[xraygirl]

Has anyone tried clean eating? I started this about three weeks ago and feel really good. I have lost about 5 pounds.

[chickybird]

Looks interesting (I googled it). It seems like a nice thing to aim for, (I adore fruits and veggies) but it's not quite realistic for me (I also adore sprite and chocolate.
I'm also secretly hoping that the preservatives I eat will "preserve" my skin and keep me looking young, ha ha!
That's awesome it's working for you! Good job, and please post some recipes. I'd love to get some new ones!

[CHUNKEY_MUNKEY]

HA ! lol the older we get the more preservatives we can use ! lol @ the thought ..... that made me giggle

[SoulBliss]

I eat clean. I don't like artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and so on. I eat organic, natural whole foods and a plant based diet.

[xraygirl]

There is a magazine called clean eating that has really good recipes. It also has a 4 week menu plan with shopping lists included. This really helps me out because I am not one who likes to think to hard about whether or not something is good. I just simply turn to the menu plan and say "that's what I am going to eat today."

[kaplods]

I do eat more "real" food than ever before. I'm not a purist, as I do make a few concessions to long-standing junk food addictions (can't live without my Diet Mountain Dew Code Red) and modern conveniences (canned cream of mushroom soup comes in handy). But I figure a crockpot of braised wheatberries cancel out sugar free popsicles (Before you respond with a lecture, I don't mean that literally).

I guess like many things, I figure the most sensible and practical approach is more likely to lie in the middle than at the extreme ends. That doesn't mean I don't envy the purists, I've just never subscribed to the idea that if I can't be perfect, I shouldn't even try. Instead I try to think in terms of progress rather than perfection. If I never get to 100%, all is not lost.

It may seem weird to make sloppy joes out of ground beef, green onion, bell pepper, tvp, and wheatberries (good so far, right) and Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce (darn, almost made it), but compromise is working for me.

My husband is a bit of a lost cause. His favorite food-like substance appears to be the neon orange "cheese" powder that coats cheetos and is used in boxed mac and cheese. He loves the stuff so much, we buy it in bulk at the bulk spice store (the same shop I get my sun-dried tomatoes, dehydrated garlic and bell peppers, parsley, chives etc.)

Still, my aim is for most of what we eat to be something our great grandparent's would have recognized (don't know what they would have thought of the neon orange stuff).

[xraygirl]

I totally agree with you kaplods. I still have my guilty pleasures. I have found an organic ice cream that really isn't too terrible. I just try to keep it to small servings.

[NrsgStudent]

Originally Posted by kaplods

My husband is a bit of a lost cause. His favorite food-like substance appears to be is the neon orange "cheese" powder that coats cheetos and is used in boxed mac and cheese. He loves the stuff so much, we buy it in bulk at the bulk spice store

Wait, you mean that stuff comes in bulk? I love that orange mystery substance! It's like cheez-flavored salt (not cheese-flavored because no cheese i've come across looks or tastes like it).
I'm slowly eliminating terribly processed things, and haven't been able to look at a hot dog or bologna in about seven years. Bacon went next, then the rest of the pig. I've been working on eliminating beef and dairy for a while. My husband gives me a hard time if I don't eat meat for a few days in a row, so it's a challenge. Free-range organic chicken and buffalo from Whole Foods is our compromise.

[kaplods]

Yes, it does, as well as sour cream and onion powder. I have to admit when we found these two items (the same day) I bought the latter for me, but in my defense, my sour cream powder is only half gone, while we've gone through four bags of the cheez powder (your right, it doesn't resemble cheese). My husband has a signature recipe, he calls "stuff." It's not so much a recipe as a formula: ground beef or leftover roast, onion, rice or pasta, peas (or vary rarely another vegetable), mushrooms (optional) and seasonings. So, basically it's a "Hamburger Helper" type skillet casseroles. The sour cream and onion powder and a can of mushroom soup makes a stroganoff type dish, and the cheez powder is a dead-ringer for Hamburger Helper's cheesburger casserole. (I've used the cheez to make a HH-like tuna casserole).

I add the sour cream and onion powder and a bit of ranch dressing powder (we also buy that in bulk from the same store) to fat free sour cream and put it on a baked potato.

I've seen in our community newspaper that there's a new grass-fed, "pasture raised" buffalo, beef and goat farm in our area that will be selling at the Farmer's Market this year (haven't seen them yet). Hopefully, the prices will be reasonable. I love goat and lamb. It would be nice to know and even get to visit where the animals are raised (they do tours).

[sacha]

Clean eating ABSOLUTELY works when you eat within your proper calorie range. You feel better, you look better, you have more energy!

Clean eating is how I got to the size I am now. Cardio and strength training improved my physique and lung capacity but clean eating is where it all began.

Clean eating is nothing more than eating nutritious food which is healthy for you, rather than crap. It doesn't necessarily mean no preservatives or no junk food.

Infact a manageable clean eating plan usually includes the principle of 90/10, eat clean 90% of the time and enjoy a treat 10% of the time - I have one calorie/fat restricted restaurant meal 1x per week.

I can't say enough about it. I have been doing it for years. I ate McDonalds a few months after starting and nearly threw up from how junky the food is. I no longer crave junk food.

[kaplods]

One of the most amazing things about cleaner eating is how it changes your tastebuds. It's almost like the experience smokers describe. I was raised in a family that never used salt at the table, and always used much less salt than recipes called for. So, I've always found much processed and prepared foods far too salty for me, though now it's even more profound, and I've found it true for sweet flavors as well.

I feel like I can truly taste food now. If that makes any sense.

[xraygirl]

It makes total sense regarding truly tasting food. Now, when I have a taste of something sweet, it can be sickenly sweet. That's a good thing, when I crave something sweet, I can have a little bit and be good.

[KateB]

I aim for clean eating. As others have said, I am not 100% clean. I occasionally have a can of Healthy Choice Soup or a Kashi frozen dinner. Once or twice a week I have some dark chocolate. All in moderation. because I live in Minnesota and "fresh tomatoes" are icky tomatoes during the off season, I eat a lot of no salt no sugar added canned tomatoes. I know in addition to losing weight, I feel SO MUCH better!!

[SoulBliss]

Originally Posted by KateB

Once or twice a week I have some dark chocolate. All in moderation. because I live in Minnesota and "fresh tomatoes" are icky tomatoes during the off season, I eat a lot of no salt no sugar added canned tomatoes.

What isn't CLEAN about that?

[Hart]

Eating clean is something I am working towards. I know I depend too much on processed foods! So I have been cutting backand really paying attention to sodium intake. I don't want to live 90% clean to be honest- I love my vita muffins and Boca burgers! But to aim for 75% seems reasonalble to me.