Our Clean Eating Guidelines

NOTE: I am not a dietitian or a nutritionist!!

Hello All!

First off, thank you for all the support on my new undertaking, a month of clean eating, which will officially start on Saturday. So what IS clean eating? According to Clean Eating Magazine, “Consuming food in its most natural state- or as close as possible to it—is the soul of clean eating. It’s not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to health, well-being and a lean look.”

For me, this will be a focus on lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The elimination (for the most part) of processed goods and the redirection towards more REAL foods. I would love anyone who is interested to join Josh and I on our challenge. My general food list during this month will include some of the following items (I will be buying organic when possible):

• Fresh Veggies
• Fresh Fruits
• Chicken, ground turkey, lean beef, tilapia, shrimp (if you are vegetarian or vegan, make the appropriate replacements but try to keep it as “real” as possible)
• Oatmeal, potentially another whole grain cereal
• Milk
• Tuna
• Applesauce (unsweetened)
• Peanut butter (only natural peanut butter/nut butter made from just peanuts or peanuts and salt)
• Whole grains- rice, quinoa, bulgur,etc
• Tomato Sauce (no added salt)
• Beans (black, kidney, pinto, chickpeas)
• Olive oil
• Yogurt
• Frozen veggies/fruit
• Nuts
• Eggs
• Spices
• Other ingredients to make homemade bread
• Protein powder(I realize this is not “clean”)
  

So, how will my meals look? Here is my sort of general outline:

Breakfast:
Coffee (with 1% milk, no sugar…I will not be eliminating coffee but will be eliminating sugar/syrups,etc) with one of the following-Oatmeal, Apple/fruit with Peanut butter, Other whole grained cereal

Lunches(mixture of some of the following):
Applesauce, Yogurt, hard boiled eggs, veggies, fruits, cooked chicken breast, tuna (note: I will probably continue to make Josh sandwiches on homemade bread only)

Snacks:
Fruit, homemade bread with nut butter, yogurt, nuts, protein shakes

Dinner:
Lean protein (chicken, beef, tilapia, shrimp, turkey, egg whites) either baked or broiled, vegetable (steamed or roasted), whole grain selection
Other potential dinners include chili and turkey meatloaf

Outside coffee in the morning, the only beverage that will be consumed is water. So there ya have it. Let me know what you think (but be gentle)!! Josh and I eat somewhat clean now, but still do depend on quite a few processed items (store made soups, granola bars, protein bars, store bought breads, etc). I will also be taking more pictures of ALL of my meals vs. just dinner (at least at first), so you can see my clean eating in action (plus it will make me more accountable). I have also started tracking what I eat in FitDay, to make sure I’m getting enough PROTEIN, carbs, fat, etc. I have never been a calorie counter (although I think everyone should do what works for them), but since my tummy issues, tracking my protein intake has become important.

Any questions?

Kelly O turned me onto an awesome quote (not sure if this is the EXACT quote) from Become a better you by Joel Osteen:

“Bad habits are easy to start, but they make your life miserable. Good habits are hard to start, but they make your life wonderful.”