Super Healthy Clean Foods

Hi,

Im very interested in cutting refined sugars and processed foods and generally all the chemicals from my diet and to develop a healthy lifestyle.

I was hoping you could all inspire me by starting a list of the clean, fresh, diet and health foods that you love!?

From my experience so far I love

• Shreeded Wheat with a chopped pear to sweeten
• Low fat Cottage cheese mixed with mashed banana
• Sundried Tomatoes on a big fresh salad
• Frozen Grapes for a dose of natural sugar

I love dried apricots as a snack and raw babyleaf spinach with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on it.  Eat loads of fish.  I love salmon with a bit of cajun spice on the top put it under the grill. 

As a general rule of thumb, I don't buy anything that is pre-prepared.  I make my own pesto, salad dressings (there is always so much sugar in salad dressings - why?!), I even made my own Thai green curry paste from scratch this weekend and tandoori marinade - not only is the taste 100 times as good, you can see what you're putitng into it and you don't need to load it with preservatives!  I'm happy to share my recipes if you want :-)

I also try to avoid low fat/low calorie versions of things because they tend to put a load of sugar/aspartame (respectively) in it instead (aspartame is not good for you at all but it's in so much stuff these days).  Just eat those foods less often or just eat slightly smaller portions if you do eat them.

I love plain yoghurt with grapes in it (although fruit and yoghurt eaten together in ayurveda is considered a big no no but I'm assuming you're not following a strict ayurvedic diet)

Houmous and tzatziki are both very tastey and healthy and don't need to be loaded with calories.  Houmous does tend to be quite high in calories but if it's made right it should have the healthy kind of calories in.

Use wholemeal and brown staple foods (eg, pasta rice and bread etc).

I've rambled a bit but are any of these helpful???

^^  I also made my own green curry paste this weekend, it was super hot and delicious.

I eat pretty much everything I used to eat, except I make it myself.  Pizza, pasta sauces, salad dressings, grilled meats, stir-fries....

I love shopping at vegetable markets and Asian groceries, I don't know what the pre-prepared foods are in the Asian grocery stores (because the packages are in Chinese, usually, lol), so I really only buy grains, dairy,  meats, LOTS of vegetables and some basic spices and sauces.  Then I bust out my cookbook collection and make any alterations (sub for fats and sugars, ususally) and go to it.

Stir-fry is probably my favourite clean meal. 

I think a great healthful snack is a medium sized sweet potato.  If you have the time you can bake it or even do oven fries, but if you are in a time crunch you can wrap it in a wet paper towel and mocrowave for a few minutes.  They are so tasty they don't need any added fat or sugar (candied sweet potatoes just seem crazy ridiculous to me!) and they are full of beta carotein and other vitamines and antioxidants (most of the antioxidants are found in the skin I believe, so don't bother to peel).

I especially love the organic, free-range eggs that I get from a local farm.  Very tasty, healthy and clean... plus very versatile.   They also supply me with fantastic grass-reared organic beef and lamb as an occasional treat.  Real gem of a place.  Pulses/legumes make up a big part of my diet and they're always on the shopping list.  At weekends I use up any past-their-best vegetables and, with lentils or split peas, turn them into an extremely low-cal, filling and delicious soup.  I don't have a sweet tooth but I do like my porridge (oatmeal) with a blob of runny honey and some toasted mixed seeds on top.  In fact, my favourite little snack at the moment is dry-roasted pumpkin seeds seasoned with some cajun spice.

I just discovered kale.  I bought the Lacinato variety, which has longer, skinnier leaves and is more tender and I made a salad with it.  Kale, toasted almonds, dried fruit, parmesan cheese and some homemade viniagrette.  Delicious!  Kale is a total superfood.  It's usually cooked like collard greens or something, but I really loved this raw salad. 

I don't know what your definition of 'clean' is but mine is anything that grows naturally-comes from a plant or has fins or legs.  I don't know about you but I've never seen a cottage cheese or yogurt plant or a cereal tree. 

