No Shit.
I’m going to start calling this blog the “No Shit Zone”
Today’s Work It Out is a guest post from Amanda the Amazing. She is a great runner with an inspiring story about coming to healthy living. It has led her to a healthy, balanced lifestyle – the kind we all aspire to!
Her post is about keeping clean eating interesting. I think it play right into my two favorite topics: Strange But Good foods and the No Shit Diet. When many people first approach a lifestyle change they have this idea that they need to follow some sort of diet trend or that being healthy means boring foods. Not so!
A diet isn’t a lifestyle change. That’s why they don’t work. You have to experiment with food and find the path that is right for YOU. For me, that has boiled down to a lot of strange (but good) concoctions to keep food interesting, and to sticking to a basic idea: keep it balanced and include variety. Seems obvious, right? Did you just read that and think “No shit, Sherlock”?
Amanda has started a clean eating project that incorporate this mindset. It’s a brilliant way to clean up your eating without getting bored or feeling deprived… and she’s even offering support!
Read on for her fabulous perspective, and a great list of foods to get you started!
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125 Reasons Why Clean Eating Isn’t Boring
I love reading magazines…actually I might have a bit of an over subscription issue (Editor’s note: Same. We need 12 steps…).
They provide me with new workout ideas, meals and general motivation to stay focused on enjoying my active life. But sometimes it’s abundantly clear that even though they focus on health, they have bills to pay and maybe their info is a little skewed. Have you seen any of the covers that rave about “125 Power Foods” then you flip it open to find the list doesn’t contain a single vegetable and only one fruit called the “grapple” (Editor’s note: I hate to admit I sampled one… it’s tastes as creepy as it sounds) which I think we can probably agree is not local or non-modified.
Just because a label says fortified or enriched or whole grain or even natural, doesn’t mean it is actually natural and good for you. Can you remember ever seeing maldexitrin for sale? Do you realize how much salt they add to keep products “shelf stable”? That sodium bloats us and causes all kinds of other health problems that I will leave to doctors to tell you about. (Editor’s note: So true. Salt hangovers exist. More on sodium here.)
The Clean and Lean Project (along with super studs like Laura) have gotten me refocused on choosing foods that are going to serve not only my physical goals, but my performance, my health, my skin…my life! I think this kind of diligence for the most part is a really great thing, as long as it’s also tempered with not becoming overly worried about every morsel we eat, sometimes chocolate is exactly what the body needs (Editor’s note: AMEN!)!
That being said, one of the biggest questions I get after mentioning clean eating is “WHAT WILL I EAT?!” or clean eating is so BORING. To anyone who says clean eating is boring or bland, I first say have you seen any of Laura’s posts on strange, but good?
After that I think it’s time to bust out my list of 125 power foods…tell me you can’t find delicious, exciting and filling on this list!
HAHA!! 125 foods that are non-processed and I didn’t even need to include bland icky iceberg lettuce. (Editor’s note: Cheers to THAT!)
Amanda of RunToTheFinish.com is a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist with a true passion for running. If you are looking for more tools to help you make Clean Eating a lifestyle, checkout the Clean and Lean Project, which teaches participants how to create new habits and kick the sugar cravings.
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Don’t forget to click here to enter and win one of 6 canisters of Designer Whey Sustained Energy! Staying satisfied is a great way to keep the munchies at bay. And it’s fun to rhyme.
What is your favorite clean food/dish? Feel free to link up recipes!
Does anyone legit love iceberg lettuce? Aside from when it’s covered in blue cheese and bacon. 😉
Totally all about this! I love the idea of those project, especially the fact that heck yes – sometimes the body needs some chocolate but other times we crave wholesome healthy foods.
It’s all about listening to the body, but keeping health in mind too.
Haha, funny you mention iceberg lettuce because I actually LOVE it – just plane by itself. I could probably eat the whole thing – I think it’s because it’s so crunch. I don’t know why I just adore it. Guess I’m an oddball.
I knew people were going to come in defense of iceberg! LOL! 😉
This list reads more like 125 foods I love!! I always thought I would struggle giving up processed foods and quick eating solutions but I have found that since I embraced this healthier eating style, I have been happier, healtier and I never get bored of finding new combinations to try!
That’s exactly how I felt! And agree – it’s so much more entertaining to invent your own clean recipes.
I FACKING LOVE CLEAN EATING! I made the most delicious and utterly scrumptious CLEAN RECIPE TODAY – Can’t say much more than that because I actually filmed it and will post it on my blog, 😉 BUT OMG OMG sooooo yum! I don’t know why people think healthy foods are boring, drives me BONKERS!
Clean eating definitely isn’t boring. It’s a lifestyle…not a diet. I believe that 100%
Great post 🙂
Love this list- and the reminder that clean eating is a lifestyle.
