The Truth About a Clean Eating Lifestyle

The Hard Truth About a Clean Eating Lifestyle

My family has been eating clean for about five years.  I love the way it makes us feel and what it has done for us.  We fell off the wagon through the holidays but we are back on track and all of the benefits have reappeared and renewed my choice to make this our life.  I can talk to you about the reasons why you should eat clean for hours.  Let’s be honest though, it isn’t all sunshine and roses.  As much as I would like it to be, the truth is, it just isn’t.  I want to share some of the struggles that we have faced or are facing.  Ready?

Making a lasting lifestyle change is hard.  

We ebb and flow just like your family.  We eat great for periods of time, then the junk sneaks in and we have to reboot.  Staying committed through the endless holiday parties, Valentine’s Day candy, Easter’s Cadbury Eggs (swoon), and all of the other special occasions that come with treats takes some navigation.  I don’t want my kids to hate eating clean or think they are being punished.  I also do not like them filling their little bodies with junk.  We strive to keep an 80% clean, 20% not clean ratio. Some seasons are easier to stick to this, and some…not so much.  That does not mean that it isn’t important or that we failed.  It just means we need to get back up and eat better.  

Availability.  

I live in Mississippi.  One of the most obese states in America.  It can be such a challenge to find healthy foods and kitchen staples.  There are online resources that make it so much better, but not being able to just run by the store and grab what you need makes it a little difficult.  Our grocery stores are slowly catching on but still have a long way to go.

Clean Eating takes planning.  

Meal planning a necessity.  I have recently started planning five weeks at a time.  Sitting down and doing it in bulk has made it so much easier! I can’t lie and tell you the first month was easy. I looked a blank month for quite some time.  Then I just started filling in days.  I left a few days open for margin because life happens.  I marked off any days I knew we would not be home and picked really simple meals for the nights we have things going on.  The second month was super easy.  I just took the first month and reused the meals we liked and then added in a few I wanted to try.  I also keep a snack area for my kids.  I have to anticipate this about a week out so that I can order anything they need.

Eating out is hard.  

I get a certain level of anxiety about eating out.  There are only about 4 restaurants in our area that have decent choices available.  Even then, I know they cook their veggies in ridiculous amounts of butter and salt.  Cooking every meal is ideal, but sometimes, you just have to go with it and pick the lesser of the evils available to you.  We all deserve a night out from time to time, too!

Traveling is more challenging.  

Finding healthy things to eat on the road (or air) is hard.  I always pack a “road snack bag” that is full of things that are good for us that we can just eat on the run.  This also saves us a ton of money at the gas stations! My kids have come to expect this bag and get all excited when it is in the car.  Sometimes I will put in a few items we don’t normally eat (like certain candy or chips) to keep it “cool”.  My Hubby gets just as excited as the babies.  I also fill up stainless bottles with milk, water, and coffee.

Southern life revolves around food.  

Any social event, gathering, or meeting always has food.  Trying to rewrite what you do with others is so hard.  I try to get friends and family to meet us at the park, go for a picnic, come to our house for dinner, or do something else besides just meet for a meal at a restaurant.  I am constantly working on ideas to spend quality time outside of a restaurant.  This is one of the biggest and hardest obstacles in clean eating for our family.

You will secretly critique other people’s food.  

I do it all the time.  I don’t mean to do it, it just happens.  It is never from a judgemental standpoint, but more of a “do you really know what you are eating” side.  I am not one to give unsolicited food facts so I stay quiet and I don’t want to be rude.  There are people in my office that give this advice all the time, it is based on marketing and not facts, and it makes me crazy.  

People don’t understand why you don’t just “cheat”.  

They have a hard time understanding that it isn’t a diet and just cheating is fine.  Our culture has ingrained this ideology that a cheat day is a regular part of life.  For some, that may be the case, but the food you eat is more than just a cheat day.  It is fueling your life.  I feel terrible if I eat too much junk.  I get sluggish, sleepy, bloated, and moody.  I also don’t show up like the mom, wife, and friend I strive to be.  So, no, I will not just “cheat” because it seems okay to some.

Trial and error.  

Clean eating takes some trying of new recipes and foods.  Some you will like, and some you won’t.  Learning to cook in new ways takes a few tries.  Don’t get discouraged.  Just try it.  I tried to cook pork chops a new way last week. I burnt a couple of them.  We just cut the outside off and ate the middle.  It was okay.  I know what to do differently next time.  On a whim, I bought brussel sprouts.  I expected to hate them. I also expected my hubby and kids to frown at them.  They are now a household favorite! Don’t be afraid to try new things.  We have the “Green Eggs and Ham rule”, you might like it, Sam I am,  you might like green eggs and ham.  You might not like it, but you should at least try it! You never know.

Your taste buds will change.  

Foods you used to despise, you may actually end up liking.  You may have to try it several times.  The only veggies I used to eat were green beans, iceberg lettuce drowning in ranch dressing, and white potatoes.  Seriously.  Mushrooms used to be despicable to me.  Now I really like them!  I still don’t like them raw, but sauteed is delicious to me.  I recently tried jicama (pronounced hick-a-ma).  It is a veggie native to Mexico.  It is relatively inexpensive and has a different flavor. I don’t love it, but I don’t really know how to cook it either.  We made fries out of it and they were just okay.  My babies would not eat them, but they both tried it.  I may visit this veggie again with a better recipe.  Just because you think you don’t like it, means you should give it another try! 🙂

Taking the time and energy to eat cleaner will have a huge impact on your life.  While there are some challenges that come with any change, the rewards are worth so much more.  Be an informed consumer.  Know what you are feeding yourself and your babies.  Do your homework. It is so important to see past the face value marketing that we are all subjected to.  I am here to help you in any way I can! My favorite clean eating resources are coming your way soon! In the meantime, if you have any questions, just leave them in the comments below, send me an email, or come on over to the Facebook group! Please feel free to share, pin, or subscribe below to keep in the loop!