Eating "close to the earth" and "clean."

I have heard these terms bandied about - notably by Matt M and Kenny B. I have a fuzzy idea what they mean . . . examples?

Also what road blocks do y'all have in trying to eat close to the earth and clean?

I usually try and eat fruit for breakfast and salad at lunch. But when I go out with the office I break down. Today I decided to take some office mates up on an invitation to lunch to a local hamburger joint. Guac burger and onion rings. Wanted to run tonight - but bloated as a beached whale.

Another problem I have is that after a morning long run is that I may get stuck in court until 1:00. By the time I get out for lunch I am so F'n hungry I head straight for the philly cheese steak with mayo, fries and a coke. Forget the rabbit food! Feed the machine!

Finally - I have a beer drinking problem. Well not really. But I was a home brewer and beer snob before I was ever a runner. Gotta have a couple few brews in the p.m.

So, how do y'all deal with your nutritional road blocks throughout the day? What do you do to stay fueled and keep your energy levels up. Especially after energy sapping summer running?

I hear ya - I can't hardly make it to lunchtime anymore without being hungry, especially after a morning workout. I get suckered into going out to eat for lunch 2-3 times per week with coworkers - to make it worse, it is usually taco bell. There are times when I feel like I just can't eat enough and end up eating candy (I think gummy bears and crap like that are to me like beer are to a lot of people). The end result is, through the summer when I feel like I've been working pretty hard, I have ended up gaining about 5 pounds. Yuck. I wish I could say it was muscle , but it's not. Between a full time job, a small business on the side, working out, wife with a full time job and college and being a father, I often don't eat the kinds of dinners that I should. Even then, I end up hungry before I go to bed and end up eating crackers or something like that... I'm glad you brought this up b/c as I'm typing this I'm realizing how rotten of a diet I have sometimes..... Crap....

As far as energy levels, I will often eat a cliff bar before a workout of an hour or more and that seems to keep me going. I had never tried one until a few months ago, but I have been practicing with eating Gu packets every 45-60 minutes during longer workouts - seems to help some. As far as eating clean, I eat a lot of fruits/veggies/whole grains etc. - my problem is I eat everything else too....

If I know I have a run at night, I try to eat less at lunch and eat nothing in the afternoon. Sometimes there is a dilemma when you are at a hamburger place, especially a good one like Five Guys. Avoid fries and have just one burger rather than a double, also avoid shakes. But it's great when there is no run that night and the next day is rest or recovery, then chow down!

charles wrote:I have heard these terms bandied about - notably by Matt M and Kenny B. I have a fuzzy idea what they mean . . . examples?

Also what road blocks do y'all have in trying to eat close to the earth and clean?

I usually try and eat fruit for breakfast and salad at lunch. But when I go out with the office I break down. Today I decided to take some office mates up on an invitation to lunch to a local hamburger joint. Guac burger and onion rings. Wanted to run tonight - but bloated as a beached whale.

Another problem I have is that after a morning long run is that I may get stuck in court until 1:00. By the time I get out for lunch I am so F'n hungry I head straight for the philly cheese steak with mayo, fries and a coke. Forget the rabbit food! Feed the machine!

Finally - I have a beer drinking problem. Well not really. But I was a home brewer and beer snob before I was ever a runner. Gotta have a couple few brews in the p.m.

So, how do y'all deal with your nutritional road blocks throughout the day? What do you do to stay fueled and keep your energy levels up. Especially after energy sapping summer running?

It sounds like you really need to eat a more substantial breakfast. If I skimp on breakfast and or lunch I end up eating a ton in the afternoon before supper.

Try to keep some healthy snacks with you and eat a good breakfast. If I eat 2-3 whole wheat pancakes they will keep me going quite awhile and I do get low blood sugar pretty easily, too, so if I don't eat regularly I get pretty sick.

I think that I would consider myself a close to earth and clean eater for the most part. My diest consists of fruits and vegetables, grains, and some proteins like fish and poultry. I barely eat any red meat and eating out is even more rare. My weakness is traveling (business or pleasure). That's when I am most vulnerable. I am forced to eat out and of course I want to eat what the locations eat...or what is popular in that region of the country. Lastly, I try to cut down on processed foods. I still do eat processed foods, but they are a lot fewer than I have in the past.

I try to eat a substantial breakfast and then an early lunch. I will much on a few raw almonds in the afternoon if I get the urge to eat. Dinner is normally after my daily run, but is normally a slightly larger portion than lunch as I am also recovering from my run.

charles wrote:I have heard these terms bandied about - notably by Matt M and Kenny B. I have a fuzzy idea what they mean . . . examples?

Also what road blocks do y'all have in trying to eat close to the earth and clean?

I usually try and eat fruit for breakfast and salad at lunch. But when I go out with the office I break down. Today I decided to take some office mates up on an invitation to lunch to a local hamburger joint. Guac burger and onion rings. Wanted to run tonight - but bloated as a beached whale.

Another problem I have is that after a morning long run is that I may get stuck in court until 1:00. By the time I get out for lunch I am so F'n hungry I head straight for the philly cheese steak with mayo, fries and a coke. Forget the rabbit food! Feed the machine!

