Cleaner Life Month Recap
9 Jul
The fact that I didn’t run out yesterday and shove my face full of granola bars and crackers tells me one thing: the Cleaner Life Month has affected me. It has affected the way I look at food, the way I eat and the way I plan. There have been ups and downs throughout the month (especially with all the trips and holidays) but at the end of the day – I can say that this challenge was worth it.
Looking back at “the rules,” there are a few things I noticed about myself over the past month:
The Good
Milk. Organic milk tastes better to me. It makes my oatmeal taste better. It’s been a good investment. I prefer it.
Artificial sweeteners. I can’t even believe how much I’ve cut back on this. I used to be a two Sweet N’ Low packets kind of gal. I haven’t had an artificial sweetener packet in almost two months. Don’t get me wrong – I still like diet coke/pepsi, and I drank a couple of them throughout the challenge. The good thing is I’ve never been a big soda drinker, so it’s not too hard to cut out.
Processed foods. Like artificial sweeteners, I am surprised at how much I cut back on this. It’s interesting how you go several weeks without eating packaged granola bars or crackers and you almost don’t crave them at all anymore. The only thing I did miss was the occasional cereal on top my oatmeal. But limiting processed foods caused me to become more resourceful and come up with better, homemade alternatives.
Caffeine. Most days, I did well with this. There was only a day or two that I can remember having a ton of caffeine, and that usually happened when I was out for the weekend. I also drank a couple 5-hour energy bottles at Bonnaroo, which was ridiculous.
Produce. This has improved in LEAPS AND BOUNDS. For starters, I finally had the motivation to join a Co-op, which was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I really got into locally-grown foods and seeing Food, Inc. during this time only inspired that further. I can tell that this part of the challenge has affected me most. I am very concerned with where my food is coming from – much more than ever before, especially with produce and meat.
The “Bad”
White sugar. This was one of the items on the list that I didn’t pay as close attention to and probably should have. I didn’t inquire with friends about their recipes and whether they contained white sugar. I did limit my processed food, for the most part, to only organic sugars or sugar in the raw. Again, I think I could have kept a better eye on this.
Researching products. I slacked on this. My research included looking at the ingredient list quickly. Most of the time, everything I chose were foods that fit the criteria of the challenge. I did have trouble with bread specifically. That was one product I didn’t care to research – so I didn’t, more than likely out of laziness.
Soy. I know I didn’t watch this as carefully because it depressed me to see that most everything had soy.
The Ugly
While I felt this challenge improved the way I eat, it had a few personal drawbacks for me.
Guilt. In the beginning, there was a lot of this. I was coming down really hard on myself about it. I continually emailed Heather for advice. I would have to say that she really helped me through it. Her constant reminders that I didn’t have to be perfect were what kept me going.
Stress. I started looking at certain foods (white sugar, soda, etc.) as “no-no foods.” And in my book, every food can be eaten in moderation. I don’t believe in diets that cut out anything. I believe in healthy lifestyles with balanced eating. Throughout the challenge, I saw myself becoming stressed because “I messed up.”
Soy. I understand watching hidden soy. But I don’t understand giving up tofu. That was the only food that I actually craved the entire time. And one time, I even ate it.
What I Learned:
On Day 1 of the Challenge, I wrote out a list of goals I wanted to achieve. I have bolded those that happened:
- I want to quit eating convenient foods that are not convenient for my body.
- I want to stop wasting produce and instead cook more regularly and eat meals that are mostly made from my two hands.
- I want to know where my food is coming from.
- I want to know what ingredients are going into my body.
- I want to feel better physically.
I did waste some food in this process, and I don’t think I was as good a label-checker as I could have been. But what I’ve taken away from this more than anything is awareness. I am so much more aware of where my food is coming from and what I’m putting in my body. I’ve also given up a lot of my convenience food for home-cooked meals. And I have a feeling these things are going to stick. Like I said in the beginning of this post, the fact that I didn’t want to run out and break every rule on the list says something to me. This has stuck with me.
