So Why Aren’t You Eating Clean?
September 10, 2008 by JenniferM
Filed under Clean Eating Basics
Yesterday I was thinking about all of the benefits I’ve experienced since I’ve started eating clean and wondered, “Why didn’t I start eating clean sooner?” The first reason is that even though I had read things here and there over the years about eating clean, I didn’t fully understand it and thought it was more about deprivation than anything else. Then that thought changed from deprivation to the thought that clean eating meant eating only raw foods. So when I found out it wasn’t about deprivation OR eating only raw foods, my excuse was, “Oh, this will be too much work.” So pretty much laziness set in. I mean it’s easier to eat processed, ready-made just take out of the box foods than it is to prepare foods from scratch, shop for clean foods, and take the time to clean up those foods that we love, right? Yep, it is, but what has been the trade off for me for that little bit of extra time at the store and in the kitchen?
- Increased sense of well-being
- Weight loss/fat loss
- Better sleep
- Shinier hair
- Clearer skin
- Improved mood
- Lesser feelings of stress and anxiety
- Feelings of satisfaction knowing I am doing something wonderful for myself and for my family
My feeling is: nothing worth having comes without a price. So a few extra minutes in the kitchen to make foods from scratch is definitely worth doing for all of the benefits I’ve experienced from cleaning up my diet.
So why aren’t you eating clean?
Right on! I love what you wrote. It is inspiring, and I think I will start doing better!
I am workign my way three…babysteps and I totally agree with what you said, all of it!
I’m trying to eat clean. Day by day..but one of the main reasons and excuses for me is that it can cost more money at times. But we are trying our best to eat more fruits and veggies. We have pretty much given up processed cheese slices (still eat shredded though) and we have been making our own pasta sauce for a while now. That has been one of my favorite changes.
Fran, Trish, and Angie – thanks for commenting!
Hey, Ang, you know what? I have noticed the prices going up on fresh fruits and veggies too, and something I do is buy frozen and canned fruits and veggies. I mean I buy fresh bananas and peppers, onions, stuff like that too if I can. But anyway, the the frozen fruits are great for smoothies too! And the frozen veggies – I buy those huge BirdsEye bags for $7. They are 4 lb. bags, and I get the regular frozen veggies and the stir-fry frozen veggies (yum!). I can squeeze at least 3 dinners out of each bag, so to me they’re worth it.
I know there is controversy over canned/frozen vs. fresh, but I wrote an article a couple months back for Suite, and when I was doing my research, I found two scientific studies that compared fresh vs. canned/frozen and actually, the canned/frozen are just as nutritious as fresh! So that may save you a little money there.
Thanks for the tips, Jen. We do a lot of frozen veggies now and I have some frozen fruits so I use those too.
I am an extremely picky eater, and I hate cooking… the two things really work against me. The biggest problem is the cooking one… after all, I don’t mind your basic veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and such), and I eat most meats (although I do have a tendency to lean towards bison and beef) so as long as I get off my butt and cook it isn’t too bad. It is just my man and I, and he would rather skip a meal then cook lol! But we are getting better… so baby steps towards eating clean!