Eat Clean AND Dirty?

photo-10After 30 days of my life with only “clean food,” I’ve come to the conclusion that eating clean IS worth it! My goals during this challenge were to discover what the fuss was all about by asking the following questions …

Does eating REAL food really make you feel better?

Yes.

Is life without sugar really sweeter?

This is a hard one to answer. Yes and no. 😉 I DID feel better not eating sugar. It’s amazing how addicted to sugar I was … how addicted so many of us are. This was the hardest part of the challenge, for sure! I think taking a 30 day break from sugar helped me stop and reevaluate: when do I really want sugar? and when is it “worth” it? For instance, a granola bar full of sugar … NOT worth it! Delicious homemade carrot cake on a special occasion, totally worth it.

Can I afford to eat clean?

Clean eating was way more cost-friendly than I assumed it would be. My grocery bill was almost the same each week as it was before I started this challenge; I think this is because I couldn’t buy any of the fun “extra” stuff (chips, soda, ice cream, granola bars, fruit snacks, and cereal) that really adds up! When you cut out the things you don’t really need to be eating, you would be shocked how much you save! Fruit and veggies are costly, but I would rather spend $2.99 for three avocados than $2.99 for a bag of chips. For our health, I think it’s worth it.

Will my family actually be full?

MEALS

There are three boys to feed in my house, and one is 6’3″. They are all BIG eaters, even my 2-year-old. You can imagine how nervous I was, wondering if they would actually be able to fill up on all these fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Filling them up at meal time took me a week or two to figure out. The first night, I made fish and veggies; my husband was starving by 7:30 p.m. He was a little dramatic about it, as well. 😉 I told him that we had apples or popcorn if he was still hungry, but he just gave me a pitiful look that was obviously (if silently) saying, “I want Doritos and ice cream!” I was reminded how helpful whole grains are in filling everybody up and providing important nutrients. I started making sure I included whole grain brown rice or quinoa with most of our meals. That helped a ton! My 2-year-old has learned to love quinoa, even though he makes a huge mess every time he eats it!

SNACKS

Confession: prior to clean eating, I used filler foods like crackers A LOT to fill up those boys I mentioned earlier. This challenge reminded me of what I already knew to be true … protein KEEPS you full. I had to be intentional about making sure I paired their carbs with protein. It made a huge difference in how long they stayed full. We usually have three meals and two snacks a day. Some days, my boys didn’t even want a snack in-between meals because the protein was really helping them to stay full.

I think changing our mindset about snacks was the trickiest part. We have so many healthy options in our house for snacks, but we always want the unhealthy options for snacks, right?! Who wants an apple and peanut butter at 3 p.m.? Learning to enjoy those healthy snacks was hard for me and my kids. They didn’t want blueberries for a snack, they wanted crackers. I totally get it. I want crackers, too! So that is where trying new recipes for a healthier spin on some of those yummy snacks was helpful – and over the course of the challenge, I learned to enjoy those snacks as a more common go-to than the unhealthy filler snacks. I wouldn’t say my kids love their snacks as much as I do, but we are slowly finding yummy, healthy snacks they enjoy!

WHAT NOW?

Can we eat clean every day for the rest of our lives? I don’t know. You might be able to, but I know that I probably can’t and I don’t want to, either. Yes, I want to eat real food more often. Yes, I want to avoid food that isn’t what is best for my body. YES, I felt great this month! BUT, I want to feel free to enjoy occasional sweets and sometimes a bowl of fettuccine Alfredo. My family’s goal moving forward is living an 80/20 clean eating lifestyle. This means that 80% of the time, we will strive to make the same choices we made over the past 30 days, and we will also allow ourselves to not feel those restrictions about 20% of the time. Will I actually keep track to make sure that we are living 80/20 … of course. Kidding! But having the concept of 80/20 in my mind helps when I plan our meals for the week, or during the holidays when there are sweets everywhere!

TIPS to EATING CLEAN 80/20

1) Plan ahead.

It’s hard to make yourself take the time to meal plan, but it’s worth the time. It saves you from the 5 o’clock, oh NO, what are we going to eat for dinner? Most “fast” meals are not near as healthy as the well-planned alternative.

2) Shop smart.

I thought I was going to have to make everything from scratch! That wasn’t the case at all. Many stores and even Amazon.com carry items that qualify as clean.

3) Remind yourself WHY.

Frequently go back to the why? Visit posts like this one that remind you of the why behind eating REAL food. If you don’t do this, you will slowly drift away from making it a priority.

Jenn
"Jenn is a Special Education teacher turned health enthusiast. Most days she can be found chasing her three kids (4,2, and 8 months) around some park in Kansas City wearing workout clothes and sweaty hair. Jenn is an ACE Certified group fitness instructor and loves teaching group fitness classes around KC. She is also a NETA certified Wellness Coach. You can visit Jenn's wellness coaching website at http://www.jennmarasco.com .Jenn is crazy in love with her husband of seven years, Matthew. Their idea of a great date includes playing or attending some type of sporting event followed by a delicious meal from a local KC restaurant. Jenn and Matt lived in the Midtown neighborhood of KC for four years and recently moved to Overland Park."

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