1. Get yourself a food journal. Any small notebook will do. I use a small Moleskine that I can stick in my purse. Start wrting down everything that you eat. Everything. Morning, Noon, and Night. You'll start to see patterns of eating - cycles of good eating, poorer eating...you need to know what to change before you can change. Drinking lots of soda mindlessly? That's gotta go! Replace with water. Cookies mid day? Learn to pack a CE snack - almonds, carrots, raisins.
2. If you aren't a decent cook, it's ok - but a certain amount of cooking will be involved. Go buy yourself a George Foreman grill, a food processor ( small is ok! ) , food storage containers , and a microwave vegetable steamer. It's important to be able to cook veggies quickly and easily.
3. Fill the pantry and fridge: fresh fruits and vegetables, canned beans, tuna, whole nuts, whole grain rice, tomatoes ( in glass jars, please - canned tomatoes leach chemicals from the metal can ) , honey / sucanat ( an natural sweetener ) / demarara sugar, whole wheat tortillas. Make sure the grocery store foods you are buying have little to no added salt and sugar.
4. Post your food goal somewhere. The first week or two of CE isn't easy if you've had a poor diet for along time. Write down what you are doing, and why. Are you going Clean because of a personal goal? A person? An event?
5. Buy yourself a copy of Clean Eating magazine - and if you like it enough, buy yourself a subscription. Useful, interesting, and motivating!
Here are lists of the typical foods a Clean Eater has:
Vegetables
* Asparagus
* Avocados
* Beets
* Bell peppers
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts
* Cabbage
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Collard greens
* Cucumbers
* Eggplant
* Fennel
* Garlic
* Green beans
* Green peas
* Kale
* Leeks
* Mushrooms, crimini
* Mushrooms, shiitake
* Mustard greens
* Olives
* Onions
* Potatoes
* Romaine lettuce
* Sea vegetables
* Spinach
* Squash, summer
* Squash, winter
* Sweet potatoes
* Swiss chard
* Tomatoes
* Turnip greens
* Yams
Seafood
* Cod
* Halibut
* Salmon
* Sardines
* Scallops
* Shrimp
* Tuna
Fruits
* Apples
* Apricots
* Bananas
* Blueberries
* Cantaloupe
* Cranberries
* Figs
* Grapefruit
* Grapes
* Kiwifruit
* Lemon/Limes
* Oranges
* Papaya
* Pears
* Pineapple
* Plums
* Prunes
* Raisins
* Raspberries
* Strawberries
* Watermelon
Eggs & Low-Fat Dairy
* Cheese, low-fat
* Eggs
* Milk, 2%, cow's
* Milk, goat
* Yogurt
Beans & Legumes
* Black beans
* Dried peas
* Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
* Kidney beans
* Lentils
* Lima beans
* Miso
* Navy beans
* Pinto beans
* Soybeans
* Tempeh
* Tofu
Poultry & Lean Meats
* Beef, lean organic
* Calf's liver
* Chicken
* Lamb
* Turkey
* Venison
Nuts & Seeds
* Almonds
* Cashews
* Flaxseeds
* Olive oil, extra virgin
* Peanuts
* Pumpkin seeds
* Sesame seeds
* Sunflower seeds
* Walnuts
Grains
* Barley
* Brown rice
* Buckwheat
* Corn
* Millet
* Oats
* Quinoa
* Rye
* Spelt
* Whole wheat
Spices & Herbs
* Basil
* Black pepper
* Cayenne pepper
* Chili pepper, dried
* Cilantro/Coriander seeds
* Cinnamon, ground
* Cloves
* Cumin seeds
* Dill
* Ginger
* Mustard seeds
* Oregano
* Parsley
* Peppermint
* Rosemary
* Sage
* Thyme
* Turmeric
Natural Sweeteners
* Blackstrap molasses
* Cane juice
* Honey
* Maple syrup
Other
* Green tea
* Soy sauce - low sodium (tamari)
* Water
