Hmmm....
Hi Clean Eaters. Good Monday morning to you...
I will be responding to reader questions this week, however I wanted to share an interesting response to The Eat-Clean Diet I came across on another blog. Read below for the response and my comments.... feel free to share your own:
http://childweightlossmd.blogspot.com/2009/01/enough-with-celebrity-diets.html
The Eat-Clean Diet: No sugar, white flour, alcohol and processed foods.
I don't know how long anybody could last on this one. Can you imagine sending your child to a birthday party on this plan? This could never work for a kid. And I don't really think this could work for an adult. It is too restrictive. How about going for moderation instead of total deprivation? Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry are on their own with this one!
Good Morning!
Thank you for taking the time to at least review my Eat Clean lilfestyle. I admire a woman with a passion. I think you give me too much credit - I am no celebrity.
That being said I will add that it is hard to argue with good results. All families who chose to Eat Clean and avoid sugar and processed foods notice favorable changes. Children are less agitated, present with less mood changes, have fewer or no night terrors, are calmer in the classroom, have improved mental clarity and improved sleep quality.
You suggest that most kids can't survive on the Eat Clean lifestyle I recommend. I suggest that most kids can't survive on the traditional North American diet we see today. To wit, increased obesity and overweight rates, increased diabetes in all its' forms and I could go on.
I feel like a million bucks and I have not been sick in 10 years. Must be the Clean food I am eating!
Respectfully,
Tosca Reno
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25 comments:
I agree 100% with you Tosca- I also feel great eating clean. I look and feel like a new woman. Great response to the comments. Don't knock the Eat Clean lifestyle until you try it!
Hi Tosca,
I can't tell you how many people I talk to and use your 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genetics formula...and I get 2 reactions...one is I'm talking from another planet and the other is "wow really". And then I go on to tell them about your eatclean way and reference your book...it's so easy. So many times I go to the market and look at the grocery carts of others...??? I'm stund, box after box of well nonsense. The good stuff is on the perimeter of the grocery store not the middle!!! I wish everyone could be converted. Clean eating helps in so many ways...and it's cheaper to eat clean then not to, in my opinion. If you struggle with any sort of illness, disease or disorder, you can only help yourself by eating clean and exercising. You will be stronger, more motivated and love life more, right Tosca!
Hugs!
I have to tell you. My twins are 3.5 and have been raised on clean eating. They even eat ground flax seed sprinkled on plain yogurt with a little honey. They eat oats in the morning- with me. They have never had a Twinkie or any other such thing. They don't eat candy. Treats in our house are a couple of DARK chocolate pieces. They drink plain old H2O, 1:1 juice:water and skim milk. No pop. Lots of fruit and vegetables- mostly raw. I am not perfect mother nor are they perfect children, however I will do my best to feed them nutritious food and I thank Tosca for her insightful books. Thank you again.
I couldn't get my comment to post on the link...but this is what I responded with....
Celebrity?..Tosca stands way beyond a mere clelebrity...not even in the same category actually. Her Eat Clean lifestyle is really the only way to eat for health and life. I suppose it's too late to convince people otherwise until it's too late. You eat for nutrition and to stay alive not to feed "comfort"...which is what is happening in North America!
Respects,
Tosca it may be that she did not read enough or come to a complete understanding of what eating clean really is. Perhaps the context of the magazine she was reading suggested a celebrity "fad" diet and she just took that at face value.
[of course in my opinion she should not be posting about something if she is not thoroughly informed on the subject].
Because in my view, Clean Eating is about moderation, in addition to everything else that you discuss in your books. It's also about fueling your body for an active lifestyle (in my case specifically, eating enough to support my triathlon training).
That being said, Clean Eating does require a lifestyle change for most people, which many are just loathe to make. Heck I was loathe to do it for many years too.
Now I tell people that the difference in the way I feel when I eat clean compared with when I don't is just too pronounced to NOT stay on top of my eating most of the time.
Like you, I have not been sick for a long time. I can't even remember the last cold that I got.
I liked the comment you left on her blog. Maybe she will do a follow up retraction or something.
I am fairly new to clean eating, but I already feel a difference. By eating more often, I have much more energy! Plus, I have a sensitive bowel system (I know, I know...TMI) and eating clean keeps me in check. Every time I stray, I get a stomachache and irregularity. No fun at all! I don't have children yet, but I plan on raising them by the eat clean philosophy. Good work, Tosca! I can't wait for more recipes from you....and more meal pictures!