I love avocado, and any fruit really 🙂 I also love adding tuna, chicken, or fish to my meals for protein. That is a huge list of awesome foods!!
i want to use more spices like tumeric – i’ve heard they have so many benefits!!
I’ve been putting tumeric in everything since reading about it! It’s really easy to incorporate.
Love the idea of this list! Definitely all fantastic foods. And I’ll eat iceberg lettuce, but really, it tastes like chewing water.
I think it IS basically chewing water… that’s why we add bacon and bluecheese. 😉
Great list! I love most of the things there (except the meat of course)! And I’m not a fan of iceburg lettuce – more of a spinach person!
Me too – I love my dark greens.
I am loving that list of all of those whole (and delicious!) foods. As someone who used to eat nothing but junk, I am shocked by how “clean” I eat now. But I am also really excited and happy about it. And from the food that I have been making and eating over the past year and a half, I can definitely say that clean eating is SO NOT boring!
Cheers to that! Clean eating is way more fun that processed crap. 🙂
Your blog is really great, honestly… but designer whey is crap. Not organic
Then you probably shouldn’t enter the giveaway… 😉
Great post!! I’m getting back to clean eating and love this motivation.
Thank you! I need to get on your abs challenge. 🙂
Love this. And Amanda has an AWESOME program going!
Love this list! Saving (and pinning) the graphic for motivation! And, as you said, love the idea that healthy living is a LIFESTYLE, not some fad diet! Here’s a link to one of my favorite recipes – with 10 of these 125 whole foods (11 if you count olive oil for olives!): http://www.thelyonsshare.org/2013/05/30/summer-seafood-quinoa-and-vegetable-salad-recipe/
Thank you so much for sharing this salad!!! I love that you got 10 whole ingredients in. Totally impressive. 🙂
Love the Clean Eating Project! That is a great list to let people realize what a huge variety of food is out there when you eat clean.
thats a lot of good SHIT. haha
I am not an iceberg fan… I HATE the ribs it creeps me out and I eat around them. My favorite clean food are vegetable soups and fruit. Who doesn’t love fruit???
Ribs creep me out too! Anything off the bone, really. I’ve never eve had a chicken wing!
SO true! I love, love, love this post. And agreed – a major cheers to not having to include iceberg!
I love this post. People often sigh when I tell them I am choosing a salad, but little do they realize my salads contain tons of protein and grains! Hello quinoa, sweet potatoes, tuna, endgame and chicken. I will definitely be sharing those 125 reasons with those who think “clean eating” is a fad diet (weight loss), not a lifestyle! 🙂 Oh and, that is great that you didn’t need to include iceberg lettuce. 🙂 I much prefer kale, spinach or arugula!
I so agree! I say salad but when I bust out my idea of a “salad” people tend to come around. 😉
I actually like iceberg lettuce. I like to mix it with other lettuce and spinach because I think it has a good crunch to it. I love kabocha squash, almond butter and roasted veggies!
I see you point on the mix… I do love a texture contrast. 🙂
AMEN!!! I hate when people say clean eating is boring. No.
Great post. My favorite clean food these days is zucchini that’s been spiralized to look and act like pasta. Covered with fresh tomatoes and veggies/nuts, is so delicious and satisfying.
As for iceberg lettuce, my husband loves it and it’s his lettuce of choice. We just joined him out in the Colorado mountains for vacation after he had a 500 mile biking event, and he picked up groceries – lo and behold he had 2 heads of iceberg. There’s nothing nutritional about it and even though I have told him this in the past he still likes it. I think for it’s crunch – what else could it be? For dinner last night I made his favorite, steak and potatoes with a side iceberg salad. He was happy as a clam. All other nights he eats healthy since I do the cooking. An occasional indulgence is ok but when you eat healthy 97% of the time that 3% is actually hard for the belly to enjoy.
I have GOT to figure out my spiralizer. The instructions are in Japanese!!!
I absolutely agree that it’s not boring! I think it’s quite the opposite, you can get so creative.
Wow what a great project! I love WHOLE foods + I swear that once you get your flavors down you are IN it to WIN it! Sending you lots more strange but good FOODS 🙂 Love + Shine CourtStar
Amen to that – it’s all about the spice blends and herbs! 🙂
With a list so good, who am I to argue clean eating isn’t boring 😀
YUM!
Cheers
CCU
Amen! Clean eating doesn’t equal bland or boring. Not by a long shot.
Clean eating seems SO boring – because you forgot to add kabocha to the list 😀 – just including pumpkin doesn’t count. Really, though, I think that list is fantastic and I especially like that it contains easily accessible foods and no expensive “superfoods”, protein powder or the likes. Because aren’t fruit and vegetables the ultimate superfoods already?
With the huge variety there is I wouldn’t be able to pick just one favourite clean food/dish. Oh, well, maybe anything vegan that contains kabocha ;)?!
Haha – that’s because kabocha is a food group all it’s own. 😉