Friday, May 6, 2011

The Way We Eat

If you ask us what we eat, we will tell you we eat clean foods. What is clean eating? Clean eating is eating food as close to it's natural state as possible. Clean eating is eating whole, unprocessed foods. Here is a basic list so you get the idea.

Protein choices: a serving size is 3 oz (think, a deck of cards or the palm of your hand)
Chicken
Tuna (packed in water)
Shrimp
Fish (best kinds are salmon, halibut, mahi mahi & shrimp)
Turkey
Lean cuts of red meat (have in moderation)
Protein powder (look for ones with low sugar)
Eggs
Low or Non-fat Cottage Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
Low or Non-fat Plain Yogurt (Greek yogurt is a great choice!)
Beans & Lentils

Complex carb choices: serving size is about a 1/2 cup (your cupped hand)
Oatmeal (steel cut or rolled)
Sweet Potatoes/Yams (serving size is the size of a computer mouse)
Brown rice
Whole wheat breads, pastas, & tortillas
Quinoa
Barely
Couscous

Healthy fats:
Natural peanut butter (we currently get Smuckers crunchy peanut butter and a serving size is 2 Tablespoons. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt)
Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil (about 1 tsp is a serving size)
Nuts (serving size is about 1 oz. That's about the palm of your hand)
Avocado

All fruits and vegetables and seasonings/spices.

This list may look like you can only eat boring foods, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I love experimenting with clean, healthy recipes. I'll be posting them soon!

You don't have to stop and check the fat or calorie content of these foods like you would for processed, packaged foods. You don't have to read the label for most of these, because there is no label! They are simple, basic, whole foods.

And when you eat clean, you don't have to diet or count calories. You don't count carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. Zach and I eat 5-6 clean meals each day. Our breakfast consists of eggs (protein) cooked in coconut oil (healthy fat) and a small bowl of oatmeal (carbs). Our next meal would be 3 hours later and maybe an apple (carb) with walnuts (fat & protein) and almonds (fat & protein). Meal #3 might look like chicken (protein), rice (carb), and broccoli (fibrous carb) drizzled with olive oil (fat). Our next meal would be 2-3 hours later and be a protein shake with fruit (carbs + protein). I definitely have to have my late afternoon chocolate protein shake because I get the worst sweet tooth around 3 PM or 4 PM. Sometimes I'll throw in a tablespoon of peanut butter (healthy fat) and it totally takes care of any bad craving I'm having. Meal #5 would be a chicken (protein) stir fry (fat + fibrous carbs) and that's usually it for me. Sometimes Zach will add a potato to meal 5 and also have another meal like a protein shake with whole milk or eggs or a peanut butter sandwich.

Clean eating is giving your body real food and real ingredients that are free of man-made sugars, fats, synthesized preservatives, and additives. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. 

1 comment:

  1. I love this! Thank you for posting! Please put up some recipes when you have the chance! I think that is the hardest part for me is finding recipes that will please the kids and be healthy and natural!!

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