I'm with you, Tosca - HELL YES for eating nourishing, whole foods!!
Hi Tosca, Your concise and classy response to this Doctor's blog puts you in a class of your own. Keep up the great work and eating-clean inspiration. Eating clean works, that's the bottom line. Furthermore, it's not like kids attend birthday parties every day. Why not teach them about making good choices - so they have the building blocks for great health in their adulthood.
Anyhow, I'm attending Jen H's PHAT fitness camp in Calgary on the 23rd - 25th of January. I know you attended her camp before Christmas...any suggestions for some high energy eats during the lunch break? I plan on packing a cooler filled with a few hard boiled eggs, veggies, nuts, an apple, and maybe even a turkey wrap. Any other ideas would be much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Leanne
I have just started to eat clean and I feel a difference. I also gave my 3 yr old son some ground flax seeds in his herbal pepperment tea and he loved it! Can't argue with that!
Thanks Tosca!
I have just started to eat clean and I feel a difference. I also gave my 3 yr old son some ground flax seeds in his herbal pepperment tea and he loved it! Can't argue with that!
Thanks Tosca!
People are waiting for someone to tell them they can eat what they want and exercise as little as they want and have the body the want with a new and exciting plan/diet. People don't want to fight the good fight with their children on their diet, lifestyle, tele viewing, videogame playing or addiction to today's popular but not so moral culture. So odd. If something isn't working then why fight so hard to let it go?
wow! is all I have to say. They should try it before judging. I love clean eating and the results speak for themselves. My son who is 16 went to his dads for Christmas and told him about our clean eating lifestyle and his dad said he would never survive in our home. It's closed mindedness is what it is. It's having people eat to eat, not eat to live and feed the body nutritionally. Does my son eat clean all the time, never in a million years, he's 16 and I've just introduced this lifestyle in the past couple of years gradually. Does he eat cleaner than most kids his age.... you bet. We are rarely sick in our home, rarely. Something to be said for nutrition and clean eating.
Helen
As a mother of 2 small children (ages 5 and 4), I can appreciate the author's skepticism about getting kids to eat clean. HOWEVER, I think the most important point is to gradually replace unhealthy choices with clean choices. My kids still eat candy and cake on occasion (usually when other parents feed it to them), but they eat clean the vast majority of the time. They enjoy many of the recipes from your cookbooks, especially the cottage cheese pancakes. It has become a tradition in my house to make "breakfast for dinner" on Friday nights. They absolutely love the pancakes! My children also have learned to love hummus & apples as a snack (something I pack almost every day in their lunches.) I've also replaced traditional bread with Ezekiel bread. I could go on and on, but the point is that you have to make small steps to improve your kids' diets. I love my kids too much not to do this!
I agree with many of the people who posted earlier. She should not have posted on something that she was not thoroughly educated on. It makes me wonder if she has ever picked up one of your books. Clean Eating is NOT deprivation - it is nourishing your body the way that Nature intended. Clean food makes your body feel good about eating and does not leave you feeling bloated and gross. The problem is that most people would rather just trust in large food companies to have their best interest in mind, when in reality the big food companies are looking out for themselves and not the public good.
It's a shame that this doctor is educating young people on how to eat. Eating clean means eating whole foods. It's not about depriving yourself or your children. Of course your child can have cake and snacks at a party.
Great response, Tosca! Yes, I agree with one of the other posters....people sometimes don't really want to hear the truth. Your plan is simple and straightforward....not difficult or complex to follow in any way. To me it's all about making good choices about what you're putting in your body. Ultimately people will do what they want to do and have the body and health to go with it, whether that be good or bad. I can really see and feel the difference when I conciously make good choices and EAT CLEAN! Keep it up, Tosca!
isn't it crazy that people just don't get it yet? that our bodies (that the good Lord made) were designed to to run on real (God made) food! not this man created junk that our bodies are just
not designed to take in! just like you tosca, i'm trying to spread the word of clean eating, it's really the only way!!!
I seldome post but really felt the need on this, Thanks for all you do Tosca! I did post on the other blog, a long one...
My post today included a little rant on "treats" & how they're not "treats" at all but are sabotaging our health & weight loss efforts.
I've lost 37 lbs since starting to eat clean Oct 26/08! Without hinger & cravings. Can I live without sugar, white flour, processed foods etc? HELL YEAH!
I can't live WITH them!
