THE EAT CLEAN CHALLENGE

cleaneatingmag.com

THE EAT CLEAN CHALLENGE 

The Decision

It  wasn’t until last year that I was introduced to Oxygen Magazine and Tosca Reno.  I was VERY impressed with the fitness and nutrition content of this magazine.  To back track a little bit, for a quick recap, the magazine is geared towards competitive strength training women.  

oxygenmag.com

Although I am not a super muscle builder, it is an interesting and educational read.  As I read this magazine I continued to read more Tosca Reno publishes and it soon led me to eating clean.  My actual DECISION to eat clean was triggered by an educational Dietetic conference I attended last week. This conference discussed the inter-relationships of processed foods, chemicals, and health risks. 

eatcleandiet.com/shop

 Granted, I am a strong believer in the mentality that there are LOTS of different contributing factors to different disease states but I cannot deny that what you eat and place in your body has a strong influence. The United States is consumed with an overwhelming amount of attractive and enticing food marketing and packaging.  With me planning a wedding and exploring my career I have slumped into the rut of buying VERY cheap and not always putting a lot of nutritional thought into my cheap buys.  I have noticed this more often lately…it really is not as bad as I am making it sound but it is enough that I want to try to alter my ways.  I am not turning to the eat clean diet to strictly follow a diet regimen.  I am interested in the eat clean food choice perspective.  Fresh and real foods.  

What are the Eating Clean-Tosca Reno Diet Rules?

1.      Eat More! Eat six small meals each day, spaced at two and a half to three hour intervals.  The book states that continuous eating causes your metabolism to continue to be stimulated and prevent you from feeling over hungry.  Don’t get too shocked here.  When eating more meals this also means decreasing portions. (reference rule number 9 for portion size help) “The idea is to eat the right kinds of foods often enough in the proper amounts to never experience hunger pangs.”

    2.     Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics “eating breakfast encourages increased concentration and problem solving skills throughout the day.” I am a firm believer in this.  I personally like to use breakfast as my personal wake up, get ready, relaxation time.  I currently will pour myself a bowl of cereal, some soy milk, and pop a flintstones vitamin while I read a magazine.  It is a nice morning ritual and something I look forward to.  Not only do I wake up my metabolism but my concentration levels and mental capacity. Bring on the day!

3.     Make your last meal 3 hours before bed. During this goal, Tosca recommends her readers to really analyze when they feel hungry, what does it feel like, and to learn to recognize your TRUE signs of hunger. Understand the difference between real physical hunger and emotional hunger.  For the “6^th” of the 5-6 small meals, if you are physically hungry, eat, but if not, then don’t.  If you chose the 6^th meal this is usually a VERY small portion such as an apple, some tomato slices, scrambled egg whites etc.

4.     Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.  Making the right food choices mean EVERYTHING.  This section is the emphasis and purpose of why I am taking on this challenge, Tosca states “when you choose high-grade foods as your fuel of preference, instead of high fat, sugar laden “anti” foods, you are rewarded by increased energy levels and a sense that you are doing right by your body. Nutrient dense foods make all the difference.”

The Book's Suggested Protein Sources: Egg whites, lean turkey/chicken/pork/fish, beans and legumes, shrimp, clams, mussels, bison, game meats, hummus, quinoa, spirulina, sea vegetables, tofu, and tempeh.

Carbohydrates: Avoid high amounts of simple carbohydrates (refined snacks example: cookies), except fruit.  Consume high amounts of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.  As a fitness enthusiast and endurance athlete I have learned to really appreciate the energy replenishment and necessity of carbohydrates on performance in all aspects of life. 
The Book's Suggested Starchy Carbohydrates: Sweet potato, potato, radish, beans and legumes, oats, brown rice, banana, carrot, parsnip, bulgar wheat, teff, and farro. 

Complex Carbohydrates (starches/fiber/sugars): A complex carbohydrate contains 3+ natural single or double sugars (fructose, lactose, maltose). These are often found in starches. 

 Simple Sugars: Have 2 or less natural sugar components.  These encompass fruits and vegetables but also include refined processed sugars.  

The Book's Suggested Simple Carbohydrates Include: Apple, plum, berries, pears, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, asparagus, beets, leeks, dark leafy greens, brussel sprouts, green beans, onions, sprouts, celery, watermelon, cherries, zucchini, fennel, orange, lime, lemons, garlic.

5.     Eat sufficient healthy fats every day. Excess of any macronutrient can relate to weight gain but overall, our bodies need a good mixture of all three macronutrients.  The 2005 Dietary Guidlines suggested a percentage breakdown of 45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein, and less than 20-30% fat. It is always important to remember that we do need fat for our bodies to function properly (ideally monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats-omega 6 and omega 3).

