How to eat clean.

laurenmay

laurenmay

Gold Member
How.. how do people manage it? I so want to eat clean and cut out all processed crap, not just for my health but to help with my weight loss and exercise journey. I'm not a veggie fan, anything green and I can't stomach it without heaving. And I'm not a fan of most fruits either.. The fruits and vegetables I do like probably aren't the best ones - bananas, apples, potatoes and carrots. Currently I'm calorie counting but eating whatever I fancy within those calories - mainly processed frozen ready meals and low fat yogurts. And I can't help but feel like I'm not doing my best because of the foods I'm eating.. and that if I ate clean I'd feel better, be able to perform better during exercise and lose weight better while maintaining muscle mass. I've tried clean eating before, and after two days just gave up. I can't seem to stand the taste or texture of salad or vegetables! Is there a way to train yourself to eat healthier and clean?
 
Hi Lauren

Oh I don't really know as I have always like fruit and veg ever since I can remember so it wasn't a case of training myself.

What are the particular things you don't like about them? Is it more the texture or the taste? Or I guess both as you say above :(

With taste, I would maybe suggest concentrating on trying different fruits first because a lot of them taste sweet and so aren't particularly an acquired taste. Maybe make yourself up a fruit salad by chopping banana, apple, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, cherries? Any fruits that you think you can manage to give a try. I find having them chopped in bitesize bits helps, also you could mix the chopped bits up with yogurt which might help?

Veg is maybe a bit harder as there is kind of more variety in texture in taste. I know you don't like green stuff but iceberg lettuce and cucumber literally taste of pretty much nothing (and have little to no cals!) if you started by putting a fist sized portion with your frozen meal and munching it alongside after a while you will be used to it, and I think the crunch and freshness quickly becomes something your bodies craves. I absolutely LOVE mushrooms and aubergine but can understand why some people have issues with the texture. Mushrooms are pretty easy to hide away though, you could sautee some up and then stir them into one of your ready meals like pasta or lasagne for instance. You already like carrots which is great, get some batons and a dip you like (hummous or making one yourself from total 0% yogurt is ace for protein) and munch away, if you fancy it maybe try having a few celery sticks and cucumber sticks in amongst the carrots, just a few to begin with.


Anyway don't stress about it, you are doing really well so far sticking to your cals on meals you are comfortable with and you are getting some fruit and veg like you say above! I would just continue what you are doing and once you are on a roll maybe think about a few of the small steps I mentioned.

Sorry don't know if that helped at all??
 
What about trying to make your own clean versions of the ready meals you buy? Like buying organic extra lean mince, using passata and garlic, onion and any veg for a bolognaise sauce. And then fresh pasta? It's got to bd much cleaner and more tasty and filling? You could batch cook St the weekend and put things in portions and heat them up like ready meals.
 
I am restarting clean eating today I lost 21lbs in about 5 weeks following this eating plan :)

Have a look on gracious pantry - I so far have not been able to get a clean bread in the uk and I have cut out pasta and potatoes - however not completely - if I want them I will have them :)

Good luck if you try it x
 
Do you like soup? Coz if you wizz up the veg u get rid if the texture n if you stick plenty if garlic n herbs in it get rid of the taste. My fave soup is butternut squash n chilli. What about blending some courgettes, peppers n other veg up with some garlic onion herbs n a tin of tomatoes to get yourself an instant bolognese sauce :) also I grate carrot n fry it off with mince (turkey is lower in cals) n you don't even realise its there, it bulks out your meal with very few cals and makes your meat go further

I really cnt stand fruit no matter what I do I just cnt get to liking it so I just don't bother anymore lol

Dairy is usually clean. Natural yog, Greek yog, cottage cheese, low fat cheese.

I make a curry with a ready made paste (not strictly clean but you could make your own) n then stir in a tub of Greek yog n u have a simple curry sauce I have it with brown rice which I boil to with in an inch if its life otherwise I think it tastes grainy. Wholemeal pasta (taste like white pasta) is lovely with a bit of garlic n fromage freiche n plenty of black pepper, just heat through the sauce dnt boil or it will split. This is nice with chicken or bacon.

Hope you found this helped a little. If you google clean eatting there are hundreds of threads. Not to promote any other website coz I love minimins but don't be afraid to go on the body building websites as they have a wealth of info on clean diets n the benefits of certain foods.
 
The only legitimate "clean" food I would say is vegetables and fruits and you have openly declared you don't like them. If you are so keen on "eating clean" perhaps not liking them should be eliminated in your thoughts. After all, its mind over matter.
 
From what I gather from Blogilates, the focus is on...

Fruit and vegetables - Organic is better but not essential.
Wholegrain carbs - Wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread, brown rice, cous cous, barley, quinoa, etc.
Lean protein - Unprocessed meat with fat removed, poultry, fish, seafood, tofu, TVP, quorn, beans and lentils.
Low fat dairy and/or dairy substitutes - Low fat cheese, yogurt, free range eggs, almond/rice milk, etc.
Healthy fats - Unsalted nuts and seeds, sunflower oil, olive oil, canola oil, flax seeds.

Less processed foods, salt, processed sugars, flour and white carbs.

The more you can make a meal or snack from scratch, the better. Youtube has some great channels with clean cooking.
 
What I found when eating clean consistently was that I felt better than ever in my life and you do stop craving processed food and strong flavours. It does take will power to start but I think you can train yourself to make good choices and avoid junk, although liking these clean kinds of foods anyway helps a lot and makes it easier. But there are tons of delicious clean meals, planning your meals ahead of time helps too, so you always have the right meals and food available and don't get tempted by junk. Good luck x
 
Also check Tosca Reno's books and Oxygen mag for recipes and tips x
 
I will have to check that one out
 
Great, I am on it :)
 
Ordered the book. Reviews sound good. The leanest I have been is when I ate clean and exercised regularly, in fact I shrunk dramatically from an 8/10 to a 4/6. However I didn't follow a diet as such rather just followed clean eating guidelines and what worked for me.

Currently though I have had five years away from diet and regular exercise and gradually expanded(!) To a 12/14!! Have a wedding coming up and also hate being this big, for my height it's too much want to get back to 8/10. And so following a proper plan that offers significant results quickly following a style of eating I like seems the way forward

Here's hoping xxx :):)
 
Eating clean with some form of exercise is definitely the way forward! It really is a good book, you won't regret it! Good luck, I'm sure you can do it! I'm doing lighter choices by tesco diets and most of their recipes are pretty clean there as well so here's hoping too! xx
 
Thanks for the recommendation really appreciate it and wish you all the best x
 
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