Husband wants to start eating clean..need advice.....

[joditoad1974]

I know eating clean is mainly eating foods as close to the their natural state as possible. Can I ask if some things are considered ok?

Mashed potatoes(flakes)....fat free margarine (smart beat added)
canned vegtables or frozen....which is better?
Michellini's lean gourmet frozen dinners for work? Are these ok?
What kind of bread is best, I know wheat, but allot of them say wheat, and still are not wheat (very deceiving)

Trying to help him drop 40 lbs......dont really know what would be best.With all the pre packed products out there that claim to be low calorie (lean pockets, etc) I dont know what is best. He wants a copy of the biggest loser diet that is on the biggest loser website, but of course you have to sign up for a membership...and we are broke!

Any advice appreciated. Thanks ladies....

...I have been missing in action for a while, but back to my workouts again after gaining 8lbs back in 3 months of not working out. I work 5 10 hour days now.....and trying to fit my workouts back in again.

Joanna

 

[kathryn]

Some ideas:
>Mashed potatoes(flakes)....fat free margarine (smart beat
>added)
Mashed potatoes from scratch (including the peels--get organic ones), yes. Flakes: read the label. They contain other ingredients and usually not much fiber. If you eat carbohydrate foods, make sure they have fiber in them.

Fat-free margarine: not IMO.
Smart beat: maybe. A dash of olive or canola oil, maybe.

>canned vegtables or frozen....which is better?
Frozen are better, because they don't usually contain as much sodium, and aren't cooked to death like some canned veggies (compare canned green beans and frozen green beans to fresh steamed green beans: the frozen ones are much closer to fresh in appearance. The only exception: beans like kidney, black, black soy, pinto, etc. where canned versions save a lot of time (just rinse them off to remove excess sodium).

>Michellini's lean gourmet frozen dinners for work? Are these
>ok?
I've never looked at them, but most frozen meals are crap! Too much sodium. White flour and not whole wheat. White rice and not brown. Added chemicals. Check the labels, but I don't think they'll pass.

>What kind of bread is best, I know wheat, but a lot of them
>say wheat, and still are not wheat (very deceiving) .
They actually are "wheat," just not "WHOLE wheat." "Wheat" just means the source of the flour. Look for "whole wheat" as the first ingredient (it contains the bran, germ and endosperm of the wheat, rather than just the endosperm, like white/wheat bread does.

I like "Food for Life" sprouted grain buns (not so much a bread eater, but they have sprouted grain bread as well). No flour, just ground whole sprouts (more nutritious than the original seed they come from). They would take some getting used to if you aren't used to eating dense, whole-grain foods. I love them, and can't stand the pasty, doughy texture of white bread (which I used to LOVE as a kid. Tastes do change!)

With all the pre packed products out there that
>claim to be low calorie (lean pockets, etc) I dont know what
>is best.
Making your own food is best. Relying on pre-packaged foods often means additives, preservatives, too much sodium, white flour, sugar, etc.

You don't have to be 100% "perfect" in "eating clean" (I actually don't like that term, and prefer "whole food eating"). Any change for the better is an improvement. Think in terms of substitutions. Write down what you typically eat for a week, and then see how you could make replacements.

You can find some whole-food recipes online (some vegetarian ones at www.vegsource.com ).

Aside from what to eat, watch beverages: sodas are eiter just empty calories, or chemical sludge! Go for water, green/red/white teas. Don't drink your calories (ie: eat a whole orange rather than drinking orange juice...at least most of the time. One glass of O.J. a day won't hurt anything).

For breakfast, preferably have oatmeal (preferably not instant, but slow cooking kind, or, even better, oat groats, which are whole, cracked oats).

Be sure to eat lots of green veggies (kale, spinach, romain lettuce--iceberg lettuce is a nutritional lightweight--- broccoli), and, in fact, veggies of all different colors.

If you start each lunch an dinner with a big salad, it can regulate your appetite, and give you a nutritional boost to boot. Mix romaine or some other dark lettuce, chopped red pepper, red cabbage, cucumbers, whatever you like, maybe throw in some sunflower seeds, or some walnuts or some chopped avocado for fat (a bit of fat is necessary for your body to use the antioxidants and phytonutrients in the plants, so DON'T do "fat free" salads). You can even get to the point where you don't need/want dressing (I usually take my salads "naked"!).

Steam, bake, broil, sauté in a mix of a bit of oil and some cooking sherry (or mirin, a japanese cooking sake) to reduce fat content.
Avoid frying (especially deep frying).

 

[honeybunch1]

You may want to go to the library and check out a copy of the Abs Diet. This is put out by Men's Health - it's a very good diet and exercise resource, and very "guy friendly," of course. It will answer all of your questions and put him on the right path for "eating clean," plus getting in shape and keeping the weight off. You'll like it for yourself, too. Lots of good stuff in there.
Just Do It!