Oh, and for kicks – I weighed myself this morning, and I lost 4 lbs this month.
Allison tried out the challenge, and she wrote a great recap about her experience here. I think Heather will be including her recap soon, so check it out. I want to thank Heather personally for her continuous support throughout the journey. She is strong, inspiring and passionate about health. Definitely a good friend to have.
LUNCH
Since that was so long-winded, here’s some pictures for the rest of it.
What a good recap! I was not brave enough to try the ‘Cleaner Life Month’ so kudos to you for doing it! I am impressed!
GREAT recap Rose! You seriously did a fantastic job with the challenge, and you have to be pleased with your number of ‘take-aways’! Especially the artificial sweetener stuff! job well done!
I would cry to give up soy. Why is it “not clean”?
wonderful recap. what i love most about this is how you did it from a research point of view – learning not to beat yourself up over things you did or didn’t do, but more just approaching it as an experiment. i agree that once you start making an effort to change things, they do become habits. the five things you learned basically define my food philosophy. it’ll be interesting to see how all of these thoughts continue to develop for you from here!
Thank you so much for your recap! I can’t wait to read Heather’s, too, but I loved seeing your goals, what you reached, and how you felt during this past month.
I definitely check labels for hidden things, but I’m like you – I don’t think cutting things out and then freaking out about having it is the answer.
great job
Love the recap of your clean eating – do you subscribe to Clean Eating magazine? I absolutely love it.
We don’t eat a lot of processed foods, and you can really tell on our grocery bill.
Congratulations! As always, great recap, but I think you have been so amazing this month and even with all of our events – weddings, the 4th, Bonnaroo, you have still managed to show us all how eating on the clean can be done. I think the importance of this challenge overall was awareness – and being more proactive about what and why we’re putting foods into our body. You, Heather and Allison all raised awareness throughout our food blogging community about cleaner eating – and THAT, from a reader’s perspective, is the biggest takeaway.
Looks like you really got a lot out of the CLM! That’s awesome and glad you stopped stressing out about it. You’re right it’s not about giving something up forever, it’s just about slowly progressing toward a way of eating that you truly feel good about.
congrats on completing the month challenge! you did an awesome job and came out of it with some great new knowledge about the foods you eat and how they make you feel. You did this for a whole MONTH! you are a champion
Your recap is great! So honest and heartfelt. I think you are amazing for living so “clean” for a month! And the shifts in perspective are great. I’m happy to hear you’re still a believer in not putting any foods on the no-no list! Moderation is the key.
I so enjoyed this recap. The challenge has really helped me realize what I put into my body more. I thought I was a pretty good label reader, but found out I’m not as careful as I thought after watching you and Heather.
I agree about soy. Hidden soy seems like a problem. Tofu does not.
I think you did awesome Rose! I hope you are proud of yourself, you did a great job!
brilliant recap! i think what you did was so impressive. i agree with the hidden soy vs tofu idea.
I am glad you got something out of the challenge. The night I felt guilty for wanting to eat a bowl of ice cream was a turning point in the challenge. For me, there is a difference between trying to improve your eating and restriction.
You did great! You pick the next challenge.
i love the recap rose. i’m glad to hear all the good things that came out of it!
that was a really good recap… the guilt was the reason I didn’t fully join. I knew I was eating sugar and just sort of gave up after that. the good news is every day is a step towards even better eating habits right!
Great recap! I loved reading all your thoughts and feelings about the challenge-both the good and bad-it looks like you learned a lot!
Great thoughts and really inspiring. It is amazing how we don’t really need the things we think we could never live without. I really loved your quote about convenience foods not being convenient for your body.
Great recap! It sounds like you learned a lot doing the challenge. I would definitely feel a lot of guilt if I didn’t completely follow the challenge, and that’s one of the main reasons I didn’t join. You did a great job!
I loved your recap… Organic Dairy is far superior- I used to get headaches from milk and I thought it was the milk itself… not so much!
I know that a lot of what you learned I’ll be applying to my own eating.
Great recap!