in college, when i first really started paying attention to what i was eating, i was more concerned with calorie and fat content than anything. while i still semi-pay attention to those things (although usually in the opposite way now, making sure i get enough fat and calories, especially during marathon training), it is definitely not my number one priority anymore when it comes to food. now i focus more on what is in the foods i am eating, and how “clean” and “whole” they are. one of my goals for 2010 is to continue with this process and clean up my eating even more.
clean eating is pretty much “consuming food in it’s most natural state” such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
i started to become interested in this when i visited a nutritionist twice while training for my first marathon. she is the one who started putting the ideas of “whole” “clean” foods into my mind. at first some things were a really hard switch for me, but slowly and surely it’s coming along. my eating is in NO way perfect, but i am happy with the progress i have made over the last 1-2 years, and hope i can look back in another year and be even happier with it.
so what are some changes i have made?
whole wheat
although i don’t completely avoid processed foods (cereal, bread, pasta, etc) i try to stick to the whole wheat versions when i can, since they are less processed than white flour foods are, and are just better for you. brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat bread are all parts of my weekly food intake.
read the ingredients
i try and buy most of our food from stores like trader joe’s where you don’t see so much “junk” in the ingredients. when chris and i really started paying attention to the ingredient list on food boxes we were blown away. high fructose corn syrup and fake sugars are hidden in so many foods, we even found HFCS in our bread! so we read the ingredients pretty carefully now, and try to at least know what most of the ingredients are. when they start having too many of those chemical sounding processed names in the list, we tend to avoid them.
fresh is best
i try to avoid most frozen meal type foods that are loaded with sodium, and instead just make my own meals from fresher ingredients. it may take a few minutes longer, but overall it’s not hard!
no fake sugar
i also have eliminated all the “fake” sugar i was eating. it took me a while, but it’s been months since i have put splenda in my coffee! i use stevia now or raw sugar. i never drink soda or any other weird drink (except for once in a GREAT while), and check my foods to make sure there aren’t any in the ingredients list.
baby steps
when i went to visit my nutritionist and go over what i ate on a normal basis, one of the first things she told me to stop eating was my yogurt. i had always just assumed yogurt was healthy! i had been eating danon light and fit or yoplait light for a long time, thinking it was good for you and i liked it because the calories were really low. on top of it being full of fake sugars, she said that it was just processed to where your body didn’t really get the nutrients out of it. i switched to eating a flavored trader joes yogurt and have since switched to eating plain greek yogurt with cereal or granola in it. small baby steps have taken me to a much better option.
my normal days
at least during the weekdays…. the weekends can be a whole other story which is an area i am looking to improve on also!
- breakfast: bowl of cereal (usually joe’s o’s) with fat free oraganic milk
- lunch: salad full of vegetables, beans, avocado, etc, with olive oil and vinegar as dressing
- snacks during the day: greek yogurt with granola/cereal, zbar, apple, banana, plain oatmeal, banana
- dinner: typically a lot of vegetables either sautéed or roasted with brown rice, in a whole wheat tortilla, or something on that order.
- snack/dessert: fruit – orange or apple
when i am in peak marathon training the quantities and numbers of snacks definitely increase, as do the carbs and i pay closer attention to fats and calories. i up nuts and avocado, and eat more whole wheat carbs.
so that’s what i do and have been doing. it is definitely not perfect and not completely “clean” and i know there is still work to be done. i am a big believe in making things lifestyle changes rather than switching abruptly and thinking of it as a “diet”. when changes are slowly incorporated and become habits and part of your lifestyle they stick around for much longer.
what are your tips for cleaning up eating?
how have you made changes to make your eating habits better?
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running!
incase you haven’t heard california is currently being SOAKED with rain. i don’t mind, i love the rain, but getting out of bed at 5am when it’s pouring, dark and there are 20+ mph winds just isn’t happening. luckily i have caught some breaks in the rain to get a couple of runs in.
tuesday i dressed for getting drenched but barely got wet at all. my legs warmed up after a few miles and felt better than they did last week.
8.0 miles/1:12:32/9:04 avg pace
wednesday i met up with a new group that has runs every wednesday night. my friend i ran with the other weekend always goes, so it was fun to meet some new people and run on a new route (even though it was dark). its a great way to get out there after work and get the miles done! 4 miles into the run the rain and wind really started, but i didn’t mind, i was warmed up by that point and knew we were close to the start.
