Clean Eating: Week One

I am in need of a major food overhaul. My husband has tried the zone diet with limited success. Paelo sounds too restrictive. With this need to overhaul my family's nutritional intact at the forefront of my mind, I began looking toward the source of food and where it comes from.

I stumbled upon a book by Tosca Reno called the Eat Clean Diet for Family and Kids. I am only on page 59 and well and truly hooked. The book is written with simple, "real" language that the everday Joe (or in my case Jane) can read without sitting hand and hand with a dictionary. This is already a selling point for me.

Here is what I've done thus far:
- taken notes as I am reading
- went to the store and purchased a few more fruits and vegetables
- bought a 7 grain bread that taste fantastic
- removed soda from the house... sigh
- made a list of food suggestions from the book (more to come as I read further into the book, I'm sure)
- scheduled time to go to the local farmers market
- located a delivery service for local products such as milk, produce, and meat
- explained the new eat clean philosophy to my boys
- found a friend interested in implementing eating clean to share struggles and ideas with.

Wow, I hadn't realized how much I have done already in just a day. I think this is a fairly good start.

Below I will share what I have learned so far in hopes to inspire others to join in and eat clean too.

Guidelines...
- Eat 6 small meals a day.
- Eat every 3 hours.
- Drink 2-3 liters of water daily.
- Lean protein and complex carbs should be eaten at every meal.

Note: Complex carbs are mainly fruits and veggies.
Lean protein consist of poultry, wild game, fish, and beans.
Juice should be diluted 1 part juice to 2 parts water.

Favorable Food Options...
- whole grain versus white flour
- Salba crackers
- Ezekiel bread
- rice bran
- chicken (poultry)
- fish
- wild game
- locally sourced meat (fresh... grass fed)
- beans
- unsalted nuts and seeds
- avocado (healthy fat)
- flax seed
- quino
- popcorn (air popped... no butter, oil or salt)
- plain yogurt - dried fruit (no added sugars)
- hard boiled eggs
- egg whites
- sea salt (not table salt)
- agave nectar (instead of sugar)
- 75% or higher dark chocolate
- Lara bars
- rice vinegar
- white balsamic vinegar

Small Changes to Begin Incorporating Today...

I will limit the amount of processed food I bring into my home.
I will no longer bring soda into my home.
I will prepare at least 1-2 clean meals a day.
I will not use cooking spray. I will put olive oil in a spritzer bottle to use in the place of "Pam".
I will not purchase white bread products.
I will slowly rid my home of processed foods. As we eat it, I will not buy more.
I will go to the farmers market.
I will make better meat selections at the store.
I will purchase sea salt to replace our table salt.
I will purchase agave nectar to replace sugar.

Well, there you have it! Some really simple things to begin the change from processed foods to clean eating. Any recipes or ideas are always welcome.