I agree w/ gi-jane, my local egg farmer has the best eggs!  I love them with mushroms, spinach, onions and peppers.   I also love home dried fruit with nuts or seeds.  cooked apple slices and top with honey and cinnamon-tastes like pie!

"I don't know about you but I've never seen a cottage cheese or yogurt plant or a cereal tree. "

I think this is a little unfair--I've made both cottage cheese and yogurt, they're pretty much just milk...if your milk is clean, so is your yogurt.

My definition of non-processed and clean means cutting dairy, so you could try some of the amazing dairy substitutes available in the world. One of my personal favorites is Cultured Coconut Milk as a yogurt alternative. It is made from natural coconut milk and behind each flavor of the individual cartons, you can still get a hint of coconut, it is divine. And the consistency is the same as milk yogurt! If you come across this stuff, get the Passion Mango flavor, it will change your life. And it's only 130 calories per scrumptious carton! 

Other healthy, clean snack ideas would be a homemade frozen banana. Just stick a banana with a wooden skewer (optional), freeze it, melt a controlled amount of pure dark chocolate, not milk, and pour it over the frozen banana, it will freeze right on! You feel like you're having dessert but you're really getting servings of fruit plus natural antioxidants from the dark chocolate. Garnish with chopped nuts or ground flaxseed, even better. It's a wonderful healthy treat.

Other than that, if you can train yourself to view fruit as a total treat, you'll be set. There is nothing more satisfying to me than a fresh crisp apple, I'd take it over refined sugar any day. Your cravings will begin to help you rather than hinder. 

Best of luck!

Fresh fruits and veggies. I love sweet potatoes baked topped with cottage cheese, salsa, tuna, Turkey, salmon and so on.

Whole grain cereal, bread, rice, pasta, cous-cous.

Turkey, chicken, beef, tuna, salmon, lobster, shrimp, fish.

Eggs, cheese, milk. Look for organic.

Buckwheat pancakes and waffles.

Beans.

Original Post by runbaby:

I don't know what your definition of 'clean' is but mine is anything that grows naturally-comes from a plant or has fins or legs.  I don't know about you but I've never seen a cottage cheese or yogurt plant or a cereal tree. 

I agree w/ gi-jane, my local egg farmer has the best eggs! 

Um, cottage cheese and yogurt come from beasts with legs. Just like eggs. Cottage cheese and yogurt have been (& still are) used as natural products by cultures all over the world.

Farm eggs simply are the best. The best eggs I've ever had are from a local farm. They don't force their chickens, though, so we've been missing them. Thankfully spring is around the corner. Maybe.

Anyway, if I put my cookie in the dishwasher, will it count?

One of my favourite foods is a baked yam dripping with almond butter and sprinkled with salt. Man that's delicious. Almond butter hasn't been on sale in months. I'm soooo missing this!

I also like date candy. Sometimes I just roll a date in coconut, but sometimes I fill a date with peanutbutter and then roll it in coconut or cocoa powder. Mmmmm.

We've been on a big peanut butter/banana kick lately. It makes a delicious spread. Instead of jam/jelly (unless we've made some; ours is all gone) we have "peanut butter and berries."

I love bean bowls, too. I like meaty beans, like kidney beans and red beans. I get together loads of veggies (eggplant, peppers etc), microwave them until soft, add salt & beans & cheese & microwave = hot lunch full of protein, fiber and deliciousness. Sometimes I put them in a wrap like a quesodilla of love.

Oh and beets. Beets are sooooo good. Especially with some cilantro.

Avocados. Enough said.

I second the sweet potato. I have mine with cinnamon.

Oatmeal with agave nectar and chopped dates.

Apple slices with cinnamon.

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

Original Post by runbaby:

I don't know what your definition of 'clean' is but mine is anything that grows naturally-comes from a plant or has fins or legs.  I don't know about you but I've never seen a cottage cheese or yogurt plant or a cereal tree. 

I agree w/ gi-jane, my local egg farmer has the best eggs! 

Um, cottage cheese and yogurt come from beasts with legs. Just like eggs. Cottage cheese and yogurt have been (& still are) used as natural products by cultures all over the world.

