I am finally brave enough to try clean eating

larrygaga · June 2014

Right off the bat, this has nothing to do with dieting or weight loss. I promise. I know I have talked how I used to have an eating disorder on here before, and I am being good still! I usually hate the idea of any trend diet or weird cleanse, but revamping my eating to include more fruits and veggies and less processed food sounds really good. I want to try it for a week and see how I feel about it, and see if this is a long term way for me to eat. I normally eat pretty healthy, but I do eat a quite a bit white rice and granola bars and sugary yogurt and cheese and things like that. Things that I know I can upgrade into something healthier and more nutritional, and still have what I want to eat. I also bought a very delicious looking bottle of peach moscato so I don't go super crazy at all the healthiness. I think I will do a sort of journal because I know you guys care so much about what I eat everyday.

So, since I'm completely new to this, any tips or advice are very welcome. I also have a pretty strange diet already because FI has celiac's disease and crohn's so we have a particular diet we already have to follow. So my diet might seem strange, but it's going to be close to what I eat everyday and will continue to eat everyday. Just less processed food. I am drinking only water, coffee, black tea and wine. Mostly water.

Breakfast: Rolled oats (made with water) and honey, black coffee

Lunch: Spinach salad with a southwestern themed mix of onions, peppers, chicken, garlic and chicken. I also had an apple. The veggie mix had been cooked with olive oil, so I didn't need a dressing.

Dinner: Spicy Peanut veggie stir fry, with brown rice. I also added a few eggs for some more protein. This is seriously my favorite thing to eat. I made lots so I can be lazy and have leftovers.

Snack: Mixed nuts, wine

I biked about an hour today. My legs are sore from all these crazy hills on the bike path. I feel good. This was an easy first day.

SBmini · June 2014

Good for you! A great rule of thumb is to only shop on the perimeter of the grocery store and don't buy anything they advertise. There's some exceptions to these rules, but they are mostly true.

Some ideas-

Frozen veggies are nutritionally just about the same as fresh, but they are cheaper and last longer. Some chicken and a bag of mixed veggies makes a really good quick dinner.

Flax seed- these little guys have a huge amount of nutrition and can be added to pretty much everything. Salads, oatmeal, dinners with sauce- you name it.

Look out for hidden ingredients. I stay away from things like bread and cereal because so much of it has sugar and even 'whole grain bread' has a ton of white flour in it. Salad dressings and sauces can also be deceptive. Reading ingredients and checking labels is a great way to control what you eat, or making your own. THen you know exactly what is in everything.

lyndausvi · June 2014

Good luck.

The only clean eating I do it rising off my foods before eating or cooking and keeping a clean kitchen.

lc07 · June 2014

As far as "clean" goes, most wine is processed really horribly. I buy mostly Italian wine and take recs from my friends in the biz because of how gross a lot of wine is treated. I also would suggest going organic to get rid of chemicals and fertilizers and antibiotics and weird stuff across the board. Natural is a bit more tricky. Cheese isn't so bad IMO! And you can make your own! GMO is the devil. ETA: I did type paragraphs.

larrygaga · June 2014

lc07 said:
As far as "clean" goes, most wine is processed really horribly. I buy mostly Italian wine and take recs from my friends in the biz because of how gross a lot of wine is treated.

I also would suggest going organic to get rid of chemicals and fertilizers and antibiotics and weird stuff across the board.

Natural is a bit more tricky.

Cheese isn't so bad IMO! And you can make your own!

GMO is the devil.

ETA: I did type paragraphs.

I'm not ready to give up wine

NYCMercedes · June 2014

That spinach salad sounds yummy.

lc07 · June 2014

larrygaga said:

As far as "clean" goes, most wine is processed really horribly. I buy mostly Italian wine and take recs from my friends in the biz because of how gross a lot of wine is treated. I also would suggest going organic to get rid of chemicals and fertilizers and antibiotics and weird stuff across the board. Natural is a bit more tricky. Cheese isn't so bad IMO! And you can make your own! GMO is the devil. ETA: I did type paragraphs.
I'm not ready to give up wine

*SITB*

I'm currently drinking some. Wine isn't bad at a basic level. A lot of it is just processed with a bunch of crap. I also am not a 100% clean eater. So I do drink crap here and there.

wandajune6 · June 2014

I'm impressed! I go through phases of clean eating but they don't last as long as I'd like. My failures are always due to poor planning.

My 2 pieces of advice:
1. Plan your meals and snacks. It's much easier to eat well when you have a plan.

2. Spices! I have a ridiculous spice cabinet that I work from. They're clean, healthy, and make meals more interesting. When I'm being disciplined with my eating, I experiment a lot with flavors. I love sesame oil and balsamic vinegar (separately) and start adding flavors. Mix things up so eating heathy stays fun.

