Eating Clean - offshoot of the giant sugar post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For my first child I swore we would only eat healthy and organic and that I’d make everything from scratch. For my second I decided it was fine to buy the organic baby food and worth the money since I was exhausted with an infant and a toddler.

It’s ten years later and life got real. I still try to buy healthy food and model healthy eating. We are busy with work, school and a million activities and occasionally eat goldfish. The kitchen is being remodeled and we ate out every day this week, including McDonalds. Everything is fine in moderation.

I make food from scratch when I have time because I enjoy cooking. When life gets busy or we feel like indulging we treat ourselves.

As for healthy snacks, hummus with raw vegetables is a favorite.

Ding ding, we have a winner! And we can apply moderation to everything in life, not just eating.

[Anonymous]

Defrosted edamame and brussels sprouts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent the first half of my childhood abroad in a rural area where it was the norm to make everything from scratch. It only takes a long time if you’re making complicated meals. Simple everyday meals from scratch are easy to prepare. I guess it’s a little bit cultural.

Sometimes when we’re tired my DH will suggest take out and about half the time I’ll rather just make food because it’s easier than dealing with all the take out trash.

Can you post some recipes? Because I want to know what you're eating that is easier to make than rinsing out the take out containers and throwing them in the recycling. (Slightly snarky but genuinely interested.)

[Anonymous]

test

[Anonymous]

You do know organic and gluten free are not the same thing as "healthier" right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the eating clean parents, what is the difference between making your own bread and buying organic bread or gluten free as a healthy alternative at the store? I'm genuinely asking, not asking to be snarky.
What other foods do you give as snacks? My kids eat a ton of fruits and veggies but STILL want stuff like Goldfish because they're constantly hungry.
I know there are websites that talk about this but I'm wondering what real people do.

Do not be fooled by organic and gluten free marketing as healthy. Neither organic or gluten free equate to healthy. This is a marketing ploy only. Not to say these products cannot be healthy, you just have to check the labels. It's all about the ingredients! Breads are notorious for having added sugar and the organic aisle is no better for this unfortunately. In my bread quest, I have found Arnold Double Fiber and Ezekiel bread to have the best ingredient/nutritional breakdown. Making your own bread is fantastic because you know exactly what's in it.

For salty/crunchy snacks in my house I make a "mix". My kids love Chex mix and Goldfish which are both so unhealthy. My solution is to mix the unhealthy snack with whole wheat/low sugar cereal varieties in a big tub. Doesn't exactly make it healthy but adds a little fiber and cuts the sodium a bit. I avoid adding in dried fruit because that adds way to much sugar and I would rather them eat fruit whole.

Most people I know eat organic to avoid things like pesticides, artificial food coloring, etc. and not because it has better nutrition. This is why we buy organic (my husband works in a field that studies chemicals in food and there are definitely some non organic foods we avoid).

[Anonymous]

10:23, this is OP. Yes obviously I understand that organic is not a given to being healthy so there's no need for you to be the lone jerk in what is otherwise a helpful and civil thread.

The question was more about homemade versus store made without artificial ingredients.

Thanks to everyone else, this is all helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:23, this is OP. Yes obviously I understand that organic is not a given to being healthy so there's no need for you to be the lone jerk in what is otherwise a helpful and civil thread.

The question was more about homemade versus store made without artificial ingredients.

Thanks to everyone else, this is all helpful.

Unless you are a celiac, gluten free is not healthy either. have you looked at the ingredients of most commercial gluten free bread and baked goods? it's usually tapioca, rice and potato starch with lots of sugar and fat. So more sugar and fat with less fiber, not healthy. And it costs 3x as much as whole wheat bread.

