Suggestions for eating clean

[iris]

I have three children and a husband that likes to snack. I know this is no excuse for eating poorly, but I sure would like to hear what you all eat for meals and ESPECIALLY, what do you snack on during the day? Please don't tell me you have slices of carrots waiting for you in the frig

Patty
In NC

 

[Amysue]

Eating healthy must be a lifestyle. Your kids have to see the benefits that you gain by your habits before they'll adopt them, even if you are strict at home. In other words, they'll eat crappy when you aren't around.
We are strict during the week, but have no kids. We eat no flour, sugar, salt, milk ... it works for us. No processed foods. We like it and have our cheat days on the weekends. We feel great and have all lost pounds and gained muscle. But, if eating clean were easy, everyone would do it, enjoy it and look great. Just like working out hard...everyone would look like Cathe, Arnold, Marla, Susie, etc....

 

[Cyndie]

Here are some of my favorite foods.

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with broccoli and feta cheese
Oatmeal with chopped apple and walnuts and little maple syrup
Toaster waffles with little sour cream and blueberries

Lunch is usually a good healthy canned soup from the health food store. My two favorites are lentil and black bean with chicken. I also snack on yogurt.

For dinner there are so many options it would be hard to write them all down. My favorites are fish, tacos, and hamburgers. I try to have steamed veggies with dinner most nights of the week. There are nights when my vegetable is salad made from swiss chard and kale. Get rid of the iceburg. Another thihg I do is saute mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, swiss chard, yellow squash, and carrots with olive oil, fresh minced parsley and dried basil. I add this to pasta with sauce. It makes a great meal with a ton of vegetables.

I find I don't snack too much. I really like eating cantaloupe and watermelon. I concentrate on eating complete meals that are so satisfying I am not too hungry for much else during the day. My one weakness though is cereal. I love it and can eat a ton. It works for me sometimes though if I need something in my stomacn and I have to go teach a class.

You just have to play around with your diet until you find the right balance. You have to make changes that you can maintain long term. I am finally in that place where I have utilized a lot of nutrition info and have generally good eating habits with the occassional indulgence. Keep striving for that and you will get there.

Take care, Cyndie

 

[Bobbi]

Hi, Iris, the best way to get them to snack healthily is to leave them no option but to snack healthily!

I do buy a little junk but I also keep on hand lots of whole grain products. It's a process, incorporating wholesome food, and they do grumble but I cook brown rice and buy very hearty whole grain bread. I have found that I will allow white tortillas and pasta. I have never found a whole wheat tortilla they'd eat, nor whole wheat pasta that is in any way palatable to myself. We might consume these two types of foods twice per week so I feel it's fine. Also pizza once or twice a month.

Overall though, I keep things very clean. I pass on products with partially or fully hydrogenated oils. I won't buy things which have lists of ingredients that are long and full of things I don't recognize. You have to read labels. I am trying to incorporate more beans too. They are so nutritious and I love lentils! I just don't know how to cook them very well.

I like to cook things from scratch so buying highly processed foods isn't a problem. Also once you are in the habit of cooking from scratch, foods bought made are so salty they taste awful!

We eat lots of vegetables and a fair amount of fruit. The good example you set now will sink into them someday, perhaps when they are trying to feed their children nutritously!

I strive for balance. I won't eliminate all goodies but I do try to be smart about what we eat! My kids and hubby eat as much crap as they can, especially when they are away from me! I hope they will learn to care someday!

Tell your family the latest research suggests that heredity accounts for thirty percent of health risks. Seventy percent can be attributed to lifestyle. A clean diet and exercise are the ticket to longevity! They'll roll their eyes at you and call you a health nut if they are at all like my family. But perhaps someday, they'll follow your example!

Good luck!

Bobbi

 

[Bobbi]

Hi, Amy,

Wow, I am impressed. I think I'd have a hard time adhering to your diet! Can you give me an example of what you might typically eat during the week?

Thanks,

Bobbi

 

[Debra]

Patty, actually I do keep baby carrots in the fridge. No kids in the house but my husband is still quite in touch with his inner child. I always keep in season fruit around. If it's already sliced or cleaned, DH will eat it. More staples: dried fruit & nuts, healthy cereal, frzn fruit (inc. bananas) for soy smoothies (what kid doesn't like a "milk shake"?), natural peanut butter, & plain yogurt. I make muffins frequently. Not the high fat, high sugar type but low fat, mixed grain, w/ fruit. They're easy to make & easy to store in freezer.

Main courses are full of vegies. It's easier to get someone to eat the hearty greens if they're buried in pasta or soup. Also you can mix more nutritious flours (soy, triticale, oat) w/ regular a.p. flour & at least compromise on the nutrition. It doesn't matter if it's nutritious if it doesn't get eaten.

I keep reading about the importance of lycopene in male diets. So DH has a daily glass of low sodium V8.

We're not angels but try to eat healthy most of the time for long-term health. Plus we just feel a lot better when we're eating clean.

Debra

 

[honeybunch]

I'm trying to pry myself away from the TV these days, so I got a stack of books from the library. Two good ones are "Thin for Life," and "Eating Thin for Life" by Anne M. Fletcher, M.S.,R.D. These contain the compiled secrets of losing weight and keeping it off of people who have done it successfully. No rocket science here, just common sense approaches that are proven to work.

It boils down to good food choices, behavior modification, exercise, and all that boring stuff we know about already. To put it very simply, these folks decided that they wanted to get down to and keep a good healthy weight more than they wanted to eat junk food. They still get their treats, of course, just in moderation, and they incorporated cooking tricks to lessen calorie and fat content.

It's a constant battle, so we need all the education we can get. These books are easy reads, so they won't take you long to get through them.