Eating Clean at Group Functions, Revealed!

It's a topic that many of us don't want to talk about. We dread our company lunches, meetings with clients and bosses, or even our family gatherings because we just haven't mastered the art of not offending anyone with our food choices. Am I right? Just how do you maintain your clean eating lifestyle when you may not be able to choose your food? I used to feel like this often. However, we don't have to! Here are a few tips and scenarios to help you out.  Keep in mind that moderation is important, you should not shy away from your friends and family just because you are eating clean.  It is okay to indulge every once in a while without feeling guilty about it - these tips will help you avoid a binge!

Rule #1 (in ALL circumstances) - ALWAYS keep a snack of about 100-150 calories with you; a Quest Bar or a pack of raw almonds are great examples! Eat this about 30 minutes to 1 hour before your function. This will control your appetite and leave you less likely to pig out on things you know you shouldn't have like macaroni and cheese, tortilla chips with cheese and even birthday cake.

If you are in a breakfast meeting or a lunch meeting with a client, you can always sneak away to the bathroom at some point within the meeting and scarf down your 100 calorie snack as well! Make sure that your snack can easily fit in your pocket and will not spoil (a string cheese or a refrigerated snack would). Not sure that you can resist the bagels and muffins available at the breakfast meeting? Make some of the protein bars into muffins and share! Good choices are the Lemon Protein Bars (add poppy seeds and pass them off as poppy seed muffins) and the Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread. 

Birthday parties and weddings are the worst for me! Let's face it - I love cake, especially vanilla wedding cake! (Bummer for me that my sister-in-law owns an amazing bakery in D.C. and I can't eat her cupcakes or wedding cakes!) If it's a company shindig (especially those that happen every month) or a birthday party of a friend or family member you know, bring something to share! Suggesting that they try something new will be all you need to introduce them to the Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies, the Chocolate Almond Biscotti or even the Chocolate Protein Bars that taste just like brownies! Weddings... I'm not sure what you should do - it will be a test of willpower and be glad you ate that 100-150 calorie snack before hand!

If you are going to a family gathering or over to a party at a friends house, it's always a good idea to bring one dish that complements what they may be preparing but qualifies as a clean dish for you. Try something that has a mix of protein and carbohydrate in case this ends up being the main thing on your plate, like a quinoa, a bean salad, or a veggie tray with homemade hummus dip. Proper etiquette says you should ask before bringing the dish, but if it's someone that is likely to tell you know, I would bring it without asking!

If you are attending a potluck family, church or work-related function, this one is easy! Who said you can't make more than one dish to share? Nobody! Make a protein-laden dish (like the Turkey Meatloaf Muffins, Turkey Monster Meatloaf or the Stuffed Bell Peppers) and a good-for-you carb dish (like the Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" or the Sweet Potato Tots). This will ensure you at least have something to eat! Just ensure you are close to the front of the line so you can be sure to get some of your clean goodness!

Please Note: I am not telling you to be rude to your host or hostess by not having any of their food. That would deeply hurt their feelings, BUT by eating the snack before hand any making wise choices once you are there, you will greatly decrease your risk of throwing off your new lifestyle and not reaching your goals! If you are struggling with family members that don't understand, take a look at our Toxic Friends and Family post!

Happy Celebrating!

Clean Eat Education :: Farm Raised vs. Wild Caught Fish

Do you know the difference between farm raised and wild caught fish? Did you even know there was a difference? Check your grocery store's offerings next time you visit the Seafood counter - you will be shocked to see how many varieties are farm raised vs wild caught (warning: the price may shock you too!).

So, what's the BIG deal? Farm raised fish are "farmed" in man-made ponds and pens with thousands upon thousands of other fish, often located near oceans and larger waterways. Instead of eating other fish (as they do in the wild), these fish are fed a diet of fish meal, grains and soy (yes, I said SOY!). The grains they are fed are farmed on land; therefore, you can't be sure that these grains are free from pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Moreover, farm raised fish are susceptible to ingesting PCB's (Polychlorinated biphenyl) and dioxins since they often encounter run-off and harmful chemicals from large manufacturing plants and facilities before their fellow wild fish do. What do the farms do to combat this? They pump your fish full of antibiotics to try and "kill" off any bad bacteria. 

Are all farm raised fish at risk for these conditions and chemicals? No. However, how can you tell? Most packaging doesn't specify. Therefore, when in doubt, I go wild-caught - EVEN for my canned fish (tuna, salmon, etc). 

Have a great day and don't forget to make sure you are buying wild-caught fish at the grocery! 

Sources Used in This Article:

• Scientific American
• CNN

Eliminate Excuses - Clean Eating and Hypothyroidism

My friends and family that know me well, know much about my struggle with the metabolic disorder, hypothyroidism and thyroid disease.

This is a guest post written by Tiffany.

For those of you that do not know what thyroid disease is, let me break it down for you in an incredibly basic (you can read more about the disease if you want, this is just an overview) sort-of way:

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front middle of your neck that secretes hormones, specifically T-4 (or thyroxine), among others. These hormones influence your metabolism, overall growth, and development, as well as your body temperature. There are two types of thyroid malfunction:

• Hyperthyroidism is the increased (high) production of thyroid hormones, including T-4. Often individuals with hyperthyroidism have a very fast metabolism, are underweight, often warm/hot to the touch, have an increased heart rate and may even feel nervous or jittery.
   
• Hypothyroidism (the much more popular of the two) is a decreased or low production of thyroid hormones, including T-4. Individuals with hypothyroidism tend to feel cool often, have slow metabolic reaction to foods (metabolism), gain weight or find it hard to lose weight, may experience bouts of sluggishness, lack of energy, hair loss or thinning and even problems with regular hormonal and reproductive function.

Both of these diseases MUST be controlled with medicine for your body to function normally and the only way for you to find out if you have either is to get a blood test administered by your doctor's office.

Now that we are clear... I wanted to share a little of my experience with you just in case you are going through the same thing. I am hyperthyroid and was originally diagnosed with the disease when I was 19 years old (I am 28 now). I have been taking medicine on and off (yes, I know the off part is bad - that never should have happened) for 9 years now. I originally began on thyroxine, the drug used to treat hypothyroidism, my dose was 25mcg. Today I take 135mcg. A huge step, huh? I attribute A LOT of that to my previous dietary habits (and heredity, but since my mother only takes 50mcg daily, I don't think that's mainly it).

Prior to eating clean, my body would react to my new medicine dosage doing exactly what the doctors wanted it to do and then BANG! All of a sudden, it was like I hit a brick wall and the medicine would no longer work... they would increase my dosage and the cycle would start again. Since I have been eating clean consistently (6 months), my dosage has NOT been altered and I can see gains in my energy levels. I no longer crawl back into bed at 10 am in the morning, my hair no longer falls out and I have faith that this will continue! Nourish your body correctly and with aid from the right dosage of medication, your body will begin to heal itself.

DO NOT let people tell you they are overweight because of a thyroid problem (unless it is untreated)! And don't think that is the reason you are either (if you have a thyroid problem). There are NO excuses HERE - just hard work! I work EXTREMELY hard and watch everything that goes into my body and I am 5'2'' tall, 120 lbs, and 19.5% bodyfat. It CAN be done! I am living proof! You can do it too - don't fall into the trap of excuses.

Good luck on your journey! Even if my story touches one of you today, it's worth it!

Tiffany