[Anonymous]

my kids are 15 and 17 i have an eating disorder it was a prison i was not putting them in. I have never restricted food dessert candy fast food or anything all three love eating and two are female and not skinny but they admit to me that they like their bodies (Thank Goodness) I never made or bought organic food or baby food . The only thing i was tough on for a few years was soda otherwise they eat what they want no body has food issues They eat everything and eat when they are hungry This is not a battle to fight . As a mother I am not perfect and made many mistakes but this isn't one of them. From a young age i taught my girls to love what they see in the mirror and that they are beautiful. I have only told them of my disorder recently when I had the courage that int would not affect them negatively.They are happy well adjusted kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my kids are 15 and 17 i have an eating disorder it was a prison i was not putting them in. I have never restricted food dessert candy fast food or anything all three love eating and two are female and not skinny but they admit to me that they like their bodies (Thank Goodness) I never made or bought organic food or baby food . The only thing i was tough on for a few years was soda otherwise they eat what they want no body has food issues They eat everything and eat when they are hungry This is not a battle to fight . As a mother I am not perfect and made many mistakes but this isn't one of them. From a young age i taught my girls to love what they see in the mirror and that they are beautiful. I have only told them of my disorder recently when I had the courage that int would not affect them negatively.They are happy well adjusted kids

I'm glad that your kids are well adjusted, but there is plenty of gray area between completely unregulated food consumption and eating disorders. There are many other factors to consider when choosing what to eat beside weight and appearance. There's overall nutrition and balanced food groups, preservatives and additives and artificial ingredients, etc. I'm sure the crunchy people could add 10 more. I'm sorry you went through the hell of an eating disorder, but eating healthy shouldn't be viewed as a one-way ticket to an eating disorder.

[Anonymous]

We buy some “granola” from Whole Foods that is comprised mostly of nuts and doesn’t have sugar or artificial ingredients (though they do sell some that contain sweeteners or chocolate). Avocados are a great snack. Nuts. Hummus. I have one kid who loves those crunchy seaweed sheets from Costco (not my thing, but he loves them). Veggie chips for when they want something crunchy or to use with hummus and guacamole or cheese.

For snacks, we probably do more cheese, fruit, and nut plates than anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent the first half of my childhood abroad in a rural area where it was the norm to make everything from scratch. It only takes a long time if you’re making complicated meals. Simple everyday meals from scratch are easy to prepare. I guess it’s a little bit cultural.

Sometimes when we’re tired my DH will suggest take out and about half the time I’ll rather just make food because it’s easier than dealing with all the take out trash.

Can you post some recipes? Because I want to know what you're eating that is easier to make than rinsing out the take out containers and throwing them in the recycling. (Slightly snarky but genuinely interested.)

I am not that poster, but sometimes my husband wants to get take out for breakfast, and I tell him I would rather just make some pancakes and eggs.

I can think of a lot of things that are easier than getting take out and dealing with the trash

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:23, this is OP. Yes obviously I understand that organic is not a given to being healthy so there's no need for you to be the lone jerk in what is otherwise a helpful and civil thread.

The question was more about homemade versus store made without artificial ingredients.

Thanks to everyone else, this is all helpful.

I like this thread. When my kids were little, the only grocery delivery in my area was a local co op that sent fresh and dried fruit and veggies, flour, oats, eggs, chicken, and milk. I made a ton of food because it was easier than dragging three little kids to the grocery store. Bread...I made 6 loaves one day a week from whole wheat flour, yeast, water, and salt. I then froze the loaves and took out one a day. Granola is super easy to
make. So is yogurt and cream cheese. Dried beans are easy to throw in the crock pot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent the first half of my childhood abroad in a rural area where it was the norm to make everything from scratch. It only takes a long time if you’re making complicated meals. Simple everyday meals from scratch are easy to prepare. I guess it’s a little bit cultural.

Sometimes when we’re tired my DH will suggest take out and about half the time I’ll rather just make food because it’s easier than dealing with all the take out trash.

Can you post some recipes? Because I want to know what you're eating that is easier to make than rinsing out the take out containers and throwing them in the recycling. (Slightly snarky but genuinely interested.)

I am not that poster, but sometimes my husband wants to get take out for breakfast, and I tell him I would rather just make some pancakes and eggs.

I can think of a lot of things that are easier than getting take out and dealing with the trash

I'd rather make breakfast than get dressed and drive somewhere, too! But for me, the driving and dressing and waiting are factored into that - I can make scrambled eggs in my PJs faster than I can drive to a breakfast place and back. For dinner, I can't make (a decent) dinner faster than it takes to pick up food on the way home from work and recycle the containers. What kind of takeout are you guys getting that the trash is a time consuming issue?

[Anonymous]

I didn't know yogurt was easy to make! Am going to try!