A
livestrong.com article published in 2010 listed 5 steps to clean eating.
I found them overall helpful, with a few minor adjustments.
Step 1
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Choose fresh, unprocessed foods
over canned or processed products. Clean eating enthusiasts believe that
we were meant to survive on fresh fruits and vegetables and that
processing them reduces their nutritional value and fiber content and
adds salt, fat, sugar and chemicals. Choose fruit instead of fruit juice
and if you must pick a processed vegetable, frozen is always better
than canned.
Ugh...I
hate fruit. I only like two types of fruit, bananas and strawberries. I
guess I will have to work on liking more types of fruits. Luckily, I do
like all different types of veggies, so that won't be too hard. As for
processed veggies, we've already eliminated canned for frozen. Luckily, I
can still find great sales on frozen veggies; Kroger runs their frozen
veggies 10 for $10 every few weeks.
Step 2
Balance protein and complex carbohydrates. Incorporate whole grains like
brown rice or millet over processed grains. Eat lean meats, and choose
organic or grass fed meats when possible as these foods are usually
clean of pesticides, hormones and additives. Grill, broil or steam your
meats rather than frying.
Check...we
already choose a lot of whole grains over processed grains anyway. And
thankfully, whole wheat pasta has gotten better lately. Lean meats will
be a challenge budget-wise, since they tend to be more expensive. I am
going to investigate local butchers to see if they may be cheaper. The
only meat I fry is fish, and that is very occasionally, so we're good
there too.
Step 3
Avoid sodas and high calorie, sugary drinks. Follow the tenant of clean
eating that aims to remove added sugars from the diet. Choose water or
tea for your beverages, or juice your own fruits and vegetables and
enjoy them without added sugars or preservatives.
This will be one of the exceptions to the rules...I cannot give up my diet Pepsi and Coke Zero!! :)
Step 4
Trade bad fats for good fats. One of the most important aspects of clean
eating is removing saturated fats from the diet. Lower your saturated
fat intake by avoiding fast food, choosing lean cuts of meat and getting
your fat calories from foods like nuts and fatty fish.
I never pay attention to fats, good or bad, so it will be interesting to see how I do in this category.
Step 5
Eat several small meals to keep blood sugar stable and to avoid
overeating. Choose snacks like nuts, low-fat or fat free dairy and
fruits and vegetables. Note that some people who live a clean eating
lifestyle don't eat dairy products while others adapt clean eating to a
vegetarian lifestyle.
I've
tried eating five or six small meals before and it didn't work for me.
I'll probably do more of three regular meals and one afternoon snack.
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