Green, clean and lean?

I have been  seriously considering “eating clean” as of late and last night’s late night sugar binge  may just push me over the limit (cookies and packet brownies. Not even worth the tummy pain and awful taste in my mouth!). My crazy love for all things sugary (especially when mixed with fat, in say, CHOCOLATE form) has gone too far.
I am starting to really care about what I am putting into my body because I only get a certain number of calories if I want to be lean – I need as much of that to be helping me get through the day, happy, energised and motivated! So I don’t seem the harm (only the benefit) in trying to eat more things as natural as possible for a number of reasons.
1. I am really busy in life now. I need to simplify things.
2. I am a bit of a control freak and I read labels, comparing EVERY brand on the shelf, balancing price, ingredients, calories, fat, fibre, you name it. It would be nice to put my health first for a while – goodness knows I need it.
3. I am sick of counting calories. Its not natural. What is natural is to know that the food you are eating will nourish you, and to eat a normal amount.
4. I think I have lost touch with myself, especially my health. I have awfully irregular sleeping patterns, am semi-addicted to Pepsi Max, fall asleep during classes yet have no energy to gym, stress to the point of tears, and have been sick three times in the last month, despite my “semi-healthy” diet (I eat all the “good stuff”, but just as much “bad stuff”).
Can eating fresh, clean, fruit, veg and lean protein really help? Given the amount of junk I just ate… I think so.

Follow the jump to read about clean eating and my plans!



So what is clean eating? This website is apparently the home of clean eating, (note, the word diet here implies way of eating, vice a way of starving) a very popular movement that focuses on eating fresh, healthy, unprocessed food, as much as possible. The rules can be as restricted as you want (kinda like vegetarianism – its your choice) but it focuses on …

• eating food that nourishes – usually the least “tampered” with my humans or machines
• portion control
• a balance of carbs and protein for meals
• minimising saturated and trans fats and refined sugar
• drinking water.

Its not about deprivation or eating hippy food its about healthy substitution and being responsible for what you eat. And the guidelines remind me of almost every other sensible diet I have heard of, just without gimmicks.
Some great websites I follow that generally fit within the clean eating regime and have been an inspiration include Kath Eats, an eternal favourite,  The Gracious Pantry, Oh She Glows and the Clean Eating Mag website. These people focus on the taste and experience on food but also its balance into a healthy lifestyle.
Although its common sense, “simple” in fact, its not without a challenge. I live, and share the cooking with “the boy” who has hot-cross buns with butter for breakfast every day, does little to no exercise, thinks hashbrowns (potatoes) and Tomato Sauce/Ketchup (Tomatoes) count as veggies for breakfast, and gains weight as often as I mow the lawn (…rarely if you didn’t catch that…) Week one of my clean eating and he has planned Macaroni Cheese… Then again, I am no saint, having already planned “unclean” Hokkein Noodles and not enough moolah to buy anymore $15/kg spelt flour (I need to find a cheaper health store…) nor the time to make them. So, my own rules:

1. Plan to eat clean 7 days a week, 3 meals and up to 2 snacks a day – it won’t happen but at least I will have the maximum chance to eat well.
2. Eat the least processed food available – this means if I can’t buy it clean I should try to make it, or substitute it for something that is at least partially clean. If buying prepared foods pick something with less than 5 main ingredients, all of which I recognise and at least don’t degrade my health. And at restaurants, not giving in just because I am eating out. Salads can be yummy too!
3. If I have to eat food that is not clean, balance it with a super food or extra exercise Mac Cheese? Make sure I eat well the rest of the day and try and convince the boy to add in some salmon and serve with a salad (or at least sprinkle some chia on top!!
4. STOP EATING sugar unnecessarily. And if I must make it as natural or as small an amount as possible. Which means ditch the fake sugars.
5. Eat more Veg, drink more water, reduce portion sizes! This is a personal one. I know its a weak area for me so I need to work hard to get my 2 and 5 a day! And keep my portions to a decent size. So many times I eat until I am full the regeret it 10 mins later.
6. Record my progress, reward my goals (without food!). How else will I know how far I have gone?!

Just so you know, I have written down a list of reasons why I want to do this on a palm card, from feeling healthier every day, fitting into the clothes I already own, feeling comfortable in my own skin, being proud of taking control of my life and setting an example for my friends and family. I will pull this out when the “M&M craving” kicks in – a leaf from the Beck Diet Solution, something I may use if I can’t stick to Clean Eating (it focuses on ”training your brain”)
Do you know any good clean eating websites from Australia? I need help with product reviews (which yogurt, pasta sauce, shops, markets are the best?!?!) because I am so jealous of the huge product range in America. Otherwise that’s my intent – to document my progress not just for me, but to help others who might be interested in clean eating, to avoid the hidden nasties but still enjoy convenient and delicious, REAL food!