Farm eggs simply are the best. The best eggs I've ever had are from a local farm. They don't force their chickens, though, so we've been missing them. Thankfully spring is around the corner. Maybe.

Anyway, if I put my cookie in the dishwasher, will it count?

One of my favourite foods is a baked yam dripping with almond butter and sprinkled with salt. Man that's delicious. Almond butter hasn't been on sale in months. I'm soooo missing this!

I also like date candy. Sometimes I just roll a date in coconut, but sometimes I fill a date with peanutbutter and then roll it in coconut or cocoa powder. Mmmmm.

We've been on a big peanut butter/banana kick lately. It makes a delicious spread. Instead of jam/jelly (unless we've made some; ours is all gone) we have "peanut butter and berries."

I love bean bowls, too. I like meaty beans, like kidney beans and red beans. I get together loads of veggies (eggplant, peppers etc), microwave them until soft, add salt & beans & cheese & microwave = hot lunch full of protein, fiber and deliciousness. Sometimes I put them in a wrap like a quesodilla of love.

Oh and beets. Beets are sooooo good. Especially with some cilantro.

Avocados. Enough said.

 Hysterical, sister. I love the quesadilla comment! Just wondering, what kind of cheese do you use in the veggie bowls?? I've read so much about fat free vs. made with 2% milk vs. ..... blah, blah..... What's your take?

Some of my tips for clean eating are kind of common sense. Make sure you wash all of your fruits and vegetables and dry them off if you're not eating them right away... even the organic ones. The people who stack the shelves don't have "organic" and "non-organic" gloves haha.

I would omit packaged foods at all costs because even the packaging adds chemicals to otherwise healthy foods. Plus when buying packaged goods we all pay the price for the gas it took to get it there and the energy taken to produce the packaging and marketing! Petroleum is not clean. 

On the yogurt, cottage cheese debate... I believe if you're trying to be clean.. that is have a clean body, you should not eat any animal products. But that doesn't mean yogurt and cottage cheese can't be made yourself in a clean way! Its SO easy to make yogurt. Just take your milk of choice, any kind works. Heat it, stirring, in a very clean pot until when you put your finger in it its neither hot nor cold. Then transfer it to a thermos and add a dollop of leftover plain yogurt! You can also buy yogurt cultures but thats expensive and if you're making the switch from packaged to homemade you'll have some packaged all ready to use! Leave it covered in a place that stays a uniform temperature throughout the night (not in sunlight or in a very cold place) It'll be yogurt in the morning! I love homemade yogurt because aside from being totally natural you can make it as thick or thin as you like with the help of a cheesecloth or some very thin fabric. 

If you're really committed to making the switch from processed foods to natural foods it is definitely worth it to naturally detox your system. Do this by eating only raw fruits and vegetables with oil and vinegar for at least 3 days. I say 3 because for most people its hard to do it for any longer! (Think fresh fruit and tomatoes in the morning, a wrap of julienned veggies wrapped up in a cabbage or lettuce leaf for lunch, and a heaping plate of any type of salad greens with veggies and fruit for dinner, fruit sprinkled with cinnamon for dessert mmm) You'll have a cleaner colon, blood and liver and you'll have a greater appreciation for other foods too. Raw food is easy for your body to process therefore giving you more energy to focus on keeping you happy and healthy :)

Original Post by givethem_monday:

Some of my tips for clean eating are kind of common sense. Make sure you wash all of your fruits and vegetables

 Now that is some clean food!

Anyway, I love fat free cheese. I use Kraft/generic store brand fat free shredded cheddar. I can't afford organic or artisnal cheeses for "the every day" unless it's on sale or I obtain some awesome cupons, so otherwise it's Kraft/generic store brand. One or the other is always on sale at my market 2 for 1.

Some people don't like it, but I can't tell the difference between generic fat free cheddar and generic cheddar. It melts fine.

Obviously there is a difference between Kraft cheddar (fat free or otherwise) and a nice slab of aged raw cheddar, but apples to apples it's great.

Make sure to wash your apples.