Enjoy the process. You're making me want to get back on track.

drptobe14 · June 2014

Congrats on eating healthier. I added more produce to my diet, and I've really seen an improvement.

Ok, nutritionist soapbox time, I apologize in advance.

I work with conventionally raised livestock, pigs to be specific. Yes, we give antibiotics, but it doesn't end up in your food. There are 21 day withdrawal times to prevent antibiotic residues in your meat, which means that by the time it is slaughtered/processed/hits your plate, it's antibiotic-free. Testing is also performed randomly at the slaughterhouse to double-check for the residues. If your meat is found to contain it, that farm is in a lot of trouble, and the meat is thrown away.

Organic foods are not nutritionally better for you than conventionally produced fruits, veggies, or meats. The increased price is due to an increased production cost. Without antibiotics or pesticides, we have an increase in product loss.

I'm not saying don't eat organic; I'm just saying you can eat the same stuff for cheaper and have more money to buy wine.

Again, good luck on your journey to healthier eating!

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

I don't know where in metro-D you live, but have you looked into Door to Door Organics? I used to subscribe and LOVED it. I'd get the bitty box of mixed fruits and vegetables every other week - no remembering to stop at the store or dealing with traffic and people. They send you an email a few days out telling you what's coming, you can swap out things you don't like, and it shows up on your doorstep. You can add goodies like milk and cheese and chocolate too. It DOES require a lot of planning to eat what you get though! That's why I stopped getting it for a while... once I moved in with FI it was just too hard to keep up with the plan when he wanted to go out for shawarma and I was easily persuaded.

Farmington and Royal Oak have awesome farmer's markets too!

vk2204 · June 2014

lolo883 said:

I don't know where in metro-D you live, but have you looked into Door to Door Organics? I used to subscribe and LOVED it. I'd get the bitty box of mixed fruits and vegetables every other week - no remembering to stop at the store or dealing with traffic and people. They send you an email a few days out telling you what's coming, you can swap out things you don't like, and it shows up on your doorstep. You can add goodies like milk and cheese and chocolate too. It DOES require a lot of planning to eat what you get though! That's why I stopped getting it for a while... once I moved in with FI it was just too hard to keep up with the plan when he wanted to go out for shawarma and I was easily persuaded.

Farmington and Royal Oak have awesome farmer's markets too!

Don't forget about Eastern Market!

Inkdancer · June 2014

I am always up for reading about delicious food.

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

vk2204 said:

lolo883 said:

I don't know where in metro-D you live, but have you looked into Door to Door Organics? I used to subscribe and LOVED it. I'd get the bitty box of mixed fruits and vegetables every other week - no remembering to stop at the store or dealing with traffic and people. They send you an email a few days out telling you what's coming, you can swap out things you don't like, and it shows up on your doorstep. You can add goodies like milk and cheese and chocolate too. It DOES require a lot of planning to eat what you get though! That's why I stopped getting it for a while... once I moved in with FI it was just too hard to keep up with the plan when he wanted to go out for shawarma and I was easily persuaded.

Farmington and Royal Oak have awesome farmer's markets too!

Don't forget about Eastern Market!

Meh, Eastern Market isn't all local or organic. Some of it is great, but there are people selling Dole pineapples there. Color me unimpressed.

clarke10 · June 2014

This is great! FH and I have actually been eating Paleo the past few weeks and it's going so much better than I thought it would. Our meals basically consist of meat, fruits and vegetables. No grains, no dairy, no processed foods. We both already feel so much better.

I have noticed that I have to grocery shop more often. I go once a week now. Every two weeks I stock up on meats and frozen veggies and shop for fresh produce every week.

SBmini · June 2014

drptobe14 said:

Congrats on eating healthier. I added more produce to my diet, and I've really seen an improvement.
Ok, nutritionist soapbox time, I apologize in advance.
I work with conventionally raised livestock, pigs to be specific. Yes, we give antibiotics, but it doesn't end up in your food. There are 21 day withdrawal times to prevent antibiotic residues in your meat, which means that by the time it is slaughtered/processed/hits your plate, it's antibiotic-free. Testing is also performed randomly at the slaughterhouse to double-check for the residues. If your meat is found to contain it, that farm is in a lot of trouble, and the meat is thrown away.
Organic foods are not nutritionally better for you than conventionally produced fruits, veggies, or meats. The increased price is due to an increased production cost. Without antibiotics or pesticides, we have an increase in product loss.
I'm not saying don't eat organic; I'm just saying you can eat the same stuff for cheaper and have more money to buy wine.
Again, good luck on your journey to healthier eating!

