I haven't been writing for a long time as I've been extremely busy taking care of my dad and trying to get his home ready for rental. My father seems to be getting better and I say this with some trepidation because I don't want to "jinx" him. It's very likely that he will go into a long-term care facility and I will have to supplement his pension in order to ensure a spot for him in one of the facilities I think are best for our circumstances.
Meanwhile, the battle of the menopausal budge continues! A few months ago I purchased Tosca Reno's book, The Eat-Clean Diet, and flipped through it and tried to follow it halfheartedly. I also purchased her cookbook and workout book thinking it would help me "do it right." Not so easy!
In the subsequent months, I have been gaining weight mainly from the emotional eating and drinking. Then, after getting my blood test results back from my doctor and learning my cholesterol had jumped alot since December, I thought I better start getting my act together. The doctor gave me a stern talking to...impressing upon me, that with my history, I could end up with heart disease. He also added that if I were 55 or above, he would insist I go on cholesterol lowering medication. I have been given a reprieve and have promised myself I will get my cholesterol down by my next check-up.
Back to clean eating. I happened to come by a magazine about three weeks ago called Clean Eating and it is based on the principles laid our by Tosca Reno in her books. I bought it and made one of the dinners - salad, main course, dessert - from that issue. It turned out great - my husband loved it, my picky son ate everything - it was very successful. I explained the concept behind eating clean and told them that I will do my best to cook clean. It seems to have landed well on them. My youngest son (the picky one) has also embraced clean eating (to some degree) and I've noticed he's eating the salads I serve....I think his compliance might have something to do with his girlfriend and her family...who think it's cool that I'm health conscious...but whatever the reason, I'm happy!
This past week was the first week I went almost entirely without eating anything with chemicals, or refined/processed foods and I survived! I also lost at the scales at Weight Watchers!! Bonus!!
I want to use this blog (my ever evolving blog) as a way to chronicle some of the "lessons" from the Eat-Clean book and Clean Eating magazine.
Eat-Clean Principles (pg. 23, The Eat-Clean Diet)
- eat 5 - 6 small meals every day (I've been eating three meals and two snacks)
- eat every 2 - 3 hours
- combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal (really, I think this is the secret to this way of eating)
- consume adequate healthy fats each day
- drink at least 2 litres, or 8 cups, of water each day
- never miss a meal, especially breakfast
- carry a cooler loaded with Eat-Clean foods to get through the day (this should be fairly easy for me once I'm back to work, as I usually pack a good lunch...this way it will be organized)
- avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar
- avoid chemicals, preservatives, and artificial sugar
- avoid saturated and trans fats
- avoid sugar-loaded colas and juices
- consume adequate healthy fates (EFA's) each day (I'm trying to take supplements, but haven't been consistent)
- avoid alcohol - another form of sugar (this one is tough, especially since I use alcohol when I'm stressed)
- avoid all calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value (once again, a tough one...because chips, coke and chocolate bars are my stress go-to foods)
- depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins and enzymes
- stick to proper portion sizes - give up the super-sizing! (this is the one weakness of the book...Tosca describes portions, on page 39, in terms of palm-size, handfuls, and two-cupped handfuls. My mathematical brain can't relate to the lack of precision here...I guess I could just measure our my own 'handfuls' and work out the weight using a scale)
These are the principles that I am following. So far, it hasn't been arduous, it fits in with what my philosophy of eating is (not the actuality of my eating though) and I think this is something my whole family can adopt with little or not argument. And, I think, it still allows for the odd cheat...at least until I can make the recipes that fulfill the cheat instinct...like the recipe on the colour of Clean Eating July-August issue (http://shopmusclemag.com/product.asp?productid=2028).
Meanwhile, the battle of the menopausal budge continues! A few months ago I purchased Tosca Reno's book, The Eat-Clean Diet, and flipped through it and tried to follow it halfheartedly. I also purchased her cookbook and workout book thinking it would help me "do it right." Not so easy!
In the subsequent months, I have been gaining weight mainly from the emotional eating and drinking. Then, after getting my blood test results back from my doctor and learning my cholesterol had jumped alot since December, I thought I better start getting my act together. The doctor gave me a stern talking to...impressing upon me, that with my history, I could end up with heart disease. He also added that if I were 55 or above, he would insist I go on cholesterol lowering medication. I have been given a reprieve and have promised myself I will get my cholesterol down by my next check-up.
Back to clean eating. I happened to come by a magazine about three weeks ago called Clean Eating and it is based on the principles laid our by Tosca Reno in her books. I bought it and made one of the dinners - salad, main course, dessert - from that issue. It turned out great - my husband loved it, my picky son ate everything - it was very successful. I explained the concept behind eating clean and told them that I will do my best to cook clean. It seems to have landed well on them. My youngest son (the picky one) has also embraced clean eating (to some degree) and I've noticed he's eating the salads I serve....I think his compliance might have something to do with his girlfriend and her family...who think it's cool that I'm health conscious...but whatever the reason, I'm happy!
This past week was the first week I went almost entirely without eating anything with chemicals, or refined/processed foods and I survived! I also lost at the scales at Weight Watchers!! Bonus!!
I want to use this blog (my ever evolving blog) as a way to chronicle some of the "lessons" from the Eat-Clean book and Clean Eating magazine.
Eat-Clean Principles (pg. 23, The Eat-Clean Diet)
- eat 5 - 6 small meals every day (I've been eating three meals and two snacks)
- eat every 2 - 3 hours
- combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal (really, I think this is the secret to this way of eating)
- consume adequate healthy fats each day
- drink at least 2 litres, or 8 cups, of water each day
- never miss a meal, especially breakfast
- carry a cooler loaded with Eat-Clean foods to get through the day (this should be fairly easy for me once I'm back to work, as I usually pack a good lunch...this way it will be organized)
- avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar
- avoid chemicals, preservatives, and artificial sugar
- avoid saturated and trans fats
- avoid sugar-loaded colas and juices
- consume adequate healthy fates (EFA's) each day (I'm trying to take supplements, but haven't been consistent)
- avoid alcohol - another form of sugar (this one is tough, especially since I use alcohol when I'm stressed)
- avoid all calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value (once again, a tough one...because chips, coke and chocolate bars are my stress go-to foods)
- depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins and enzymes
- stick to proper portion sizes - give up the super-sizing! (this is the one weakness of the book...Tosca describes portions, on page 39, in terms of palm-size, handfuls, and two-cupped handfuls. My mathematical brain can't relate to the lack of precision here...I guess I could just measure our my own 'handfuls' and work out the weight using a scale)
These are the principles that I am following. So far, it hasn't been arduous, it fits in with what my philosophy of eating is (not the actuality of my eating though) and I think this is something my whole family can adopt with little or not argument. And, I think, it still allows for the odd cheat...at least until I can make the recipes that fulfill the cheat instinct...like the recipe on the colour of Clean Eating July-August issue (http://shopmusclemag.com/product.asp?productid=2028).
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