Anyone else Eat Clean or do the Eat Clean Diet?

[MelanieC]

Ever since I started to loose weight years ago, I had been working on cleaning up my diet and eating clean, whole food. It started out with me learning to read labels and at first I worked on getting rid of the processed foods and cleaning up the ingredients in my food. Natural ingredients in my foods instead of a huge list of chemicals. This was a work in progress and the more I learne and the more I cleane up the more I wanted to do more, lol.

After I was pretty much completely all natural I moved to organics and I'm mostly organic........but you know how it is, Meats are so expensive and I haven't found a good source yet. I do buy all dairy organic, and most of the the foods I buy at the store are organic except the ones I just can't find that way. I'd say 50%-75% of my veggies are organic. All my frozen ones are organic, and I try where I can find them to buy organic. I find that I can't find everything organic or sometimes they have it sometimes they don't. So its a work in progress.

Then there is DH who undoes what I do my going shopping on his own and bringing stuff home that isn't. Then I have to introduce it back -and I hate it when he does that because then I don't want to use the non-organic or will just go buy me my own and then we have double.

Also this is how I have cooked for years. When I look at a recipe, if there is anything that isn't all natural or clean I don't even try it. I don't use or buy any of those cans of cream of this (except sometimes I buy the organic ones). I make my own taco seasoning so I control what it goes in - in fact I do it just by adding seasonings to my pan. So when I cook, if it is one of those recipes that have things like bisquick, cream of this, packets of this, cans or jars of gravy - I don't even look at it. A good recipe for me is one with just ingredients that come with the ground and where you use your own spices (I've also replaced my entire spice rack with all organic spices one at a time).

So anyway - about a year ago I found the Eat Clean Diet. Its a book by Tosca Reno. Its pretty much the way body builders and athletes have eaten for years. Its just wholesome clean food. So when I found this book, I loved it. It's how I eat, except she promotes eating 5-6 small meals every few hours and pairing proteins with carbohydrates.

I love this diet. I've given up the sugay healthy cereals and now have oatmeal with blueberries or other fruit, flaxseed and a side of scrambled egg whites (often I include one whole egg). To mix it up I sometimes will have a healthy smoothie with yogurt and nuts for my protein, or sprouted grain bread with a nut butter, or even some scrambled eggs and brown rice. Usually though oatmeal is the way I start my day. It is so filling and it regulates my blood sugar when I do this. I have problems with my blood sugar if I wait to long in between eating. If I eat this way - every 2 -3 hours my blood sugar doesn't dip and I feel so much better.


Anyway - Does anyone eat this way or use the Eat Clean Diet? I don't hear many ppl here talk about it, so I wondered if I was the only one.

 

[Parkhopper_Vince]

We began the attempt to eat clean last year. We have both lost over 35 lbs and are continuing to read lables in our attempt to eat clean.

We have eliminated high fructose corn syrup, msg (those 2 were tough as it seems like they are in EVERYTHING!) and do not eat anything with chemicals or artificial sugars,

I would like to check out the cookbook that you reference because that has been a real struggle for us to find cookbooks with recipes that do not include artificial ingredients (especially artificial sugar substitutes)

 

[MelanieC]

Tosca reno has the following books that have eat clean recipes.

Eat Clean Diet (expanded edition is the one to get) -has recipes and info on eating this way.

Eat Clean Diet Cookbook - has over 150 recipes

Eat Clean Diet Cookbook for kids and families - has a lot of good info on organics, chemical additives and more recipes

Eat clean workout book - I don't think there is much in the way of recipes, but there is more info on eating clean.

She is coming out with a new book soon - called the Eat Clean Diet for Men - you can see a preview on he website www.eatcleandiet.com

Her husband is Robert Kennedy who publishes Oxygen Magazine. There are always info and clean eating recipes in Oxygen.

Also he publishes another new magazine called the Clean Eating Magazine. This is its second year and is now published every two months (was quarterly before)

Basically I look for recipes everywhere to find clean recipes. Another good inspiration is Ellie Kreiger from the Food Network and then there is also Sara Snow. They have great recipes. With Ellie, she does occasionally use ingredients I wouldn't.

I also struggle finding ones that don't use artificial sugar. I usually use agave nectar and honey in most recipes. I heard succanat is supposed to be good too.


Anyplace you find good recipes? I'm always looking too. I usually find them here and there, plus I adapt my own family recipes to be clean.

 

[Parkhopper]

We have been adapting recipes from various sources, but have yet to find a cookbook that includes all "clean" recipes.

I purchased a copy of Clean Eating Magazine for my husband's Christmas stocking this year and it had some nice recipes in it but (if I remember correctly) it also seemed to have some recipes that included sugar substitutes that we have worked hard to eliminate.

