Clean Eating

[FetchingClever]

Hello! This is my very first thread!

I have been reading here and there about 'clean eating' and would love to hear from any planeteers who are interested in it, or are doing it. Any tips, recipes, or experiences you'd like to share are welcome in this thread!

From what I understand at this point, clean eating focuses on a diet made up of whole, natural foods. For most people this means fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains and lean meats. It means cutting out processed food and ingredients we can't pronounce.

I'm slowly adding clean eating into my routine. What are you all doing with your food?

[nycfem]

I do this as much as I can. I've also heard this called "God's food."

On a little tangent, I grew up in Cincinnati with lots of not so clean eating of Larosa's pizza and Graeters icecream

[Medusa]

Great thread, FC! - I have also seen this referred to as "raw food diet" or maybe I have this confused?

I will say that I feel significantly better when I cut out processed foods

[Galahad]

Sounds like the raw food diet I tried. Only one type of raw food at a meal(meat,fruit,milk). You are able to eat raw veg. with any other category. Nothing in the way of starches, rice, potatoes, squash, beans, soy, barley. It had some good qualities, but if you're vegetarian, it isn't enough protein. The raw sprouted crackers and bread type foods available are horrendously priced.

[SuperFemme]

Due to health issues, I've had to cut out anything processed in any way. Clean eating makes your body feel better. Here is a great introduction/resource: http://cleaneatingonline.com/

The site offers menu planning, recipes and an online newsletter. I think they are on facebook too.

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by June

Now, if I could just give up The Fresca.

They still make fresca? Is Tab still around too?

Didnt mean to derail here. Just curious.

[Random]

The difference between clean and raw is you can cook clean food by conventual methods..

Raw foods should never be cooked.. althought they can be *cooked* by dehydration...


I love.. love.. love..

Slow foods,
clean foods
raw foods...

I am so very attracted to eating food the way they were meant to be ate..

For me.. eatting processed foods is a slow death of the soul..

But the problem is.. they taste so damn good...

[Random]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Great thread, FC! - I have also seen this referred to as "raw food diet" or maybe I have this confused?

I will say that I feel significantly better when I cut out processed foods

Wooopies...

I don't know anything about the raw food diet.. There is a food movement called Raw Foods as well...

[Random]

Originally Posted by June

Oh. Yes. Fresca comes in a lot of flavors here. My favorite is the cherry...Tab, I think is still around in some areas. I never see it at the stores here though. I doubt they qualify as "Clean" in any way!

Lolololol...

My son is hooked on plain fresca.. He did a lil snoopy dance when I would bring it home... Lol.. I alway thought of fresca as a diet drink, but he thought it was just goodness in a can..

[Medusa]

This thread inspired me to go check and see if we have a local Farmer's market in our area without having to dive all the way to Little Rock.
I found one that is open Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.

Guess where I'll be on my lunchbreak tomorrow

[Chancie]

I have chosen to stop drinking diet soda.

[FetchingClever]

Originally Posted by Chancie

I have chosen to stop drinking diet soda.

Good for you, Chancie!!

I'm working on cutting back on sodas and other drinks that are mostly sugar or chemicals that taste like sugar. Not all the way yet, but I'm making progress!

I really think taking small steps is the right way for me. It feels so much more *doable* this way.

What else are you all doing?

~Clever

[Soft*Silver]

I have moved toward clean eating since I moved back to Ohio. I use to buy frozen foods, packaged meals in boxes and bags, and canned goods. Now you wont find these in my house, except for the occassional rare frozen pizza and ice cream. When I think back on how many mac and cheeses, hamburger helpers and hot pockets I use to eat, I groan. I cant eat those things anymore. In fact, even fast foods hurt my stumach if I indulge in them.

I eat alot alot alot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I buy chicken from the stores but am looking for a source that is more local in hope to get away from the chemicals they pump into them. I just heard they shove sugar into chicken to make it more tasty for our palates. Really??? I am not much of a red meat eater.

I am gardening so I can can and freeze my own foods.

