, as previously mentioned. Increase intake of beans and dried peas, consume 3-5 vegetable servings and 2-4 fruit servings daily, substitute whole fruits for fruit juices.
Try to choose these higher-fiber foods when possible:
- Fiber (g) per 1/2 cup serving, cooked
- Baked beans 6.5
- Lentils 5.0
- Peas, green 4.5
- Garbanzo beans 4.5
- Bulgur wheat 4.0
- Acorn squash 3.5
- Brussels sprouts 3.5
- Broccoli 3.0
- Brown rice 1.5
- Spinach 1.5
- Couscous 1.0
*** Week 6: Added Sugars ***
Goal ... Eliminate sweetened fruit juices, caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, Diet Coke, etc), and carbonated beverages from the diet.
Substitute ... Water with or without a squeeze of orange, lemon or lime, juices made from freshly-squeezed fruit, fruit canned in it's own juices, or fresh fruit (preferred).
*** Week 7: Clean Up Fruits and Veggies ***
Goal ... Eliminate canned fruits in syrup, canned high sodium veggies, fruit preserves, and jams/jellies with sugar.
Substitute ... fruits canned in their own juices, canned low-sodium veggies, canned low sodium veggies soaked in water to remove excess salt (is this OK?) frozen veggies, fresh fruits and veggies, low-sugar preservatives* *(NOTE: preservatives will be eliminated from the diet as the rotation progresses)
- Fruits high in vitamin A: apricots, nectarines
- Fruits high in vitamin C: grapefruit, guava, honeydew, kiwi, orange, and strawberries
- Fruits high in vitamins A and C: cantaloupe, mango, papaya, and tangerines
- Vegetables high in vitamin A :carrots, spinach
- Vegetables high in vitamin C: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green pepper, snow peas
- Vegetables high in vitamins A and C: asparagus, broccoli, greens (collard, mustard), red pepper, tomatoes, vegetable juice (no added salt, low-sodium).
Include at least one fruit and vegetable high in vitamin A and vitamin C in at least one of your fruit and vegetable servings for the day.
*** Week 8: Sugar ***
Goal ... Eliminate refined sugar and Equal (NutraSweet) from the diet.
Substitute ... Stevia or all-natural honey, natural, unsweetened applesauce, Grade B maple syrup (to be used sparingly), brown rice syrup, no-sugar added spaghetti sauce, no sugar-added peanut butter. barley malt syrup(Do I even NEED to say no doughnuts, candy bars, candy, cakes or cookies? J ). I personally try to stay away from sweeteners of any kind. If you are a sugar addict, you should as well.
*** Week 9: Meats ***
Goal ... Eliminate processed meats, smokes or cured meats, high fat cuts of meat, processed foods and preservatives. Eliminate processed foods from the diet. No frozen dinners, deli or luncheon meats (i.e. ham, honey ham, turkey, salami, roast beef, bacon, canadian bacon, hot dogs, etc). Preservatives such as jellies, jams, etc.
Substitute ... Fresh varieties of the above, lean cuts of meat, white meat in place of dark meat, fresh tuna, albacore, chicken and turkey.
*** Week 10: Sodium ***
Goal ... Eliminate salt and foods high in sodium.
Substitute ... Choose low-sodium soups, canned vegetables (fresh are preferable) and meats, (again, fresh cuts preferable). Rinse veggies and meats with water to remove excess sodium. Choose seasonings and herbs other than salt, such as garlic or onion powder, lemon, rosemary, lemon pepper, rosemary, basil, tarragon, oregano, dried mustard, celery salt, salt substitute (NOTE: salt substitute contains potassium. Use with caution if you have kidney disease, Adrenal insufficiency, are taking potassium-sparing diuretics, or are taking a class of antihypertensives known as ACE Inhibitors {Check with your doctor if you are uncertain}) ,low sodium spaghetti sauce, steam veggies in low-sodium chicken or beef broth, low-sodium bread, broth, soups, vegetables, canned meats, low-sodium peanut butter*, low-sodium popcorn* *(NOTE: May contain greater fat content)
*** Week 11: Fried Foods ***
Goal ... Eliminate fried foods.
Substitute ... anything baked, broiled, grilled, boiled, and poached, all poultry to be cooked without the skin.
*** Week 12: Soy Protein ***
Goal ... Incorporate soy-based products into the diet.
Substitute ... soy protein powder for whey protein powder. Incorporate calcium-fortified soymilk into a cow's milk diet, add flavored soymilk to fruit and yogurt to make smoothies.
- apple, 1 medium: 81 calories, .5 fat (grams)
- banana, 1 medium: 105 calories, .6 fat (grams)
- blueberries, 1 cup, raw: 82 calories, .6 fat (grams)
- cantaloupe, 1 cup pieces: 57 calories, .4 fat (grams)
- cherries, 10 raw: 49 calories, .7 fat (grams)
- grapefruit, half: 37 calories, .1 fat (grams)
- grapes, 1 cup: 58 calories, .3 fat (grams)
- kiwifruit, 1 medium: 46 calories, .3 fat (grams)
- orange, 1 medium: 65 calories, .1 fat (grams)
- papaya, 1 medium: 117 calories, .4 fat (grams)
- peach, 1 medium: 37 calories, .1 fat (grams)
- pear, 1 medium: 98 calories, .7 fat (grams)
- pineapple, fresh, 1 cup: 77 calories, .7 fat (grams)
- strawberries, 1 cup: 45 calories, .6 fat (grams)
- watermelon, 1 cup: 50 calories, .7 fat (grams)