Finally - I have a beer drinking problem. Well not really. But I was a home brewer and beer snob before I was ever a runner. Gotta have a couple few brews in the p.m.

So, how do y'all deal with your nutritional road blocks throughout the day? What do you do to stay fueled and keep your energy levels up. Especially after energy sapping summer running?

Changing your eating lifestyle isn't going to happen, unless you REALLY want it and are REALLY motivated to make a change. This is the best opinion I can give. Once you REALLY want to make the change, you just have to look around and find the eating plan that you want to follow.

Except for today, I've been 95% following Paleo Diet for Athletes for the past 5 weeks and will continue it in the near future, including training for Houston in January. It might not work with your beer drinking. My biggest adaptation was stopping box cereal in the mornings.

I brought a lot of veggies to work. You've got to want to make a change. The rest is just part of the journey.

ounce wrote:

charles wrote:I have heard these terms bandied about - notably by Matt M and Kenny B. I have a fuzzy idea what they mean . . . examples?

Also what road blocks do y'all have in trying to eat close to the earth and clean?

I usually try and eat fruit for breakfast and salad at lunch. But when I go out with the office I break down. Today I decided to take some office mates up on an invitation to lunch to a local hamburger joint. Guac burger and onion rings. Wanted to run tonight - but bloated as a beached whale.

Another problem I have is that after a morning long run is that I may get stuck in court until 1:00. By the time I get out for lunch I am so F'n hungry I head straight for the philly cheese steak with mayo, fries and a coke. Forget the rabbit food! Feed the machine!

Finally - I have a beer drinking problem. Well not really. But I was a home brewer and beer snob before I was ever a runner. Gotta have a couple few brews in the p.m.

So, how do y'all deal with your nutritional road blocks throughout the day? What do you do to stay fueled and keep your energy levels up. Especially after energy sapping summer running?

Changing your eating lifestyle isn't going to happen, unless you REALLY want it and are REALLY motivated to make a change. This is the best opinion I can give. Once you REALLY want to make the change, you just have to look around and find the eating plan that you want to follow.

Except for today, I've been 95% following Paleo Diet for Athletes for the past 5 weeks and will continue it in the near future, including training for Houston in January. It might not work with your beer drinking. My biggest adaptation was stopping box cereal in the mornings.

I brought a lot of veggies to work. You've got to want to make a change. The rest is just part of the journey.

Paleo diet for athletes has some great insight in it regarding training, recovery etc. This book helped me out tremendously. I do not follow the diet all the time, but I do believe the concepts have validity. Diet is one of the toughest things to change for any of us.

Paleo Diet for athletes - I definitely have to check this out.

I eat pretty close to clean, green and close to the earth with two exceptions - red meat and beer - so it can be done. I have eliminated drinking during the week, and I will not drink alone i.e when I eat dinner by myself or just with my daughter. I'm lucky that I don't travel that much for work anymore and I can avoid eating out if I want to. When I do eat out (maybe 1x ever 2-3 weeks), I do try to think about what I'm eating and stay away from most fried foods, but with all the running etc. that I do, it is a treat once and a while to have that burger, beer and fries. And of course, ice cream in the summer.

One of my favorite snacks is almonds and another is an apple with a bit of almond butter on it. I find that I need the good fats and the protein, and an apple is a good food to fill you up.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Paleo Diet for athletes - I definitely have to check this out.

I eat pretty close to clean, green and close to the earth with two exceptions - red meat and beer - so it can be done. I have eliminated drinking during the week, and I will not drink alone i.e when I eat dinner by myself or just with my daughter. I'm lucky that I don't travel that much for work anymore and I can avoid eating out if I want to. When I do eat out (maybe 1x ever 2-3 weeks), I do try to think about what I'm eating and stay away from most fried foods, but with all the running etc. that I do, it is a treat once and a while to have that burger, beer and fries. And of course, ice cream in the summer.

One of my favorite snacks is almonds and another is an apple with a bit of almond butter on it. I find that I need the good fats and the protein, and an apple is a good food to fill you up.

I don't mind drinking alcohol, but I give it up during my training cycles. My last drink was Memorial Day weekend and my next one will not come until after October 9th.

Michele, there are only two occasions that I will ever drink.....

Alone or with someone.

Yeah I know it's weak, but it tickled me when I first heard it anyway.

I use clean eating and mindful eating but both mean different things.


Clean eating is eating foods that "I" feel are the best for me to meet my purpose which is sustained energy. For me this is a vegetarian diet (not vegan) but I do not eat dairy often.

Mindful eating is eating with awareness. This has everything to do with why you are choosing what you eat, knowing when you are resisting vs. setting aside, and how the food choices make you feel before during and after you eat.

I prefer mindful eating over clean eating but mindful eating for me leads to clean eating (for the most part).

Now if setting aside a food lets say pizza is causing more stress then eating it would say you are resisting and you might want to go eat a slice of pizza. But Be mindful about it, this way you eat the amount you need to fill you belly but not over fill it or make it a habit or a need. Be mindful that what you are putting in your body is not the best for you but it is better than the stress of resisting it.

