The Eat Clean Diet

Eating "clean" certainly sounds healthful, but not realistic 100% of the time. I just focus on getting a combination of at least 5 fruits and veggies in a day which seems to help. I also like the advice of eating 5-6 times per day. I've been doing this for the last several months, and it's been going well. It also helps that I work from home though. For someone who had to pack 4-5 small meals to take to work, it could become a bit tedious.

According to this, I already do #1, #2, #4, #5, and #7. Occasionally I do #3, and I'm not too hyped up on worrying about saturated fat (although my intake is about 20%). About 60% of employed adult Texans mostly sit or stand while at work, meaning, most working adults have the ability to find a way to eat 5-6 meals, if they choose to. Even those who cannot due to a full day of meetings, being at the front desk all day, or being a cashier (not always appropriate to be chowing down something...), there are still ways around it and at minimum they can be getting four (breakfast, lunch break at work, dinner, snack). After my body has been on 5-6 meals per day for the past year, I can't adjust very well to only three meals; I need a constant source of fuel.

As for the author's comment on #2, yes, that would make it a low calorie diet, but I've never heard of a high calorie diet to lose weight...

Good review!

This is basically my meal plan. It does take planning though. I'm a full-time college student and part-time substitute teacher which means I'm away from my home from the early morning (6-9AM) until the late afternoon (4-7PM) and I manage to eat clean the entire day.

I think that if I can do it (considering I work at a new school every day where I will have my lunch and break at completely unknown times and I can't eat except on my lunch and break), most people can do it.

People need to suck it up, buy a lunch box and some tupperware, and work out a schedule.

Monday morning I cut up enough carrots/cucumbers to last me the entire week as my afternoon snack. I've learned how much fruit and what kind of fruit to buy to last me the week. Every week I head over to recipezaar.com to find a new veggie recipe that acts as the main part of my lunch for the entire week. I have single servings of chicken and rice frozen in the freezer and canned veggies in hte cabinet in case I'm low on ideas or time.

This is pretty much the way I eat already. I eat whole foods 5 times a day, and a simple carb/protein drink post-workout. It takes a bit of planning, and you have to be willing to get everything prepped the night before if you work out of the home. I do a lot of big batch cooking on weekends to keep the prep time down. Most bodybuilder forums and books advocate eating this way, including a meal of liquid protein and simple carbs (powdered whey and fruit juice) just before and after strength training.

It seems like pretty solid advice, but I don't think it's realistic to expect people to eat clean ALL the time. I try to eat clean about 80-90% of the time, but no one is perfect. And if you can't have a few treats in your diet, what fun is that? I exercise, eat good foods MOST of the time, and I allow myself to have some treats so I don't feel deprived.

This is pretty much how I eat but that level of compliance is harsh (I know, I've tried and ended up cranky). 90 percent when I'm cutting body fat gives me decent results and it's do-able.

Stupid question - with that kind of compliance expectation, does she at least advocate the occaisional "clean" higher calorie day? Having a calorie deficit every day is yucky.

On a side note, the whole 6 meals a day thing is pretty easy when you get used to it. After two years, it's just how I eat and if I miss a meal, I really miss it! One afternoon every couple of weekends, I do a big prep and cook-up and then toss stuff in freezer/microwave friendly reusable containers so it only takes a couple of minutes a day to get my food organized. The extra energy I get from eating many mini meals is worth the little bit of extra effort...

Sounds similar to Body For Life. I don't think eating 5-6 meals per day is unrealistic at all. It just takes a little forethought - which is worth it, because the urge to snack is definitely diminished when you know your next meal is always less than 3 hours away.

Eat 5-6 times per day
(Well, basically Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and dessert or evening snack)

Each meal should be between 200-300 calories.
(Well, I make Breakfast 200 calories with the cereal, 400 calories for the lunch (sandwich and vegtables), and 400 to 600 calories for dinner, and 100 to 200 caliroes for two snacks and a midnight snack, which can be anywhere from 1,200 to about 2,000 calories).

Eat a complex carbohydrate with protein at every meal
Drink at least 2L (8 cups) of water every day (Well, You don't need much carbs, and low carb diets are effective at losing weight).

Never miss a meal, especially breakfast
(Or I shall say, never miss Breakfast (Cereal), Lunch (Veggie and cheese sandwich with vegtables), and Dinner (Salmon with Veggies and Rice (Preferrably, Brown Rice))

Avoid saturated and trans-fats
(Actually, you need some saturated fats for vitamin D absorption and cell membrane function, and not all trans-fats are bad for you. Naturally occuring trans fats found in meat are healthy, but artificial partially hydrogenated trans fats are the ones to avoid)

Stick to proper portion sizes
(Depending if you want to lose body fat).

Remember, BMI and weight is obsolete. You should pay more attention on how your clothes fit, and pay attention to your body fat percentage.

You also need to have some red meat in moderation. For dessert, prefer ice cream over cake, and if you want to have fruit, prefer high-potassium fruits such as apples and pears over oranges, bananas, and grapes.

I agree with the sentiment of this but I also would caution against telling people to avoid all saturated fats. There are some, in their natural form, that are very good for you. Anyway, I am doing research on "clean" vs. processed foods here:

http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com/2007/09/cheap-food-or-expensive-organic-is.html

I like the word "clean" - for some reason "organic" has a negative connetation (expensive, counter-culture) for some...