My big downfall is the dang candy I consume and that has SO much trash in it, along with the processed sugar. I have a helluva sweet tooth. I go thru rounds of getting away from it and then I find myself going back to it. Its a never ending battle with sugar and me...

oh and I love Fresca and yes I do buy it on occasion. Dont get me started on diet sodas. I buy some every week but I have cut way down. I buy caffeine free if I buy them.

life is a journey with alot of processes to go thru...all I can do is try and when I fall off my route, to climb back on it...

[chai~]

~for me, I stay as close to Mother Nature as I can. Raw fruit and veg. No dairy, grains, pasta, meat etc. Simple, gorgeous, fresh, easy, practically pick and eat!

[JustJo]

Lovely thread fetching

My diet used to be pretty atrocious...single, working mom, long commute, going to school at night and on the weekends, tired all the time and living on fast food (as in McDonald's 5 to 7 times a week), processed food, several Cokes a day, etc. The crazy part is that I know how to cook from scratch, have done preserving (jams, pickles, etc.) since I was 10...just didn't have the time and energy and focus to get it done.

Well...turns out I was undiagnosed diabetic, and while part of my exhaustion was my schedule, part of it was the effect of my diet on my diabetic body.

Since then, I've virtually stopped with the fast food (maybe once or twice a month), eliminated regular soda, and gone back to cooking the way I know how to cook...with almost everything from scratch.

I avoid high fructose corn syrup completely and cane sugar as much as possible. I use stevia for making my iced tea, although I haven't figured out how to bake with it yet.

I bake my own bread sometimes...and if we're having treats it's home-baked cookies or cake so that there are no artificial colors or preservatives, and I can go easy on the sugar. Our only non-homemade splurge is ice cream....which I have occasionally cuz I'm human

Lately I was having some negative reactions to my diabetic meds, and cut out both diet soda and coffee. This is very, very tough for me...cuz it means that my okay beverage list is now water, tea (hot or iced), or an occasional glass of red wine. Pretty limited.

I figure that the foods our bodies have been eating for hundreds of years are okay...so I eat butter and eggs (and have no problem with them), lean meats, all fruits and veggies...and basically just try to keep it simple.

It helps.

[nycfem]

Thanks for this post Jo. I've been pre-diabetic for a number of years and have steadily improved my knowledge of healthy eating and the actual doing of it over the past three (and have lost some weight along the way). I gave up coffee and all caffeine and have found that really helpful. I switched from white/bad carbs to pure whole grain carbs and love that! I now have a job at a school instead of working long hours at a hospital. This has helped tremendously because I can come home and cook healthy dinners for BB and me (who, thankfully, eats whatever I cook). I still drink diet soda sometimes, though my primary drink is water. How does it help to give up diet soda in regard to diabetes? Maybe you'll answer will motivate me

Originally Posted by JustJo

Lovely thread fetching

My diet used to be pretty atrocious...single, working mom, long commute, going to school at night and on the weekends, tired all the time and living on fast food (as in McDonald's 5 to 7 times a week), processed food, several Cokes a day, etc. The crazy part is that I know how to cook from scratch, have done preserving (jams, pickles, etc.) since I was 10...just didn't have the time and energy and focus to get it done.

Well...turns out I was undiagnosed diabetic, and while part of my exhaustion was my schedule, part of it was the effect of my diet on my diabetic body.

Since then, I've virtually stopped with the fast food (maybe once or twice a month), eliminated regular soda, and gone back to cooking the way I know how to cook...with almost everything from scratch.

I avoid high fructose corn syrup completely and cane sugar as much as possible. I use stevia for making my iced tea, although I haven't figured out how to bake with it yet.

I bake my own bread sometimes...and if we're having treats it's home-baked cookies or cake so that there are no artificial colors or preservatives, and I can go easy on the sugar. Our only non-homemade splurge is ice cream....which I have occasionally cuz I'm human

Lately I was having some negative reactions to my diabetic meds, and cut out both diet soda and coffee. This is very, very tough for me...cuz it means that my okay beverage list is now water, tea (hot or iced), or an occasional glass of red wine. Pretty limited.