6.0 miles/51:30/8:35 avg pace
So, I guess I do pretty good with the clean eating since I only eat real sugar? LOL
I had to give up those two yogurts too – sugar substitute and processing are HUGE triggers for migraines.
You had a speedy run tonight.
I too was shocked to see HPCS in bread!! Yuck!! It really is in everything.
Like you mentioned, I think the best way to start eating clean is to make one change at a time. This way you don't lapse because your body is craving it. If you want one soda every few months that is fine but someone who goes from 10 sodas to 0 is not going to be successful. Also, like you mentioned read labels!! I have honestly stopped eating some of my old favorites once I found out what was really in them.
Great post!
P.S. I am jealous of your wintery runs! I love running right after it has rained.
I think baby steps is the most important part. Otherwise it's too hard or not realistic to continue long term. Congrats on all the great changes!
Great post! I think it is very important to learn about what we are putting in our bodies. You are completely right though, when you say baby steps. Small changes over time will help make sure positive changes stick.
these are all great 'baby steps', though to me they are each a marathon
i did not know that about yogurt! but, i can believe it… those ingredient lists aren't so chem-free either. so plain yogurt is the better option if you are going to have yogurt? i used to do plain with granola/cereal mixed in, guess i should switch back!
My favorite…. FRESH IS BEST. That somes up most of my eating habits… oh, and refrain from eating boxed meals. yuck.
this is great. but i don't think i can give up my yogurt. i know it's processed from hell and back but i don't care
I decided to start paying more attentiont o eating clean foods this year. I've been watching what I eat for a while, but having far too many low-cal/low-fat 'convenience' foods which are filled with all kinds of UNhealthy ingredients. It's taking me some time to adjust but like you said, I'm working on it a little bit at a time.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
I just recently gave up yogurt too – well all yogurt really, but awhile back ago I switched from sweetened to greek and after a few weeks the thought of dannon's sugary yogurt made me feel sick! so far i'm surviving without it!
good for you getting out in the yucky weather to run – unfortunately daily yuck weather on the east coast prohibits me daily from the outdoor running. earnestly waiting for spring
I have been trying to eat cleaner too! It is hard sometimes cause I have a sweet tooth! But Brian and I have really been looking at the ingredients lately of our foods (and he has been surprised at all the stuff in things that he didnt know about) and so we are trying to improve! I am putting the greek yogurt on my list for this week cause I dont eat yogurt a lot (about once a week) but i thought it was good for you. Should of known the plain stuff is better for you!
I definitely need to take this advice! I feel like I eat so much processed food its ridiculous. I usually don't look at the ingredients of food, so maybe that should be my first step. Thanks for the info
Great advice. I have been doing a lot of the same things this year and really thinking about: "if I put this in my body what do I gain from it?"
I've even cut back on the vino. It still makes me a bit sad..
i eat a pretty clean diet, but i had no idea that yogurt was not good for you. greek yogurt at the grocery store is sooo expensive. i'll have to look into getting it at TJ's and switching. thanks for the info!
Giving up yogurt was incredibly tough for me (I also ate dannon light and fit) but now I eat Fage and Oiskos and could never go back to anything else. Shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes has helped me immensely when it comes to eating better. I will say though, now and then, I totally treat myself!!
Giving up yogurt was incredibly tough for me (I also ate dannon light and fit) but now I eat Fage and Oiskos and could never go back to anything else. Shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes has helped me immensely when it comes to eating better. I will say though, now and then, I totally treat myself!!
not ALL yogurt is bad – just read the ingredients!! you would be surprised the amounts of fake sugars and other random stuff that is in them. i know there are organic kinds of regular yogurt that isn't so bad.
one thing my nutritionist mentioned to me was buying plain yogurt and adding jam (good jam of course) to it as a sweetener.
and re: cost of greek yogurt, i started buying bigger tubs of it and just portioning it out over the week instead of individual ones and it's helped reduce the cost. i can get 2.5 servings for $2.50 rather than one individual serving for $1.79.
Aron-
Thanks so much! I have really been thinking about monitoring this part of our eating habits a lot more then what I have been.
Have you read any of the clean eating books? Do any of them have good advice on what you should eat and meal ideas? This is really where we struggle. I'm no cook and with our jobs and running making dinner needs to be fast.
Thanks so much lots to chew on!
