There is no fitness goal which you can achieve without first cleaning up your diet. Changing your diet is one of the biggest challenges when faced with improving ones health. A majority of people are used to eating highly processed foods on a regular basis and breaking away from that can be difficult. The good news is, it isn't impossible and once you make it a habit to eat clean, it becomes a part of your life.
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In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."
A person that eats clean generally practices the following:
- Eliminates refined sugar
- Cooks healthy meals
- Packs healthy meals
- Makes healthy choices when dining out
- Drinks a lot of water
- Eats 5-6 small meals per day
- Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
- Always eats breakfast
Eating clean can be a major transition for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food. It takes discipline in order to make eating clean a habit but it is possible and has so many long-term health benefits.
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I have been incorporating clean eating into my diet since last week. I need some tips for packing a good lunch with snacks to take to my office. I live in mexico and I have most friuts and veggies available to me, but I do not have much access to berries and quality nuts. What would be a lunch box for me. I am a male six foot one and tempoarilly chunky.
Geoff
Fresh Spinach with diced tomato, onion and garlic. Spice up with black pepper and oregano- I also like a squirt of mustard on top- add cooked in JUST WATER pinto beans and sprinkle some olive oil (not too much!). On the side- 1/3 cup of cooked in water brown rice (no salt)- squeeze some lemon juice in it and add parsley and some black pepper.
TIP: 15 minutes before the meal have a glass of water and a small apple (it will help you feel satisfied quicker)
Hi Geoff Jones, for clean eating snacks, I pack the following things for my husband:
1/2 cup of fat free yogurt mixed with a cup of any fresh chopped fruit (the fruit naturally sweetens the yogurt)
A protein shake make in the morning and taken to work in a container with: 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup fat free yougurt, 1/2 cup fat free milk (you could also use water) and 1/2 to a cup of any soft fruit (e.g. strawberries, peaches, mango) blended with a hand blender
1/2 cup cooked brown rice mixed with 1/2 cup cooked black beans, also mixed with 1/2 cup home made salsa (tomatoes, onion, fresh coriander) (yum!)
Tosca Reno’s “Ziploc omelet” is also fantastic as lunch, or half of it as your snack
4 celery sticks and half cup fat free cottage cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups tuna salad made with: can white tuna, 2 tblsp finely chopped onions, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, some chopped mint (if you have it, but optional) a few tblsp fat free yogurt, squirt of lemon juice, you can add some finely chopped cucumber too (as much as you like!) Delicious!
All these things can be prepared night before, or morning of and taken to work in tuppaware containers. Hope this is helpful!
I am looking into clean eating *it started with just a browse at a clean eating cookbook*. Does anyone have anything they can share, good or bad about it?
Too bad 100% clean eating is a little inconvenient for me
- (i am 17,and what can i say; i enjoy the occasional 0 calorie carbonated bev now and then,a few sips of my dad’s coffee,and i also have a thing for sugar-free energy drinks,lol).
i do try to eat SUPER healthy though,and i drink LOTS of filtered water throughout the day.
i take lots of vitamins (B75 comp.,omega 3-6-9,multivitamin/mineral tablets 2x daily.
i feel very healthy so far,but i got a bit of weight to lose (“a bit” as in 68lb!.)
cheers~
I find that the sugar replacements (aspartame, or Splenda) make me thirstier (I actually get a “dry mouth” feel) and hungrier. Occasionally, I guess it’s OK. But I can’t have just one. It’s great that at your age you are eating healthy though — congratulations! Don’t worry too much about the weight.
I have been eating clean for about 4 years. The key is planning and preparation. It does take time and work but the results from eating clean are worth every minute! This is a way of life! People that want to get in shape,lose weight and build muscle Must eat clean! Read up, become educated on clean eating and do not delay. Eating clean will help you lose weight,give you energy and improve your health!
http://bodybuildingandyou.blogspot.com/
Hi there, I am new to this idea, and my family and I would like to make some major changes in our diet. None of us are overweight, just not getting any younger. I want to enter my later years with as much energy and good health as I can! My question is this… I had gastric bypass surgery about 5 years ago. Carbs, even the good ones, cause cravings, not to mention bloating and gas! I keep my carbs under 40 a day. I consume at least 100 grams of protein a day, mostly in protein powders mixed with water or decaf coffee. I take a high quality multivitamin, calcium and Rx. iron supplements. I drink no sodas or juices, just water, unsewwt tea or decaf coffee. How close do you think I can come to meeting the clean eating lifestyle?
Thanks for your help!!
Mary in TN
Mary,
You are doing great with your clean eating lifestyle! Good for you, it is also good that you are involving your whole family!
As far as the gas and bloating goes…I am wondering if you have an intolerance to wheat. I would suggest that you try and cut out wheat from your diet. I have a intolerance to wheat and gluten. I have cut them out completely and feel so much better. If you are going to have carbs try eating oatmeal,brown rice,sweet potatoes and other fruits and vegetables. Broccoli is one that is hard to digest and can tend to cause gas and bloating. When you eat a carb make sure to pare it with a protein. Such as egg whites,cottage cheese,grilled chicken,tuna etc.
