So what does eating clean mean to you?

Heidisue

Heidisue

Cathlete
I was just wondering who out there eat's clean and how? I am a pretty healthy eater, just looking for new ideas on how to get more fruits and veggies in a day. I just started a new thing where I drink a can of V-8 juice right after a workout. There's 1 serving of veggies a day.:7 Any good recipes or tips of advice?
 
My general guideline to eating clean is to first of all try and avoid anything processed, packaged, artificial and prepared. I know that it's next to impossible for most people to eat 100% clean, but I try and keep to the above. Then after that, making sure I keep my saturated fat intake low and keep carbs to whole grains. That I must admit is my weakness because I like my pastas and white breads as much as I know it's not the best thing to eat. However, as far as the getting more fruits and veggies, adding at least one serving of fruit or vegetable to each meal or snack helps me meet my daily servings for the day a lot easier. I try to do things like make a smoothie and throw in 2 servings worth of fruit and then have vegetables with my lunch and dinner.
 
I usually eat anywhere from 5-6 meals a day. A typical day for me would look like this:

Meal 1: steel cut oatmeal w/Wonder peanut butter + blueberries
Meal 2: 2 hard-boiled eggs (eating only the whites) + orange
Meal 3: eggplant/chickpea stew or steak or chicken with yam or brown rice + broccoli + peach or apple
Meal 4: salad w/beans or steak or chicken or tuna
Meal 5: fish (red sockeye salmon, halibut, scallops or red snapper) with salad or green beans
Meal 6: protein shake (PVL Whey Gourmet)

On cardio days I eliminate the shake. Otherwise, on weight training days I drink the shake.

Also what I do is I cook up everything on Sunday. Doesn't take long at all. You'll have to get used to putting everything in containers. That way its easy to just grab & pack when going to work (if you work outside the home). I try to get recipes that contain a lot of veggies such as in stews or vegetarian chilis.

If you want further help, you should buy the e-book from Tom Venuto from his site tomvenuto.com. I'm a member of his Inner Circle.

HTH, Kathy:D
 
"My general guideline to eating clean is to first of all try and avoid anything processed, packaged, artificial and prepared. I know that it's next to impossible for most people to eat 100% clean, but I try and keep to the above. Then after that, making sure I keep my saturated fat intake low and keep carbs to whole grains."

The above is also my rule of thumb, except for the "packaged" part. I buy packaged and prepared foods if the ingredients look alright to me. For example, I eat Kashi cereal and Kashi crackers, low-fat microwave popcorn, larabars, etc. For me, the most important thing is to read the ingredients on the package and generally make sure they sound healthy.

Nancy
 
I would consider some of my friends as eating clean. They grind their own wheat, bake their own bread, raise their own meat (chickens, cow, lamb), grow their own fruits and vegetables, and buy raw milk from a local farmer. I can't even begin to remember all they do from canning to making their own granola. I love going to their dinner parties. The entire meal is grown by them. Delicious! When I bring over a purchased food item, their 20 year old daughter sweetly remarks how much she loves fake (fill in the blank). My gf and I always joke that we want to be like them when we grow up. ;-)
 
I don't particularly like the term 'clean eating,' but I consider it to be eating primarily whole foods, avoiding most processed foods (those that come in a box or can) except for those with few ingredients that are whole and pronounceable, not eating artificial foods (artificial colors, flavorings, anything on a label that you can't identify.

One good first step is to eliminate any food that contains high fructose corn syrup/sweetener or partially-hydrogenated/hydrogenated oils. Leaving those two manufactured ingredients--that our bodies don't know what to do with--from your diet can go a long way to improving your health.
 
Dlandkk808, thanks! :)

I wish clean eating meant more to me than that but I just don't have the time or energy to not eat "boxed" food! I'd rather spend my time working out, I admire anyone that makes the time for both... I guess I am just too lazy!
 
To me, "clean eating" is being aware of what is going into my body. Eliminating high fructose corn syrup, like Kathryn said. Staying away from processed foods and sugar, which can sometimes be difficult. Eating more whole grains, nuts, fruits and veggies, lean protien like fish and chicken. Balancing every meal with good carbs and protein.

Just my .02!

Melissa
 
JenL13,

I can understand. It really takes a lot of commitment to "eating clean." Believe me, I have general guidelines which are my ideal, but then I do have a husband and two children which makes it hard at times. I confess, I've bought stuff where I read the package and thought, "bad, bad, bad", but threw it in my cart because it was easy. As long as I don't do it too often, I'm okay with it.

Lisa (dlandkk808)
 
If I could cut out M&M's from my "diet", I would consider myself as having a clean eating breakthough! How pathetic is THAT????
Angela;(
 
The peanut M&M's are my downfall. I would choose a bag of those demons over, sadly, anything!

Cheryl
 
Lately this means always cleaning up my plate, just like Mom & Dad taught me!!:p Now, if I could only learn to put LESS on that plate!
 
Yeah M&M and Terri aka mnglamourgirl just sent me a bag of reeses pieces in the mail...that is just cruel & unusual punishment, at least that is what my backside is saying, my mouth is saying...umm, more please! :)
 
One thing that always seems to get lost is this: it is possible to gain weight while "eating clean." Best example of that is body builders who "eat clean." We read so many examples on these boards of folks who are mystified when they "eat clean" and gain weight because they think they don't have to track anything using this method. Portion control is still important even if you "eat clean" or "eat organic."
 
>One thing that always seems to get lost is this: it is
>possible to gain weight while "eating clean." Best example of
>that is body builders who "eat clean."

True. You still have to make the right choices, even in clean food, and emphasize the nutrient-dense, calorie-poor foods (veggies) while limiting the calorie-dense foods (nuts and high-fat fruits like avocados and olives).
 
I have never lost sight of that. I have always said on these boards that eating clean is not enough, and have always received the response "it depends upon how you define eating clean", even when I thought the definition was quite clear. I stick to trying to eat clean AND limiting my fat intake and my intake of simple sugars. If you want to lose weight, or even just maintain, you need all of those elements. For example, I LOVE peanuts and peanut butter, but I eat them very sparingly.

I don't think the true definition of eating clean, as used by Cathe and others, means eating low-fat or low simple sugar. But, in my opinion, you definitely need all 3 to control your weight.

Nancy
 
>I don't think the true definition of eating clean, as used by
>Cathe and others, means eating low-fat or low simple sugar.
>But, in my opinion, you definitely need all 3 to control your
>weight.

I'm not even sure what the true definition of clean eating is! In some bodybuilding magazines, they suggest that it's simple food, without artificial substances added to it, prepared simply. That definitely wouldn't rule out high-fat.
 
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