    The Book's Suggested Fats: flaxseed, nuts-almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, nut butter, hummus, avocado, flaxseed/sesame/coconut/olive/hazelnut/walnut/fish.

6.     Drink two to three liters of water each day.  About 75% of the body is composed of water and fluids.  Last year I did a full topic on hydration for the University of Michigan Health Systems “Healthy Eating Tip of The Month,” Infact this information can still be obtained by going to the link http://www.med.umich.edu/pfans/docs/tip-2011/hydration-0711.pdf

Either way, moral of the story is that, water is important and dehydration cannot only decrease performance but can cause headaches, irritability, decreased energy, and even false hunger cues. The eat clean diet-stripped book states “your metabolic rate increases by as much as 30% when you drink cold water.” Instead of sugar sweetened beverages this text suggests water with fresh lemon.  I will admit…I would rather have a plain, crisp, refreshing glass of water than add bitter lemon, but that is my complete whiny personal preference.

Add caption

    7.     Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day. Tosca Reno states the key to clean eating success is having your meals ready at the beginning of each day and taking them with you. This suggests that you are more aware of what you are putting into your body when you prepare your own clean meals at home and take them with you. Last year I actually bought my first “lunch box” since about elementary school.  It was a”built” brand lunch box and I LOVE it. My fiancé gets very annoyed by the ridiculous (ridiculously awesome- in my opinion) amount of reusable containers I have but they come in handy with a hand packed meal.

8.     Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes. This rule along with number 4 emphasizes my purpose in trying to eat clean. Eating clean is about improving your health and staying more towards natural foods to meet your daily needs and strip your body of unnecessary chemicals.

webMD portion guide

9.     Adhere to proper portion sizes. This is VERY important to maintaining a healthy weight. The second class in my YMCA nutrition education series talks about serving sizes and 
    portioning. The U.S. portions can be drastically huge and it is important to realize what portions fit your body and let you intuitively meet your needs.  The Eat Clean – Stripped books uses the “handy” guide to help with portion sizing. It states that a proper portion of protein is what can fit into the palm of your hand. Starchy carbohydrates equal what can fit into one cupped hand. Complex carbohydrates from fresh produce portions fit into two cupped hands. Healthy fats are a “scant” handful of nuts, or 1-2 tablespoons of healthy oil or nut butter- like the tip of your thumb.

Keep in mind EVERYONES hands are different sizes...this can be a deceiving guide.  Check out choosemyplate.gov for more portion size methods and ideas.

10.   Eat only foods that have not been overly processed or doused in chemicals, saturated and trans fats and/or toxins. In my head I just heard the “Ah Ha” moment.  This is what this challenge is ALL about for me. REAL FOOD.  The eat clean diet suggests foods that have only one ingredient in them such as oats, apples, broccoli, or brown rice. “Real foods are not altered in any way and nothing is added to make them taste better they taste best on their own.”  Being realistic…I have set goals to an ingredient list with “normal” and recognizeable words and containing ideally five ingredients or less.

So…These are the 10 “rules” to the eat clean diet.  Once again, as I stated before, this challenge isn’t about the diet, but rule #10 – eating real, non processed, natural, and fresh foods for a processed food over hall and health benefits.  When I came home from my Dietetic conference last week and suggested eating clean and natural to my fiancé he said…uh yea…that’s going to be really expensive.  So my second challenge is not only to eat clean…but within a budget.  For the two of us, depending on the week, I have gained the skill to get me in and out of a grocery store between $30-$110.  Most often this spending pattern alternates each week.

So now that I stated the rules…it is good to note

The Eat Clean – What to Avoid

1.      All refined, over processed foods, particularly white flour, sugar and related products

2.      Chemically charged food

3.      Foods containing preservatives

4.      Saturated and trans fats

5.      Skipping meals

6.      Excess sodium

7.      Sugar and all sugar substitutes

8.      Counting calories

9.      Alcohol and juice

10.   Artificial foods

11.   All calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value

12.   Super sizing your meals.

AND so it begins.  The DECISION has been made and starting today 1/16/12 I am doing a 28 day processed food overall.  With this being said, similar to the “Flexitarian” idea, stated by Registered Dietitian, Dawn Jackson Blatner, I am starting each day with the intention to eat as clean as possible but if something comes up such as movie girls night and there is wine, chocolate, and cake…yes…I am going to socially have a processed piece of box cake.  It is always important to remember your dietary choices should not run your life and prevent you from doing things that mean the most to you. Amount moderation and understanding your intuitive eating cues are key! And so it begins, eating clean, and leaving the processed world behind! Bring it on!