The overall IMO is to feed your body mind and soul with healthy choices. The worst kind of stress is to your soul.


Feed your body by being active, feed your mind by being aware, and feed your soul by being loving.

Anyways that is my two cents probably worth 1.

Kenny B. wrote:I use clean eating and mindful eating but both mean different things.


Clean eating is eating foods that "I" feel are the best for me to meet my purpose which is sustained energy. For me this is a vegetarian diet (not vegan) but I do not eat dairy often.

Mindful eating is eating with awareness. This has everything to do with why you are choosing what you eat, knowing when you are resisting vs. setting aside, and how the food choices make you feel before during and after you eat.

I prefer mindful eating over clean eating but mindful eating for me leads to clean eating (for the most part).

Now if setting aside a food lets say pizza is causing more stress then eating it would that I would so go eat a slice of pizza. Be mindful about this way you eat the amount you need to fill you belly but not over fill it. Be mindful that what you are putting in your body is not the best for you but it is better than the stress of resisting it.

Anyways that is my two cents probably worth 1.

Naaa...I would say it is worth at least 2 cents. I completely agree with you...

Kenny B. wrote:
Feed your body by being active, feed your mind by being aware, and feed your soul by being loving.

Nick thought you would like the above I added it as I was thinking more about this.

No doubt...great words of wisdom

Kenny B. wrote:
Feed your body by being active, feed your mind by being aware, and feed your soul by being loving.

Nick thought you would like the above I added it as I was thinking more about this.

Good stuff - thanks Kenny...

I have been 100% vegetarian, 85% vegan (treats like cookies, candy and such were the death of me). I'm on a test trial now where I eat fruits/veggies/legumes. I'm cutting out all grains right now because I want to try to cut out wheat. It's easier for me as an all or nothing. Going to do this for 30 days and see how I feel.

Being the cook of the house and quite creative, I can do the above without going insane. If you have purpose, you will follow your plan. I'm doing it for health and well being.

During the summer I add 'local' to clean and close to the earth. For instance, this morning I went to the local farmers market and picked up everything needed for a delightful ratatouille, some Indiana grown portabellos for 'steaks' on the grill with italian seasonings. I did have some fresh broccoli from the store and added squeezed lemon. It's all good.

Eating out is always a challenge, but you have to reel it in a bit and think....is this my last meal?? NO! Find healthier alternatives if that is your purpose.

dot520 wrote:I have been 100% vegetarian, 85% vegan (treats like cookies, candy and such were the death of me). I'm on a test trial now where I eat fruits/veggies/legumes. I'm cutting out all grains right now because I want to try to cut out wheat. It's easier for me as an all or nothing. Going to do this for 30 days and see how I feel.

Being the cook of the house and quite creative, I can do the above without going insane. If you have purpose, you will follow your plan. I'm doing it for health and well being.

During the summer I add 'local' to clean and close to the earth. For instance, this morning I went to the local farmers market and picked up everything needed for a delightful ratatouille, some Indiana grown portabellos for 'steaks' on the grill with italian seasonings. I did have some fresh broccoli from the store and added squeezed lemon. It's all good.

Eating out is always a challenge, but you have to reel it in a bit and think....is this my last meal?? NO! Find healthier alternatives if that is your purpose.

Dot, I've read where vegetarians and vegans have a possibly difficult time not being able to get the branched-chain amino acids available in animal sources of protein. So, I'm humbly asking if you think it's true and how you get enough protein to support your running?

Thanks.

Ounce: I've been Vegetarian/vegan for close to 20 years. Since I love to eat and love to cook, I eat a huge variety of veggies, fruits, legumes and up until this past week grains. There is plenty of protein in my diet. High protein is somewhat over rated in my opinion. The only concern I am aware of is B-12 being non-existent in pure plant diets. I take a daily supplement, so that is another concern that hasn't seemed to affect me.

For me, changing to vegetarian/vegan almost 20 years ago had changed my life entirely. I thought the stress of my job was aggravating my digestive system, but it was my diet. I made the change, still had the stress and started to feel fantastic. It's been a god-send to me. Dairy and meat was making me so miserable.

Everyone is different, everyone's tolerance is different. For me, this has been life changing.

Thanks, Dot!

dot520 wrote:Ounce: I've been Vegetarian/vegan for close to 20 years. Since I love to eat and love to cook, I eat a huge variety of veggies, fruits, legumes and up until this past week grains. There is plenty of protein in my diet. High protein is somewhat over rated in my opinion. The only concern I am aware of is B-12 being non-existent in pure plant diets. I take a daily supplement, so that is another concern that hasn't seemed to affect me.

For me, changing to vegetarian/vegan almost 20 years ago had changed my life entirely. I thought the stress of my job was aggravating my digestive system, but it was my diet. I made the change, still had the stress and started to feel fantastic. It's been a god-send to me. Dairy and meat was making me so miserable.

Everyone is different, everyone's tolerance is different. For me, this has been life changing.

+1

Ayurvedic lifestyle is another option.