Great Review Mike! I've been eating several smaller meals a day since I trained for a body building competition in 2002. I believe everyone should at least give it a try - you CAN be lean and not be hungry!! (If you exercise and eat right)

I wholeheartedly agree that the social and psychological issues associated with overeating are a big factor in society today. I used to be an over-eater myself. I've shared a few experiences about lifestyle changes on my blog at http://www.strongbody.ca/blog.

Cheers, Max

This review is flawed in parts. For example, Reno does not suggest that meals should be between 200-300 calories, but rather, 300-400. Also, as some of the above comments suggest, eating six meals a day is not that hard. Reno offers a window of time between meals, as well: two-three hours. This definitely helps in terms of flexibility.

the point of a diet is will power. thats why theres so much negativity behind the word. the negative view towards the book in itself aren't very thoroughly thought through. the individual who gave his opinions sounds lazy and uninspired to try this diet, which shows that he shouldn't be writing this article anyways because he has no actualy intention of using the diet. Also the complaints about her seven rules are kind of ridiculous. its been proven recently that eating 5-6 meals a day is healthier because it doesn't cause the body to pack on fat waiting for the next meal and it speeds up the metabolism if you eat more frequently. also drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a rule that everyone is supposed to follow even if you don't work out. most of your body is water and you need to keep replenishing that because as much as some people don't realize you do strenuous activity almost every day, causing a depletion of water. also of course this is a low calorie diet, but its a healthy amount. if someone is going to criticize a book they shouldn't go into reading the book with a predisposition of how they feel. notice how he has many more complaints about the book than he does complements, when it really is a great idea of applied correctly. people dont realize that they could get in great shape if they would just follow a strict eating plan. of course every once in a while you can have something, but her idea of having only 1 cheat meal a week is a great one, without willpower for your diet and exercise you're going to get no where if you're trying to change your diet to healthy. if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.

I just started on a clean diet and love it. It's not easy to eat 5 to 6 meals a day - infact i still don't have that down yet. Am excited about staying with it and having a healthy life.

Sounds similar to Body For Life. I don't think eating 5-6 meals per day is unrealistic at all. It just takes a little forethought - which is worth it, because the urge to snack is definitely diminished when you know your next meal is always less than 3 hours away.

This was a well laid out review. I respect the opinion of the author, yet have to disagree with the limitations on time for eating six meals a day. I work in the retail industry and, having worked in other industries, believe this is one of the most time demanding jobs (especially in my position...). I still make the time to eat regularly and often. Six meals is about what I eat in a day, and ensure that I take the time to do it. I'm of the opinion as an ex-smoker, if I can take fifteen minutes to grab a smoke, I can certainly take the same time to eat healthy. This is what helped me to loose eighty pounds. It does all come down to discipline. If you're dedicated and want it, you can make it happen. (I also teach my children this lifestyle/diet as I want them to grow up living healthy. )

I agree with many of your points. The book has a great deal of information, but doesn't really present anything new. Just eat 5-6 meals a day, cut calories, and avoid processed foods, favoring fresh produce, whole grains, and the like. That's pretty much common knowledge. The sample 2 week meal plan was about the most useful thing in it. I have a feeling that one would have to obtain the Eat Clean cookbook and workout journals to get the full benefit.

Hi There,
Regarding the issue of eating 5-6 times a day...I'm guessing that most people do this anyway through fast food and convenience options from things like vending machines and such. The difference between eating clean 5-6 times a day and eating the familiar way 5-6 times a day is the nutritional quality. I found that I was always snacking or nibbling or putting something in my mouth throughout the day and feeling as though I was hungry when doing it. I had never planned ahead for this regular occurance. (I am a full time teacher, mother, wife...) This leads me to the point about the psychological impact on why we over eat. I do believe that exists however I also believe that we overeat or snack because our bodies are continually searching for the nutrition they were denied by eating the vending machine foods, frozen dinner stuff and other low quality foods that don't have nutrition in them or are loaded with synthetic versions of the nutrition. Synthetic versions can be absorbed inefficiently or not at all based on what the nutrient is paired with. The lack of nutrients cause our brains to think about eating in an effort to get the nutrition the body needs. Yes there is the existence of emotional eating and stuff like that but I bet it's less of an actual issue then perceived if people were eating whole, nutritious foods as their main staple of food intake.
I've changed to a clean diet and find that I just am plain ol' NOT hungry throughout the day, which is the total opposite from my previous behaviour, and that's with fewer calories taken in and more calories expended due to the addition of exercise into my day.
As for the fats, I am in no way a food scientist but I have learned that fats from meats that are pastured (grass fed) and naturally raised are most efficient for our bodies with regards to fat soluble obsorption of nutrients and for an accurately balanced ratio between omega 3's and 6's. Fats from meats that are forced to feed on foods that do not naturally match their digestive systems do not provide our bodies with this ability at it's full potential. So yes, saturated fats are important but only if they come from the appropriate source which is rare in meats found in our grocery stores.
I followed the principals from the book and it taught me how to make this lifestyle portable which in the end helped me transform into a healthy person who has now lost 75 pounds...while eating every 4 hours!

please response to my question..
according to that review..eating 5-6 times a day is ok..as long as 200-300 calories per eat but, can i take 400 calories per eat but 3 times a day?