I went grocery shopping to prepare for next week's clean eating endeavor. Whew.. Label reading is a bit exhausting. I have been reading labels since shortly after starting this journey but this is taking it a step further... I never paid TOO much attention to the ingredient list, but this is a HUGE part of clean eating.
So...here is what I was confused about:
1. Bread. How in the world do you buy bread with no added sugar? Everything I saw had sugar. I ended up buying a loaf with brown sugar.
2. Is brown sugar less processed?
3. What is evaporated cane juice? Is this clean? I couldn't find any flavored yogurts without at least that. I went with Fage... Which doesn't have any sweetener... To be safe. I will add my own honey... But that could be a bit of a hassle.
I think that's all I have for now... But I am sure I will have more soon!
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Honestly, I buy regular store brand whole wheat bread. I try to eat as clean as possible, but I feel I have to choose my battles as far as cost's sake for feeding a family of 5. One thing I want (need) to do is start making my own. That would be ideal and so much cheaper!
ReplyDeleteI don't do clean eating, but my old acupuncturist gave me a general guideline a while ago. So take these for what they're worth, I didn't follow up with a lot of her suggestions. For bread - some just have more sugar than others, and some, if they don't have a good amount of fiber to help balance, will raise your blood sugar faster. I thin it's suggested, if possible to make your own. Ezekiel was her suggestion for me. I hated Ezekiel bread. I'd rather not eat bread.
ReplyDeleteI believe sugar wise, brown sugar has a few extra minerals, because of the molasses, but not actually healthier. Sugar is sugar.
I remember a segment on NPR about cane juice. I found the link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/18/163098211/evaporated-cane-juice-sugar-in-disguise
According to this (again, I asusme people's opinions will vary) - "all sugar is evaporated cane juice"
Hope things go well for you trying this :)
I've been eating Ezekiel bread for a while. I actually like it, but understand why people do not like it. Since I only eat two to four slices of bread in a week, the high cost ($4.99 to $6.59 a loaf) doesn't impact me very much. If you eat bread at most meals, you could have quite an investment in the Ezekiel bread in a month's time.
ReplyDeleteNo help here. Just noticed that the blog chroniclesofacurvyhousewife.blogspot.com eats Udi's bread. No clue what that is, though! Maybe check out her site. She is doing clean eating and raw foods lately. She is also banishing sugar. She might be a good person to hop over and quiz. She's super nice! Also, on that proverbsthirtyonewoman.blogspot.com, she just did a post about honey and how not all honey is actually "honey." Since you mentioned honey and are trying clean eating, thought I'd mention that to you! You will learn as you go. I'm sure many people will be a big help to you. :)
ReplyDeleteWe need to talk today! You obviously can go as far with it as you would like, but I buy just normal 100% whole wheat bread. Like Jenna, with a family of 5, I can't be spending $5 on a loaf of bread that we will go through in 2 days. I don't eat brown sugar when I'm eating clean, but I have had greek yogurt with evaporated cane juice in it. I am not a pro when it comes to this at all, but I just try my best to stay away from sugar, but sometimes, if it is something pretty healthy, and it has small amounts in it, I will have it. Basically, you have to decide how far you can logically take it, and do what works for you. I figure as far as I go, even though it is not "100% clean" is a million times better than what I normally do...AKA eating oreos for a bedtime snack! :-)
ReplyDeleteThere are really no hard & fast rules when it comes to clean eating. It's a scary thought, and nearly paralyzed me with fear when I first started changing my habits, but you have to TRUST yourself enough to decide what's RIGHT FOR YOU.
ReplyDeleteThe thing with "food rules" is that they assume there is one set list of foods that works for EVERYONE, and that's just not the case. What works for me may not work for you and what works for you may not work for the next person.
As for bread, I simply don't eat very much of it, so when I do eat a piece, I'm not entirely concerned with whether or not it contains a little bit of sugar. Brown sugar and white sugar are essentially the same, for the record.
Evaporated cane juice is another word for sugar. It's not quite as processed as the white junk, and it's typically what I use when I buy food that is sweetened. I eat a Fage yogurt with the strawberry or raspberry little cups a few times a week. They all include a little bit of sugar/evap cane juice. I don't sweat it.
The thing with clean eating is that you try to eat food as close to its natural form as possible. You, and only you, can decide how far you will allow your food to deviate from it's natural form.
As for coffee creamer, I buy the Organic Valley French Vanilla Half & Half and I *love* it. A friend of mine is horrified by it because it contains evaporated cane juice....but for me, I don't mind a little bit of sugar here and there. It works for ME. Not her, but me. It may work for you, it may not.
It's all up to you to decide. But I will tell you this.....once you stop looking for someone else to give you a list of rules and you start trusting yourself to make decisions, it is the most liberating and empowering feeling in the world! Good luck and I KNOW you can do this!! Baby steps!!!
Feel free to contact me via my blog at anytime (or my facebook page)
~Jessica
http://healthyfor100.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/healthyfor100
I buy Ezekiel 7 sprout bread. It's good. It's pricey, but I usually only have one or two sandwiches a week, and the occasional toast with honey for a treat (to die for). Stonyfield offers organic yogurt. Reading labels IS exhausting, I spend 3 hours shopping between 3-4 stores! Each store has certain products that or clean or organic that I like. I then spend most of the day Sunday preparing stuff for the week! Banana muffins, soups, chicken salad, etc for lunch. It's exhausting but worth it, and I figure I will get better at i.
ReplyDeleterule of thumb... errr my thumb :P
ReplyDeleteno more than 5 ingredients, if I don't know an ingredient then I don't buy it!!! Ezekiel is an AWESOME brand and Whole foods has some good choices, I don't eat a lot of bread so I am not too worried about price... a loaf can last me a month in the freezer!!