This was one of my goals for the year too, eat real food. It's crazy all the crap they put in our foods. I too switched to greek yogurt and love it!
I pretty much do the same thing as you in terms of clean eating, but my portion control isn't as good. And I definitely need to pay more attention to the ingredients. My downfall is and always will be cheese. I love it and refuse to give it up!
Good luck in the rain our there…Cali is definitely getting hit hard! Be safe when you're running!
I really need to be better at eating! I'm going to try and change the way i eat. I started eating yogert for breakfast this week and i really like it. i'm bummed to find out that it isnt good for you! fail on my part! haha!
great job on getting the runs in even in the rain!!!:)
Great job eating clean. I started watching what I eat too. I try to stay healthy and eat good good, not processed garbage. Great job on your run!
It's like you read my mind! I have really concentrating on eating clean lately but the one thing I keep coming back to is splenda
thanks for all the helpful hints though!
Diet is so important to us runners and you're sooo right, when you just stop and read the ingriednts you will be amazed at what things you can change.
One thing I havne't been able to switch over to is natural p.b. I am a Jiff girl through and through – I just can't do it!
Great runs and post! I think the weather is about to start cooperating!
the point about yogurt is so true– and funny b/c it could go either way. even stoneyfield yogurt that is a flavor other than plain has an incredible amount of sugar in it, from the added fruit/fruit juice. so i mean it's a step up from fake sugar, but it's still a lot of sugar. the same goes for soy milk!!!! i get the unsweetened version now b/c i was alerted by a nutritionist to the fact that regular soy milk or vanilla soy milk is like drinking a milk shake (obvi exaggerated, but still- a lot of added sugar). so things we think are healthy are deceptive, and actually not.
i am totally a whole food clean eating type of girl. my problem is overeating, even good-for-me stuff.
i noticed you eat a pretty small breakfast! do you prefer to weight your day that way for a reason, or it is just how you've always done it? i am always starving in the morning so need a substantial really filling bfast otherwise i feel snacky all day
great post!!!
love, love, love TJ's! It's so crazy how much junk gets put into food, but eating fresh is always so much more satisfying! Nice job on the runs in this weather and yay for a new running group
even though I am jealous they get to run with you and I don't 
hehe
Good stuff there Aron – I guess I wonder how you get enough protein as I seem to remember you are a vegetarian right? But I agree with you on the whole "clean" eating things.
And as for the running – nice going girl – you're getting back into it!
Eating clean works perfect for me but I'm really worried I'm not getting enough calories. With being in marathon training right now, I know I'm not getting the carbs I need. Gotta work on this.
@lacey – yes i eat a relatively small breakfast, but do have more than one serving of cereal, so its not a TINY breakfast. i usually eat again around 10am and then again at noon, and so on. so i am eating every couple hours, but not a ton of calories each time. it works well for me
@petra – protein! YES i get A LOT actually, and yes i am a vegetarian, but not vegan! i was tracking my food for a while to see how much i got and was very surprised. between cereal, milk, yogurt, cheese, nuts, eggs and the hidden protein in everything else i actually get more than the "recommended" amounts. i address it a little bit in this post: http://www.runnersrambles.com/2009/08/you-had-questions.html
What a timely post. My husband just started a clean eating type of diet and doing so has gotten me to eat cleaner too. I've had problems with anemia in the past, though, and cannot give up as much as he's trying to (meat, eggs, dairy products — actually dairy is not much of a problem for me since I have some lactose intolerance issues).
One question I have for you is what you are doing as far as fuel for runs. Since most gels and sports drinks do contain sugar, are you using something else?
@shirley – i dont drink sports drinks and will probably continue to stick with my gu just because it works well for me
i do have a couple more natural ones to try (hammer gel and agave) i just havent had to fuel in a while since the runs havent been as long!
I pretty much do a lot of the same. I try to eat more foods in their natural state or at least avoid foods with too much junk. I found that with running marathons I'm more concerned with properly fueling myself and making sure I am getting all the nutrients I need…. so watching my calcium, protein, iron, etc. Gets you off of mindlessly filling your face. LOL
Those are great tips on cleaning up your diet. I'm starting to love the plain Greek yogurt too, but I flavor it with a little bit of honey because I'm still not used to the tartness.
Great tips! I've been trying to eat cleaner and like you said it's baby steps!
You guy are getting the rain!!