Tosca! That article actually made my blood boil. Here is what I wrote;
Oh my my Dr. You have certainly opened a can of worms with this one. I, and my family, have been Eating Clean for over 3 months now. My children are 6 and 3. My 6-year-old is/was considered overweight, and both my husband and I are overweight and have been for years. We decided, as a family, to take on the challenge of eating clean. Yes, it is a challenge, simply because we have been putting horrible, processed foods into our bodies for years. We are now reversing our weight issues, and both my children are discovering that life does not revolve around sugary foods. In fact, my daughter today told me that she made a good choice at lunch today. Her friend had a birthday on the weekend, and cake was available at the daycare. My daughter chose not to eat the cake, and noshed on some fruit instead. Please note, she JUST turned six, and is able to make such decisions. She didn't feel deprived, and is very proud of herself because she knows that white sugar is not the best for her body. My son most likely ate the cake. He just turned 3, and doesn't understand the good vs bad yet. We have found ways to take the foods that we have loved, and made them much healthier. There are plenty of ways to sweeten food without white sugar, Agave Nectar and Sucanat are two examples. So please don't think it's impossible. It's very possible, and my family is a good example. We thank Tosca for the inspiration daily.
Yes, Tosca... I am with you on that one. I can not see anyone surviving on the American diet today. I don't know how they can do it. Ever since I started Clean Eating... I have noticed a change in energy. I have only been doing this for weeks, and I am seeing results. This person is almost crazy to tell everyone that this diet is not attainable. Well... with a lot of determination, and a lot of support like your forum at toscareno.com, there is no way you can fail.
I agree with you all, ladies. The reviewer shouldn't knock something until she tries it. On paper, of course it sounds daunting--but only because almost all of us are so accustomed to eating those foods all the time. And we wonder why we can't get the body we want or why we have no energy!
This is my *fourth* month of clean eating and I have NEVER felt or looked better. My husband and I have already made the decision that this is how we will live from now on, and so will our children. Eating clean & healthy is the only way to live!
Thanks Tosca!
Shalu
Here's a thought...if you always feed your children healthy foods, you'll never have to reverse their bad habits. Every infant begins eating solid foods in a similar fashion. They all start with one unsweetend cereal at a time, then work their way through all the different veggies and fruits, ending with meats. I've watched my own three and a few other infants I've known delight in each new food. I think anyone reading this would agree. Why is it then, that somewhere along the way parents decide to stop feeding their kids beets and spinach and squash, and begin feeding them french fries and cheeseburgers and such? I just don't get it. I've heard so many of my sons' friends' parents complain that their kids are so picky about food, that they don't eat anything but "typical kid food." I'm not perfect by any means, and sure, my kids enjoy macaroni and cheese and sweets as much as the next kid. But, when I serve them dinner, they eat what I cook...I'm not a restaurant, they don't get to eat peanut butter and jelly while the grown-ups eat nutritious food. I've always felt this way, and my children have very diverse palettes. There are very few things they don't like, and they're always willing to try new things. I have just recently discovered your Eat Clean philosophy, and I'm pleased to say that the "transition" has been very smooth. We've just had to make a few minor changes, like eating lighter, more frequent meals. So far, we all really love it. I definitely feel more energized.
Thank you for sharing Clean Eating with the world.
Thank you Tosca! You have been my inspiration in so many ways. I have been Clean Eating for over a year now and would never look back. I have all your books, get Oxygen magazine, and the Clean Eating magazine too. They are a wealth of information. It is just so sad to me that people don't value the bodies God has given them to nourish them with whole foods. I can understand where this mom is coming from only because she has never been educated on nutrition. She is doing what the majority of Americans are doing, eating without thought of the consequences to the body because God has made it so amazing to be able to handle all the junk! But...over time the consequences will reveal themselves through disease.
I have two children, 1 1/2 and 4 1/2. They both eat clean and do it with joy! They have been trained up to know that what we put in our bodies does have an effect on us. They eat steel cut oats, millet, & quinoa cereal with flax, wheat germ, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, and fruit for breakfast. They eat lentil soup for lunch and they eat black bean quinoa, baked chicken breast, and salad for dinner, just to give a few examples. They have apple with almond butter or popcorn with brewer's yeast for snacks. They love the fresh milled whole wheat bread that comes out of the oven and I have no doubt that a piece of "Wonderbread" would go stale sitting in front of them. They love it and are thankful to have a momma who takes the time to feed them in a way that will benefit them for years to come. We are blessed so such a bounty of wonderful food created by the Creator and yet so many cut themselves short with man made junk!
GO TOSCA!!! Couldn't of said it better myself!
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