Eating Clean: Day One

After weeks of research, John and I have decided to start 'eating clean'. Eating clean is the act of enjoying food in it's most natural state-or as close to it as you can possibly get. This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. Most of our country's health issues can be blamed on diet and exercise. The fact is that people don't eat healthy on a daily basis. I am a believer that you can eat in moderation, but the fact is that people do not eat in moderation. Our children's generation is in crisis state--more children are obese now then they were in my generation or any of the previous generations. We can thank diet and lack of exercise on that. I intend to set a good example for my children by eating healthy and exercising regularly. This lifestyle is not intended to lose weight--in fact--you can end up eating MORE calories, but it's clean and not filled with toxins in unclean food.

As a disclaimer before I proceed: I do not think I am better than any of you because of the decisions I have made regarding my family's diet. Just like you, I have chosen this lifestyle because I believe it's best for my family. John and I are constantly sluggish and even more so on a bad diet day. I am going in with an open mind--this is something we are making a great attempt at doing. We want to change our lifestyle for good, but situations like busy work schedules might prevent us and that is OK. My hope is that when all is said and done, we all make a healthy decision unless we absolutely can't. I fully expect to eat 'un-clean' at others houses because I am a good guest and I will do so happily. I also am not willing to give up the occasional eating out. I do want to enjoy life, and I really enjoy eating out, so as a reward, we will!

It has always been my goal to introduce and educate AJ to a healthy lifestyle. With his weight gain issues and lack of time, this goal has truly taken a back burner. I find with our busy life that making a wholesome meal is extremely hard. Added to that is the fact that by dinner time I'm so exhausted that I will do anything to get food on the table--sacrificing healthy for quick and easy. It's a nasty cycle that is hard to stop. I get busy and lazy, I make unhealthy food, I am exhausted from my terrible eating habits that I once again make unhealthy food and then cycle back around. Eating clean, when done properly, gives you the energy to pack more into a busy day. Now that we know AJ is a good eater and is eating enough in the day, I can now focus on getting him back on track to making healthy decisions.

Luckily John and I eat pretty healthy as it is--at home at least. We never eat anything fried, we eat only sprouted wheat bread, we love fruits and veggies, only drink water (ok, coffee for me--but that doesn't count!), don't use condiments, and we stay away from refined sugars. We do love our dessert, however. We have been known to substitute a good homecooked dinner for Safeway jumbo Oatmeal Raisen Cookies. Thank God they don't make them anymore. We also have to give up most of our beloved cheese, sugar packed yogurt, premade quick oatmeal, and cereal. That is right, eating clean doesn't usually allow you to eat anything pre-packaged. This will be the hardest part. Although it can be a pain in a butt, I'm so glad that I get to pack AJ's lunch for school. This allows me the opportunity to feed him healthy instead of sugar and sodium packed lunches schools usually provide.

Anyway, so we are on day #1 and as suspected, it was pretty easy. I made eggs and toast for breakfast. AJ ate the eggs along with his yogurt (we had leftover of the sugar packed) as well as the leftover frozen pancakes we have (I don't want to throw away food!). For snack I had fat-free greek yogurt, muesli, and fresh berries. For lunch I made a grilled chicken and spinach on sprouted wheat wrap. AJ and John's lunch consisted of leftover rice/chicken/veggie from dinner the night before. For my second snack I had a Tbs of Almond Butter and an Apple. Dinner deserves it's own paragraph.

Dinner was Chicken Marsala, grilled carrots, and Risotto. I got to tell you, it was the best meal I have made in a LONG time. The chicken alone was amazing, but the Risotto took the cake. Best yet, it was all CLEAN! Instead of butter on the Risotto, I used garlic and onions and a cucumber and lemon puree. The Chicken marsala was made from scratch and had greek yogurt instead of cream in the marsala. Grilled carrots were plain, but boiled then grilled to bring out the flavor. I would do a few things differently next time, like add chicken to the Risotto and make that the meal or whip veggies for the marsala. I dont' think i would mix Risotto and Chicken Marsala again because it doesn't need to be--that is way too many calories to be honest. That and the time it took to cook was unreal--an hour and a half! Who has that time on a Monday night and can STILL manage to spend time with their family. Sadly, I didn't get to really play with my family, so I live and learn and next time will cut down the cooking time!

So day #1 was a success overall. This is going to require a ton of planning and possibly a few hours on a Sunday to premake some dinners, but I think it will all be worth it.

If you would like to learn more, go to www.cleaneatingmag.com!