I am now eating Clean!

A long time ago, I got a book on Amazon called “Clean” which was recommended to me by a friend. Last week I decided to read it and started on the program  which is called the Clean Program. This program is based on a set list of foods and is designed to remove all foods that are known to cause food allergies, sensitivities and disruption in the digestive process (CleanProgram.com, 2013).

Here is a list of foods to include and exclude:

You choose what to eat, but the selection from the Cleanse Diet are as follows:

	INCLUDE	EXCLUDE
Fruits & Vegetables	Unsweetened fresh or frozen whole fruits, fresh squeezed fruit juices, sea vegetables (seaweeds), avocados, olives, and raw, steamed, sauteed, juiced, or roasted vegetables	Oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, bananas, strawberries, grapes, corn, creamed vegetables, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes)
Dairy Substitutes	Hemp, rice, and nut milks (such as almond, hazelnut, walnut, etc.) and coconut milk, coconut oil/butter	Dairy and eggs: including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, non-dairy creamers, ghee
Non-Gluten Grains & Starch	Brown, red, black and wild rice, millet, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, quinoa	White rice, wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, triticale, oats (even gluten-free)
Animal Protein	Fresh or water-packed, cold-water fish (trout, salmon, halibut, tuna, mackerel, sardines, pike, kippers), wild game (rabbit, pheasant, bison, venison, elk, etc.), lamb, duck, organic chicken and turkey	Pork (bacon), beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters (hot dogs), shellfish, any raw meats or fish
Vegetable Protein	Split peas, lentils, legumes, bee pollen, spirulina, and blue-green algae	Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods)
Nuts & Seeds	Hemp, sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamia, pistachios, brazil, nut and seed butters such as almond or tahini	Peanuts and peanut butter
Oils	Cold-pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, walnut, pumpkin, and coconut	Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, canola oil, salad dressings, mayonnaise, spreads
Drinks	Filtered water, green, white or herbal tea, seltzer or mineral water, yerba mate, coconut water, green juice	Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda pop, soft drinks, fruit juice (unless fresh pressed)
Sweeteners	Stevia, coconut nectar, yacon, whole/fresh fruit, dried fruit (in moderation)	Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, Splenda®, Equal®, Sweet’N Low®, juice concentrate, agave nectar, brown rice syrup
Condiments	Vinegar, all spices, all herbs, sea salt, black pepper, carob, raw chocolate (dairy and sugar free), stone-ground mustard, miso, coconut liquid aminos, wheat-free tamari and nama shoyu, unsweetened whole fruit jam	Regular chocolate (with dairy and sugar), ketchup, relish, chutney, traditional soy sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, breath mints

(CleanProgram.com, 2013)

Since this list makes it hard to eat normal breakfast foods, it is recommended that you do a shake for breakfast. They have their own shake mixes, but I chose to make my own recipe from things I had on hand.

 My recipe includes:

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Alive - Ultra-Shake Vanilla Pea Protein Powder, 1 scoop	120	15	0	15	210	9
Silk - Vanilla Pure Coconut Milk, 1.25 cup	113	13	6	1	38	11
Amazing Grass - Green Super Food Powder, 8 grams	30	4	1	2	8	0
Dole - Tropical Mixed Fruit Frozen, 3/4 cup	60	16	0	1	0	11
Hodgson Mill - Golden Milled Ground Flax Seed, 1 Tbsp	30	2	3	2	0	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	353	50	10	21	256	31
Per Serving:	353	50	10	21	256	31

*This is my recipe, but the nutrition information was obtained from (MyFitnessPal, LLC 2013)

The program has you eat one shake for breakfast and dinner and a solid meal for lunch, but I am doing a shake for breakfast and two small meals for lunch and dinner from the clean include list.  It has been working great for me.

The reason I started the program was because I was having a lot of digestive issues and I have to say that it has worked great for me to solve these issues. I have even lost a few pounds.  I track my food using MyFitness Pal and I have to say that my calorie count has gone way down on this program.

I recommend this program for anyone who would like to clean out their system and eat healthier because you also do not eat any wheat, dairy, refined sugar or processed foods.

References:

Clean Program. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cleanprogram.com/

MyFitnessPal, LLC. (2013)Recipes. Retrieved from http://www.myfitnesspal.com/