Alright, I am no where near the part where I can say I am eating clean. In fact I am maybe eating clean 10% of the time if I am lucky. However I am someone who has to find out all the facts while striving towards a goal. I have always been knowledge thirsty and always will be. So for me to learn first about the aspects of “Clean Eating” as a whole it might help to prepare myself better to stick to it.
Alright so what I have been reading and learning about so far..
First!
Was about what your diet should consist of. (if you are following along it is Page 47 – 52 in “Eating Clean for Dummies”)
Your diet should be…
(found: http://thescienceofeating.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Book-Fats-Proteins-Carbs-Ratio.jpg)
Protein
Apparently Eggs are the perfect protein.
“The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) evaluates the quality of protein sources and the body’s ability to digest them. Eggs have scored of 100 on this scale, which means they’re perfect source of protein.” (Eating Clean for Dummies, Page 47, paragraph 4 last two lines.)
Of course we cannot eat Eggs for the rest of our lives for every meal! So we want to have some variety in our diet. So in your diet well in my diet I want complex proteins which can include but are not exclusive to, Chicken, fish, cheese, milk, yogurt, quinoa, soybeans, amaranth and of course Eggs.
There are foods that do not contain all eight essential proteins they are called “Incomplete Proteins” examples of this include, Grains, Legumes, nuts and seeds. A mixture of these can in fact make complete proteins.
- Grains and legumes
- Grains and Nuts or seeds
- Legumes and nuts and seeds
Carbohydrates
There are two kinds of Carbs, complex and simple. You want complex, I once had a biology teacher tell me it was because it makes your body work for the nutrients harder. I have no idea how much of that is truth but in my mind it makes sense.
Example of complex carbs
- Whole Grains
- Veggies
- Fruit
- Legumes
Fats
Alright my first thought when I read about the fats was… what the heck I thought fat was bad for you. However your body needs it to be able to run smoothly. There are obvious good and bad fats.
Some examples of good fats:
- Nuts
- Avocados
- Olive Oil
- Fatty Seafood
- Seeds
You have probably also heard of Omega’s omega3 and omega6. Apparently in our diet we need to have a ratio of 1:1 – 1:4 of Omega3:omega6. However in an average non clean diet we are eating something closer to 1:26. you might wonder where or how you can eat more omega3. Not the yogurt that is advertised or even the eggs.
Some examples:
- Fatty fish
- Seeds (sesame seeds)
- Nuts
- Dark green Veggies
- Legumes
So make sure to add in more foods that include Omega3 into your diet so the ratio can be more balanced out. As you eat more clean it will naturally happen in your own diet.
I have learned so much more in the last few days but I do not want to over whealm you with everything I have read in the book. I promise later on it will become less facts dense and more about my personal struggle with clean eating and what I baked/cooked.. or prepared.
I just want to have some of this info to look back on in later days.
Payl