I figure that the foods our bodies have been eating for hundreds of years are okay...so I eat butter and eggs (and have no problem with them), lean meats, all fruits and veggies...and basically just try to keep it simple.

It helps.

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Thanks for this post Jo. I've been pre-diabetic for a number of years and have steadily improved my knowledge of healthy eating and the actual doing of it over the past three (and have lost some weight along the way). I gave up coffee and all caffeine and have found that really helpful. I switched from white/bad carbs to pure whole grain carbs and love that! I now have a job at a school instead of working long hours at a hospital. This has helped tremendously because I can come home and cook healthy dinners for BB and me (who, thankfully, eats whatever I cook). I still drink diet soda sometimes, though my primary drink is water. How does it help to give up diet soda in regard to diabetes? Maybe you'll answer will motivate me

It's amazing how much a less stressful schedule helps, isn't it? My life improved dramatically when I started working from home...no commute, able to cook from scratch and slowly...much, much better.

The diet soda thing is tricky as there are many opinions on both sides. Most doctors tell diabetics to use artifical sweeteners because they don't raise blood sugar.

However, there's some evidence that they actually activate incretin in the brain, which makes us both crave sweets and absorb glucose (sugar) more effectively. So, you might not get any sugar from your diet soda, but it will make your body suck up more of the sugar in everything else you eat, and make you want to eat more sweet stuff overall.

Here's a link to an article that explains it better than I can.

I used diet soda as a crutch (cuz I still miss my coke...sob), but it actually makes it harder to stick to my diet. I do better when I eliminate it completely and drink iced tea instead.

Ironically, stevia (which is an herb) sweetens without calories, is totally natural, and appears to have a stabilizing effect on diabetic blood sugars. Give it a try!

[nycfem]

Thank you for this explanation and the link. Very helpful! I really want to learn as much as I can to care for my health. I love to find new tips like about Stevia. I will try it. And, yes, the change in schedules makes such a difference! It was actually BB (my husbutch) who told me that my days of working until midnight 7 days a week sometimes HAD to stop. Yes, I make less money but what a difference in quality of life. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Originally Posted by JustJo

It's amazing how much a less stressful schedule helps, isn't it? My life improved dramatically when I started working from home...no commute, able to cook from scratch and slowly...much, much better.

The diet soda thing is tricky as there are many opinions on both sides. Most doctors tell diabetics to use artifical sweeteners because they don't raise blood sugar.

However, there's some evidence that they actually activate incretin in the brain, which makes us both crave sweets and absorb glucose (sugar) more effectively. So, you might not get any sugar from your diet soda, but it will make your body suck up more of the sugar in everything else you eat, and make you want to eat more sweet stuff overall.

Here's a link to an article that explains it better than I can.

I used diet soda as a crutch (cuz I still miss my coke...sob), but it actually makes it harder to stick to my diet. I do better when I eliminate it completely and drink iced tea instead.

Ironically, stevia (which is an herb) sweetens without calories, is totally natural, and appears to have a stabilizing effect on diabetic blood sugars. Give it a try!

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by JustJo

It's amazing how much a less stressful schedule helps, isn't it? My life improved dramatically when I started working from home...no commute, able to cook from scratch and slowly...much, much better.

The diet soda thing is tricky as there are many opinions on both sides. Most doctors tell diabetics to use artifical sweeteners because they don't raise blood sugar.

However, there's some evidence that they actually activate incretin in the brain, which makes us both crave sweets and absorb glucose (sugar) more effectively. So, you might not get any sugar from your diet soda, but it will make your body suck up more of the sugar in everything else you eat, and make you want to eat more sweet stuff overall.

Here's a link to an article that explains it better than I can.

I used diet soda as a crutch (cuz I still miss my coke...sob), but it actually makes it harder to stick to my diet. I do better when I eliminate it completely and drink iced tea instead.

