Learning To Eat Clean, One Meal At A Time

Learning To Eat Clean, One Meal At A Time

Wed 26 Sep 2012

Story by Sarah Salgado
 

Food Revolution Blog of the Month: Clean Eating in Texas

With three small children - all five and under, I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with some of the food choices our family was making.

Too Much Convenience & Highly Processed Foods



We were eating too much fast food and too many convenient, highly processed foods. I worried that our five year-old daughter's struggles to pay attention in her pre-K class had something to do with the fact that almost everything she ate was brightly colored by Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 2.

Meanwhile, our three-year-old son- had narrowed his ‘acceptable’ food choices to fried things - namely, French fries, bacon, donuts, chips, and chocolate. And our baby was already starting to base her approach to food off her siblings' examples.

I knew that I did not want my children to grow up loving Cheetos and hating carrots.

Something Had To Change…



At the same time, my husband and I were feeling physically tired and drained. And our diets were no better than our children’s'. I began to realize that the sugar loaded, high fat, high calorie and over-processed foods we were eating were severely affecting us. Something had to change.

Since we have started eating clean, things are different. We feel more energetic, and we feel empowered to know that we CAN eat clean in this over-processed world!

We are eating the way nature intended; whole foods, whole grains. We try not to buy foods with more than five ingredients, and we carefully read all labels - something I've had to learn to do! We create our own foods with clean ingredients rather than relying on shop bought and processed items, some of my favorites include - Restaurant Style Mexican Rice, Clean Eating Blueberry Muffins and Clean Eating {Soft} Chocolate Chip Cookies.

One of the most shocking things I've learned is all of the many euphemism that food manufacturers and marketers use for unnatural ingredients to make them sound healthier and natural. Clean eating, I've realized, is often about staying ahead of the manufacturers as they conjure up new, "natural" sounding terms for MSG and refined sugar.

I decided to document our journey with a blog to help others who are looking to "clean up" their diet. Clean eating doesn't have to boring. I'm a foodie at heart and now I'm a clean eating foodie.

In fact, I've discovered that a love of great food naturally tends toward clean eating with its focus on local, whole ingredients. Simply put, natural food isn't a sacrifice. But perhaps even more importantly on a personal level, I decided to blog about my journey to hold myself more accountable!

I don't want this to be a fad I go through, but a lifestyle change.

About the author: Sarah Salgado is a mommy, wife, chef by day, and a blogger by night. She is a native Texan, and loves living in a small Texas town with her family. Find out more on her blog, Clean Eating in Texas.