Okay, we've officially lost it. We've jumped on the Clean Eating bandwagon. We've been trying to eat this way for years, but finally got serious about it. Basically, we try to eat as fresh as possible, or as non-processed as possible. Clean Eating also advocates 5-6 smaller meals every few hours through the day rather than the traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I prepare everything for our coolers the night before so all we have to do the next day is grab it and go.
Our kids suffer from a mayonnaise addiction and we've been trying to introduce them to alternatives like hummus, strips of cucumber peels (really) - although not the skin, or a dab of cream cheese. I think it's going pretty well except for one child who wants to stage a sit-in over the no mayo, no junk food, no sugar cereal thing.
You can start into clean eating slowly by removing some of the empty calorie foods from your diet and adding in more vegetables and fruits, grains and beans. Start eating brown rice instead of white (basmati tastes amazing and smells like popcorn when it's cooking). Swap out white bread (remember: The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead) for whole grain breads. Dump the soda habit, you don't need all that salt. If you need a little caffeine drink some Green Tea HP. My goal over the rest of the year is to drop my body fat by 5%. I'll keep you posted.
Supplies I recommend:
Yogurt Maker very easy to get one off eBay and so easy to use (I use pint jars with lids for easy storage instead of the included glass cups). I get my yogurt cultures from the New England Cheesemaking Company. Let me know if you're interested in a yogurt tutorial, you won't believe how easy it is to make.
Pressure Cooker if you're going to cook meat, veggies, rice, or beans this will change your life
Foreman Grill makes grilling anything a snap (be sure to get one with removable plates)
Blender - one that can stand up to abuse
Cooler - this is for taking fresh food to work (or for when you've got a busy day)
Lock-its - can be found for $20 at Walmart
Grapefruit spoon - great for eating grapefruit and hulling strawberries
Coffee grinder - for grinding flax seed (I like this model because you can remove the grinding chamber and store it in the fridge)
Crock-Pot - I love throwing ingredients in in the morning and having dinner cook all day without me having to think about it.
Media:
Cooking Fresh - recipes
Quick and Fresh Magazine - recipes
Clean Eating Magazine - tips/recipes
The Eat-Clean Diet explains the concept and science behind this way of eating (includes shopping lists)
Lazy Organizer - tips and blog links
The Anti-oxidant Miracle - nerdy read, but well worth your time as it explains the science behind eating fresh
The New Rules of Lifting for Women - not a clean-eating book, per se, (although it incorporates it), but a no-nonsense approach to building a better female body. It was tricky for me to wrap my brain around the workouts, but I can feel the difference already.
Nourishing Meals - recipes (includes gluten-free, vegan)
Supplements:
Tulsi Tea - promises better ability to handle stress and has a naturally sweet taste (I buy original, non-caffeinated)
I take a few other supplements, but have only decided to do so after researching them.
You should read up on and discuss any supplements with your doctor before taking them.
What options do my kids have for lunches?
*Whole-grain breads, wraps for sandwiches
* Natural almond butter, homemade jams
* Kretchmar Naturals turkey
*assorted fruits and vegetables
* roasted nuts
*salads
*string cheese
*home-made yogurt with fruit
*pita chips with hummus
*oatmeal cranberry cookies
*hard-boiled egg
*soups
*Vitamin Water
* 100% juice (rarely)
*Good, old fashioned water