Ironically, stevia (which is an herb) sweetens without calories, is totally natural, and appears to have a stabilizing effect on diabetic blood sugars. Give it a try!

Hmmm.....so the link didn't work cuz it has some additional step for you to do, but here's the "guts" of the article....

ENDO 2009: Use of Artificial Sweeteners Linked to 2-Fold Increase in Diabetes
Crina Frincu-Mallos, PhD

June 15, 2009 (Washington, DC) — People who use artificial sweeteners are heavier, more likely to have diabetes, and more likely to be insulin-resistant compared with nonusers, according to data presented here during ENDO 2009, the 91st annual meeting of The Endocrine Society.

Results show an inverse association between obesity and diabetes, on one side, and daily total caloric, carbohydrate, and fat intake, on the other side, when comparing artificial sweetener users and control subjects.

First author Kristofer S. Gravenstein, a postbaccalaureate researcher with the Clinical Research Branch at the National Institute of Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), said the association may reflect the increased use of artificial sweeteners by obese and/or diabetic study participants. "This is a cross-section study," Mr. Gravenstein told Medscape Diabetes & Endocrinology, "so there are limitations — we cannot say that artificial sweetener use causes obesity, we can say it is associated with it."

Increased Use vs Increased Glucose Absorption

Artificial sweeteners activate sweet taste receptors in enteroendocrine cells, leading to the release of incretin, which is known to contribute to glucose absorption. Recent epidemiologic studies in Circulation (2008;117:754-761) and Obesity (2008;16:1894-1900) showed an association between diet soda consumption and the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

This report tested whether participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), which began in 1958, differ in anthropometric measures, daily caloric intake, and glucose status, separating them into 3 different groups: artificial sweetener users, artificial sweetener nonusers, or controls.

A total of 1257 participants, with a mean age of 64.8 years (range, 21 - 96 years), had data on self-reported 7-day dietary intake, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and anthropometric measures. The major artificial sweetener consumed was aspartame, preferred by 66% of BLSA participants, followed by saccharin (13%), sucralose (1.0%), and combinations of the three (21%).

"In our study, we were actually able to isolate what type of sweetener was used at a certain point in time, as we used food diaries, and not food questionnaires," Mr. Gravenstein pointed out.

"When we first did this analysis, we found that people ate more fat before 1983, which is the year [of] a big increase in artificial sweetener consumption in the American population — it was actually when aspartame was approved and diet Coke was introduced," he explained.

As a result, the study further analyzed data from a subset of participants, starting in 1983. Compared with 550 people who did not use artificial sweeteners, the 443 people who did were younger, heavier, and had a higher body mass index (BMI), yet they did not consume more calories from people who did not use artificial sweeteners. Fat, carbohydrate, protein, and total caloric intake were not different between the 2 groups (users vs nonusers).

Furthermore, Mr. Gravenstein noted that people who used artificial sweeteners "were less likely to have a normal OGTT, or they were less likely to be diagnosed as having a normal glucose homeostasis."

In terms of glucose status, the impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), the data show that artificial sweetener users "were not different than the prediabetics, ie, they had the same prevalence of prediabetes," he said, adding that "in our population, people who used artificial sweeteners were twice as likely to have diabetes, 8.8% compared to 4.4% for controls."

Analyzing the data further, the investigators focused on a subpopulation, in which fasting insulin values were available from 374 nonusers and 311 artificial sweetener users. The users had a higher fasting glucose levels, higher fasting insulin levels, and a higher measure of insulin resistance, as measured by the homeostasis model assessment, but glycosylated hemoglobin A1C levels were similar between the 2 groups

[nycfem]

Thanks so much. Metabolic Syndrome is a complicated beast. I remember when I was thin and would gain weight, it was so simple to lose! Just so easy to diet and lose it! Those who don't have significant weight issues and insulin resistance don't really get how hard it is to just lose a few pounds. So much of what helps is counter-intuitive. That's why i so love getting the opportunity to learn and exchange tips from others trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.