I know fall/winter is upon us when I eat my breakfast before there is enough natural light for a decent photograph of my cereal. This saddens me. See the tears? I’m going to have to learn a few tricks to successful indoor photography sans sunlight since no one – me especially! – likes a blurry, “flashed-out”, pixelated picture.
I attempted to take a few photos of my dark breakfast and dinner, but they didn’t make the cut. Really, though… cold cereal and green burgers are not the most interesting items I consume. You didn’t miss a lot.
By the time I was ready to put together my packed lunch, the sun was high enough in the sky for this picky food blogger. I took advantage of it, obviously.
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Sprouted Wheat Tortilla + Humboldt Hummus, 1 Heirloom, Cuc & Organic Greens
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1 crunchy orange stick
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Plain Greek, 1/2 peach, 1/4 c. coconut cashews
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icy h2o in my new Lulelemon bottle — I <3 Running
After a really awful day of eating – to me, that means random eats that aren’t worth the calories [i.e. horrible, fluffy Baskin Robbins ice cream] – plus a weekend full of indulgences, I was ready to resume with my clean eating today.
What does clean eating mean to me?
My body feels ‘clean’ when I eat a controlled diet rich in fiber-dense whole grains, raw vegetables and fruits, nuts [in moderation], low-fat dairy [again, not too much], a reasonable amount of sugar, and lots of water/tea.
My skin tells me when I’ve OD’ed on sugar, or am not hydrating with water [as is the case currently]. However, I don’t believe clean eating should restrict sweets/indulgences. I ate dessert today [chocolate, of course], and did not feel all that guilty about it. If I want to indulge in treat, I aim for quality, short ingredient list items.
I realize there are many many definitions of ‘clean eating’ out there, especially floating around the healthy living community. This is just my personal view. I’m not a RD, just a nutrition nut : )
It wasn’t terribly difficult to keep my clean eating regimen under control today since I had one heck of a busy Hump Day!
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9:00-9:50am Physiology
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11:00am-1:15pm Help with Farmers’ Market
The Nutrition & Food Science Association has a booth at the student market every other week. Today we sold veggie wraps and cucumber water, as well as our cute club tees. I’m really going to make an effort to work on Goal #4 this semester!
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2:00-2:50pm Human Nutrition
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3:00-3:50pm Science of Food
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5:00-6:00pm Group Meeting
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6:15-8:00pm Gym
12-minute indoor track run [1 mi. @ 8 min. + 0.5 mi @ 4 min.]
12-minute treadmill run [3 min. @ 6.8 / 1 min. @ 8.0 – repeat 3x | 1.0 incline]
60-minute WRECPump
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eat. shower. blog… homework.
That is my Wednesday in a nutshell. So glad tomorrow is already Thursday – yay for 4-day weeks. Time to get my clean on [room cleaning, that is].
Take care, lovelies!
Hillary
Chobani GIVEAWAY
everything but the kitchen sink.
Time to Train
christmas crunch granola.
That’s a Wrap
Clean eating to me is not eating mindlessly. I have a problem when I get stressed or bored and will just throw any old thing in my mouth. Clean eating for me comprises of lean proteins (chicken, turkey, and fish), lots of fresh veggies and fruit, nuts, and minimal (1-2 servings) grains and dairy. Grains and dairy seem to cause bloating and make me feel icky – I’m not sure why.
I tried to eat clean in college and, compared to most students, I was probably very healthy. I did, however, splurge a bit on the weekends and had far too many frosties and tacos (no alcohol though!).
Clean eating means that I am making wise and conscious decisions about what I am consuming. I feel “clean” when I eat whole grains, foods with ingredients I can pronounce, fresh vegetables and fruits! I also feel clean when I practice vegetarianism!
Hillary – Do you ever feel guilty after a day of snacking on not so healthy food? If so, how do you cope with it?
I like your answer, Katy : )
Yes, I am human – occasional guilt is inevitable. If I eat something that I wish I hadn’t early on in the day, perpetual thoughts can hang around in my head throughout the rest of the day. I try not to let one ‘mistake’ ruin the rest of a perfectly good, deserving day; sometimes it happens. My outlook is that “tomorrow is a new day”. If I have an undesirable/unclean day of eats, I remind myself that I can start fresh in the morning. It doesn’t do any good to hold on to unnecessary thoughts.
in the past, i would take the unnecessary bad calories that i had inhaled, count them up, and add them on to my total calorie count for the next day. this is one of the most negative practices i’ve every allowed myself to do. your question is great, katy – and thank you, hillary, for your answer about starting fresh. that is so important! now, the next day i eat normally (if a bit on the light side), drink tons of green tea, get my fiber in, and focus on maintaining my health, not my weight.
Thanks so much for the responses! It’s so comforting to know that women experience the same struggles and find ways of coping with them! I will definitely incorporate these tips into my daily life! Thanks again!
For me, clean eating is about eating healthy foods that are good for me, but also about HOW I eat. For me, clean eating is eating to fuel and nourish my body, when I am hungry, obeying my cravings and what my body tells me… and NOT eating mindlessly, or processed junk, or for reasons other than hunger. Hard though!
Good definition of clean eating! I think clean eating means to eat as much fresh and unprocessed foods as possible, with the least ingredient lists as I can. I agree, it is definitely good to indulge. However, when I indulge in something like a baked good, it will be something that I made from home, from scratch.
I did not clean eat in college – I was the “low fat” “100 calorie” “save all your calories for drinking tonight” kind of girl. Oh, how my life has changed for the better!!!
Mmm clean eating. To me, it’s usually eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and “real” foods without all the chemicals. I usually associate it with meals I cook myself, which is why I feel better and healthier eating at home. Maybe it’s in my head, but my body does feel better when I eat “clean”.
We’ve had so much rain in Texas this week! It’s keeping me indoors, but we really needed the rain. I started eating clean my junior year in college when I took an interest in nutrition. Before that, I was pretty clueless and ate a lot of crap. Clean eating for me is as few ingredients as possible – just whole foods, raw fruits and veggies, nuts, beans and grains. I feel best when I eat that way…but I definitely splurge on desserts. :)
Clean eating to me is shopping the outside aisles in the grocery store, looking for the least processed foods. I’m not very good at eating this way, in college it was way worse for me – fast food all the time. I’m slowly moving in the right direction by incorporating more fruits and veggies.
Texas has been terrible with the rain! None today though.
To me, clean eating is avoiding mindless eating. I have a tendency to get hungry around 3pm and just eat everything and spoil my dinner and give myself a stomach ache. When I eat clean, I eat solid meals and snacks and that makes me feel good!
i started a ‘clean week’ on monday – and i came to the same conclusion as you – eating clean isn’t about restrictions, but embracing healthy choices. not that i eat so badly when i’m not being ‘clean’, it’s just that these days i feel so much more in control by cutting out the little things. for me, i decided to go with no dairy, no sweeteners, no refined anything, no eating out, and a focus on experimenting with whole foods at home. good luck with your clean! enjoy!
When I think of clean eating, I think about eating fresh food! Auburn just got a brand new Earth Fare which is all organic and natural! I always go there when I need some clean eating. It flushes out all the bad things I’d been eating too! P.S. I lovvveee hummus sandwiches :)