Pro tip on spices- buy the bagged kind opposed to the ones in bottles. You pay such a premium for packaging! Then, buy cheap spice bottles you can reuse, I have these IKEA ones and they are great:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40064702/

Oh, and also, it is totally possible to buy clean wine. Check this site out: http://www.naturalwine.com Note, there is no approved global standard for what makes a wine organic. Some just use organic grapes, also are raw and natural from start to finish.

wandajune6 · June 2014

I agree with @SBmini on bagged spices. A friend of the family used to own a bulk foods store that sold spices. She actually ordered specimen jars for spices and sold them as spice jars. I have tons of them and buy more on eBay when needed. They're crazy cheap, easily labeled with a Sharpie, and they fit nicely in my cabinets and drawers.

They're great, assuming you can get past their intended purpose!

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

wandajune6 said:

I agree with @SBmini on bagged spices. A friend of the family used to own a bulk foods store that sold spices. She actually ordered specimen jars for spices and sold them as spice jars. I have tons of them and buy more on eBay when needed. They're crazy cheap, easily labeled with a Sharpie, and they fit nicely in my cabinets and drawers.

They're great, assuming you can get past their intended purpose!

Bwahaha... my mom was an ER nurse, and used to steal (unused!!!) specimen cups to use as Tupperware. She thought they were the perfect size for sending grapes and chips in our lunch boxes in elementary school... kids at school did not agree, and teased us relentlessly for eating out of pee cups. Thanks, Mom.

larrygaga · June 2014

So day two! I went on another little bike ride and got some sun.

I was pretty hungry today. I don't think it has anything to do with eating clean, I am just extra hungry some days.

Breakfast: Rolled oats and a banana

Lunch: Salad with olive oil, random veggies, mushrooms and a few olives. I had a slice of "clean" cheese and a handful of nuts

Dinner: Left over rice and veggie stir fry. I ate a ton of it! lol

I also had lots of berries as a snack, as well as carrots.

SBmini · June 2014

What did you used to eat for breakfast? A breakfast that is high in protein will leave you feeling fuller, longer, than a carb-filled breakfast. Add some flax seed to your oatmeal, and cream if that counts as clean.

Also, are you tracking calories? Veggies do not contain a lot of calories, you may be hungry because you aren't getting enough calories.I use My Fitness Pal. I can create recipes and meals with it and it makes tracking what I eat really easy.

larrygaga · June 2014

SBmini said:

What did you used to eat for breakfast? A breakfast that is high in protein will leave you feeling fuller, longer, than a carb-filled breakfast. Add some flax seed to your oatmeal, and cream if that counts as clean.

Also, are you tracking calories? Veggies do not contain a lot of calories, you may be hungry because you aren't getting enough calories.I use My Fitness Pal. I can create recipes and meals with it and it makes tracking what I eat really easy.

I didn't change my breakfast. I almost always eat either oatmeal with fruit, toast with peanut butter or a few eggs. I do think I didn't get enough protein yesterday. I track calories with MFP as well to make sure I'm eating enough. At a minimum I will eat 1,300 calroies, but it's usually around 1,600 calories. Yesterday I ate 1,800.

larrygaga · June 2014

Day 3: I didn't exercise today. I only like to exercise outside and it rained

Breakfast: Leftover stir fry. I just didn't feel like eating my normal breakfast food.

Lunch: Spinach salad with carrots, mushrooms, and grape tomatoes. I also had nuts and berries along with it.

Dinner: Whole wheat pesto pasta with a piece of tilapia. It was really filling.

For a snack I had a glass of wine.

I bought lots of things to get creative with my clean eating, but I have been far too lazy about making those things. So this is a boring food day.

I feel pretty normal, but I keep having the runs. I think it's most likely because I'm eating more veggies. I am also bloated. I am not worried, I think this will go away when I get used to the extra fiber. I need to eat more protein and I always struggle with eating too much sodium.

sophhabobopha · June 2014

larrygaga said:

Day 3: I didn't exercise today. I only like to exercise outside and it rained

Breakfast: Leftover stir fry. I just didn't feel like eating my normal breakfast food.

Lunch: Spinach salad with carrots, mushrooms, and grape tomatoes. I also had nuts and berries along with it.

Dinner: Whole wheat pesto pasta with a piece of tilapia. It was really filling.

For a snack I had a glass of wine.

I bought lots of things to get creative with my clean eating, but I have been far too lazy about making those things. So this is a boring food day.

I feel pretty normal, but I keep having the runs. I think it's most likely because I'm eating more veggies. I am also bloated. I am not worried, I think this will go away when I get used to the extra fiber. I need to eat more protein and I always struggle with eating too much sodium.

SITB
This happened to me when I started eating cleaner. Congrats!

I am finally brave enough to try clean eating

Re: I am finally brave enough to try clean eating

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