I am going to recommend a book for you. It is called The Eat Clean diet by Tosca Reno. Great book and it can really help you in your endeavor to eat clean! Hope this was somewhat helpful!
http://bodybuildingandyou.blogspot.com/
my wife started shopping at ‘whole foods’ grocery almost 5 years ago. aside from straying once in a while (vacation, travel, etc.) and the propensity to imbibe beer (not a ‘natural’ beer from that store), we eat exclusively from their available products. we have noticed an incredible change in our health and physiques since that time, but i wonder – does eating foods from an all natural store constitute eating clean? and as far as the beer goes, is it really that bad given the change in diet elsewhere?
SD….Sounds like you have made some great changes in your diet. To get a better idea of what clean eating actually is check out Tosca Reno’s website:
http://eatcleandiet.com/ I have her book and it is something that my husband and i both follow. It is not a “diet” in the sense that it is temporary to lose pounds. This is a way of life. Don’t get me wrong we do drink wine and my husband loves his beer.But we drink in moderation.We used to drink during the week and always on the weekend. Now we hardly even want it. I think once your body is used to eating clean and you are exercising regularly you do not have a desire for alcohol and sugar as much. Don’t get me wrong we still enjoy it!:) Keep up the good work!
http://bodybuildingandyou.blogspot.com/
Reality Bites, sounds like you have great intentions. Pls be careful with your supplements. Taking all those supplements twice a day may not be healthy. You can achieve a toxic level through supplements, however not with food. Food should be your first form of nutritiion, only supplemented if you know for a fact that you are not getting enough of a particular vitamin or mineral. There is no need for supplementation if you can achieve the RDA values through food.
I have totally given up on ALL bottled beverages and drink nothing but my one cup of black coffee in the morning and water, water and MORE water the rest of the time.
It boggles my brain anymore when I look up and down the beverage aisle of the supermarket and see all of this STUFF being marketed NONE of which ANYONE needs or benefits from!!
Love the idea of clean eating and am always trying to move closer and closer to this.
Don
I have been trying to follow Tosca’s Clean Eating, I have the book and love it, but with giving up alcohol I am finding I have cravings now for chocolate and sweets. i am trying to hang tough but now and again I have to have some chocolate! Definitely improved physique with Clean Eating and hopefully will keep improving over time!
This is an idea for Jackie..
Whenever I’m craving chocolate I grab myself a LARAbar – Jocalat flavour. It’s all natural, delicious & totally clean. Give that a go and see if you like it!
Hope that helps.
For the eating clean lifestyle – should you be drinking any particular water? It sounds silly, but I’ve read for some health diets, that you should drink “pure water”, whatever that means? Generally I drink boiled water and its not filtered or anything.
I started eating clean about a week ago. I love it. I am not trying to lose weight, I just want to live a healthy life. What should or shouldn’t I do?????
Is it ok to drink home brewed de-caf tea instead of just plain water? I have a hard time drinking just water and I know I don’t drink enough during the day…
In 1991, the National Institutes of Health.[17] listed 167 symptoms and reasons to avoid the use of aspartame. It has also been indicated that women with an intolerance for phenylalinine, one of the compoents of aspartame, may give birth to infants with as much as a 15% drop in intelligence level if they habitually consume products containing this dangerous substance.
i have recently taken a nutrition class with my personal training certification and let me tell you that this class has rocked the very foundations of what i thought for nutrition and health in general. All the things i thought to be truths have now been brought to me to question and truly look at. Take the time to research things…. The FDA has required food manufacturers to label their products and identify if they are using trans fats. However under FDA regulations “if the serving contains less then 0.5 gram [of trans fat], the content, when declared, shall be expressed as zero.” for more on the article on Aspartame please visit http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/government_cover_up.htm
As someone who promotes clean eating you might find this link useful -
http://www.everythingzing.com/nutrition-guidelines.htm
Liam
I am reading these blogs and see where some people mention protein powders and splenda. I thought that if “man” made it then it shouldn’t be part of the plan. Also, what about wine? I know that man made it, but it’s also natural product. Please fill me in. I just started my diet today!
I just want to know, does this lifestyle change (eating clean) really work for weight loss? I have bought the book, and am trying to incorporate as much of this way of eating into my life as I can at this time (I am a bit financially strapped right now). Next week, I will get my pay and be able to pick up the “right foods”. I know alot of people on here have said that’s its very healthy, and you have lots of energy, all things I want as well, but have you lost weight? Please tell me how much and how much time it took?
I have to agree with Megan. If this “way of life” means eating only foods in their natural state than things like Splenda and Protein powder should not be on the list. I don’t know of Tosca would agree but that is my opinion. I like the rule that you only eat things your great grandmother would recognize as food. A simple but effective way of deciding what is likely nutritional and what is likely a man made attempt at something edible.
shouldnt “eating clean” also include proper food combining?
“simple whole foods combined with each other properly” is a more accurite statement of “eating clean”….yes?