My diet to pretty clean. I can live on veggies and fruit. I have to remind myself to get enough protein. My bad point is fake sugar. I keep trying to stop the diet soda and coffee. At least I limit it now.
I live your baby steps. I will get there.
The more I run, the healthier I eat, without making a conscious effort. Like you, I eat often but small portions. I try to stay away from processed foods, but there is nothing that I will not eat if that is all there is available when, lets say, I am having dinner at someone's house. Oh, and I eat chocolate everyday!
Glad you answered lacey question on breakfast because I was wondering the same thing! I too have made small gradual changes that now have me eating completely different than I used to.
I think that my desire for cookies is still my downfall. So one step at a time!
I'm right there with ya Aron. It's just interesting when comparing the disease/obesity rate of people consuming the Western diet versus that of the East where the emphasis is on vegetables, whole grains, small quantities of lean meat, and portion control.
I'm still working on it but definitely cutting out a lot of crap.
I love your list!! Especially "read the ingredients" and "fresh is best" – those are THE SIMPLEST rules to follow that really go a long way!! Even as a Dietitian, I've been *so* (pleasantly) surprised at how aware I am of what I eat..thanks to running! Now in marathon training? gotta kick things up a notch!
I really need to get on the Greek Yogurt bandwagon…it tastes bitter to me, but I *know* I'd get used to it and theres more protein in there! Hmmm
This is very interesting to me because I'm working on the same thing, but obviously mine is a little different as well still.
Thanks for always being so informative and helpful!
nice list! i am pretty into cooking (slow foods/local, seasonal ingredients/"real" foods..) so that helps keep things healthy a lot. i'm also into wine and beer (but in a similar way i'm into food–for the local, seasonal bevvies and the experience
) i kinda consider myself a "foodie" so that means i try everything for the experience–but again, it tends to be whole, real foods. it's probably good that i'm a runner 
Yeah, I always go with real vs. processed and maybe just less of it – if it's butter or eggs or something…rather than fake versions of the real product. Also, your local CSA may have a program for local AND organic veggies. Here it's ~$700/half bushel of whatever is in season every week May-Oct. More than what a family of four could even eat.
It is so hard to run in the wind…I'm getting used to the rain but the wind is killing me! Hope you stay dry!
I love this post. I agree with all of it. I didn't know about the yogurt though. I usually eat the yoplait light kind. I guess I need to make the switch to greek. I know it's better quality anyways.
I'm very lucky that my hubby likes to eat healthy too. He loves his vegtables and doesn't like fried or processed foods.
Wow! That's a lot of healthy eating. I try to eat healthy for the most part, but I love my snacks too much.
I try to shop more from the periphery (the edges) of the grocery store, and less from the center of the store (which tends to have more processed, packaged foods). It's still a work in progress, but I've already noticed a difference.
That's great you found a new running group for motivation!
I am SO jealous that you squeezed in some time for a run outside this week! My last was Sunday (outside that is)! With the school day, I see the kids come in and out drenched so I just planned on modifying and taking it to the gym…this weekend looks like there should be a little break for a nice run though. Fingers crossed!
I make sure I eat at least one banana a day during marathon training to get in the potassium. I love Smart Balance peanut butter, it's natural and no hydrogenated oils. I love a banana with pb on it the best
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Nice job with the running!!!
I pretty much eat the same thing every day. I have lowered my intake of carbs in the last 2 years. I used to eat so much fruit, bread, and pasta. A body builder/trainer worked out a diet for me that was WAY too strict for a runner. But I use it as a guide by going with the majority of carbs upto 1pm. AFter that it is protein and veggies.
Fridays and part of the weekend are my eat what you want days.
I'll be trying to cut out my bread and go for whole grain pastas instead as my running miles increas. I will also add a small amount of carbs to my nightly meals as those miles get longer.
Alright, I'll stop buying lean cuisine pizza.
Sometimes I go for convenience even though I know there's really nothing 'lean' about lean cuisine. Thank you for the inspiration to make more of an effort!! Great info here!
Great tips!! I just started working with a nutritionist too and the things she told me were really eye opening!
thanks for the info about buying in bulk, i bought a big container last weekend of regular nonfat yogurt (the one i bought had the same ingredients as the greek yogurt available at my grocery store) and ive been portioning it out all week. i'm still going to look into getting greek yogurt at TJ's next time im there. thanks for always being so informative