Suzi

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We have almost completely eliminated HFCS. The only thing that I buy that has it is soda. We only drink one glass at dinnertime. I have been buying natural sodas that have cane sugar in it and am trying to cut out the HFCS ones but to be honest, the natural ones are so expensive. So that is our guilty pleasure. We cannot eat dairy so many foods are off our lists. We try to only buy whole foods. I do not buy processed foods. Even the snacks for the children are simple ingredients. We eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. I try to buy as much organic as possible. We feel so much better. We haven't really lost any weight but we were never huge junk food eaters to begin with. We just try to be very aware of what we put in our bodies. We aren't always the best with it but most of the time we are. You know the old saying- You are what you eat.

 

[Parkhopper]

We have almost completely eliminated HFCS. The only thing that I buy that has it is soda. We only drink one glass at dinnertime. I have been buying natural sodas that have cane sugar in it and am trying to cut out the HFCS ones but to be honest, the natural ones are so expensive. So that is our guilty pleasure. We cannot eat dairy so many foods are off our lists. We try to only buy whole foods. I do not buy processed foods. Even the snacks for the children are simple ingredients. We eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. I try to buy as much organic as possible. We feel so much better. We haven't really lost any weight but we were never huge junk food eaters to begin with. We just try to be very aware of what we put in our bodies. We aren't always the best with it but most of the time we are. You know the old saying- You are what you eat.

Just a note if you like sodas with cane sugar that Coke will begin distributing the Kosher for Passover Coke shortly. You can find it in 2 liter bottles with a yellow cap.

Also, I just read somewhere that Pepsi is going to make a line of "retro" drinks beginning in mid April to include Pepsi and Mountain Dew that are made with sugar instead of HFCS. They will be available for about a 2 month time limit and will be marked "throwback".

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/02/...ar-in-pepsi-throwback-mountain-dew-april.html

Suzi

 

[OKWAnneMarie]

We pretty much eat a "clean" diet. I don't buy processed foods. We don't eat fast food. Our breakfasts are usually oatmeal or Kashi cereal with fresh fruit. I only buy organic milk and organic chicken without hormones because I read years ago how it can mess with a woman's hormonal balance. You are right about meat, organic can be too expensive, so I usually don't go that route. The only canned items I buy are canned tomatos to make my tomato sauce.

The only beverages we drink are water, seltzer, orange juice, unsweetened tea & coffee. Once in a while we drink wine. We don't drink any soda (regular or diet).

We eat ALOT of fresh produce and whole grains. We snack on nuts & fruits.
We eat fish a couple of times per week. We use only olive oil (no butter).

We try to eat right, but we are still OVERWEIGHT!!! That's because we eat TOO MUCH. I do cook every night and I try to make it healthy & delicious meals (maybe too delicious!). Even though we are overweight, we don't have any serious health issues. Our blood tests are always good, thank goodness. We just need to eat less and exercise more.

 

[MelanieC]

We have been adapting recipes from various sources, but have yet to find a cookbook that includes all "clean" recipes.

I purchased a copy of Clean Eating Magazine for my husband's Christmas stocking this year and it had some nice recipes in it but (if I remember correctly) it also seemed to have some recipes that included sugar substitutes that we have worked hard to eliminate.

Suzi

That has been addressed by Tosca Reno to the Editor. I think that will not happen now. There was an uproar about that, lol. There was also some foods like cream of this, etc. in there that to me is NOT clean.

 

[MelanieC]

I'm so glad to hear there are other's out there eating this way. Anyone interested in starting an Eat Clean check in here? This way we could support each other in eating this way?

 

[Parkhopper]

That has been addressed by Tosca Reno to the Editor. I think that will not happen now. There was an uproar about that, lol. There was also some foods like cream of this, etc. in there that to me is NOT clean.

I'm glad to hear that the sugar substitutes have been addressed. Perhaps I will grab a newer copy on the shelves tonight and take a look. If it is truly in line with what we are attempting to do, I would not hesitate to subscribe.

Suzi

 

[MelanieC]

I totally agree- I remember when I saw FF/SF pudding - I was like WHAT????

 

[fairykin]

Heyyyyyyyy...

Last night i went to the market and there was so much beautiful fruits and veggies i filled up the cart.

I came home and told my DH, i just want to try to eat clean.

And what do You know there is a book about it and a DiS board thread How kewl is that, Lucky me.

I think it's a natural thought progression.. it's enjoying the wonderful fruits and veggies that are in season...and if weight is lost then that's great too.

I hope this thread expands.. and people talk about that they eat daily.