CLEAN EATING SHOPPING LIST FOR BEGINNERS
Breads
Ezekiel brand breads – Most often found in the freezer section. This brand of bread has several types to choose from, but read ingredients as not all are clean.
Alvarado Street Bakery brand breads – They have wonderful breads, rolls, hamburger buns and hot dog buns and all of them are clean.
Trader Joe’s brand whole grain breads - The two in particular that I know are clean are the Sprouted Multi-Grain bread and the California Protein bread.
Crackers
Ak Mak Whole Wheat Crackers
Tortillas
This one is tough. It may take you a while to find a clean version. The only clean tortilla left in my area is sold by Trader Joe’s. They are hard to find, but worth it. Typically, the only ingredients will be corn, lime and water. Trader Joe’s also carries a sprouted wheat tortilla that is clean and quite good once you get used to the texture. It’s a bit stiffer than what you might be used to. The other option is to make your own.
Dairy & Non-Dairy
Dairy is the source of much confusion for clean eaters. So here’s a general breakdown.
Milk – Either fat free or 1%.
Cottage cheese (for those who eat it) – Low fat. (NOT fat free or full fat.)
Yogurt – Always opt for Greek yogurt when you can. Fat free, plain yogurt (regular or Greek) is the only way to go. You can always mix in your own fruits and dab of honey or maple syrup if you need it flavored.
Cheese – Most cheeses are avoided completely due to their high fat content. But should you choose to indulge, buy the real thing. No shredded cheeses. If you need it shredded, buy the block and shred it yourself. Real grated Parmesan cheese is acceptable in moderation. (Note: Most Kraft brand Parmesan cheese is not clean. If it can sit on a shelf or in a cupboard for weeks or months, it’s not clean. Buy the stuff in the refrigerator section.)
Unsweetened almond milk
Unsweetened rice milk (made from brown rice, not white)
Unsweetened soy milk (however, if you go this route, be sure to purchase the organic variety to avoid GMO’s)
Unsweetened LIGHT coconut milk – This is NOT the stuff in the cartons. This is the stuff in the cans.
Poultry
Eggs - These are a staple, especially egg whites. While most of the nutrition is in the yolks, eat them in moderation. Egg whites you can eat as many of as you like. But try to avoid the carton egg whites.
Chicken & Turkey – Boneless, skinless poultry breasts are your best friends if you eat meat. Don’t even bother with other parts like legs or anything with the skin on. The breast is the way to go. If you can afford organic meats, it’s always a better way to go.
Beef
Beef is not typically part of a clean eating diet for many people. But for others, they just can’t give it up. So if you don’t want to go without, choose the leanest cuts of beef you can find. A butcher can help you select these.
If you are willing to forgo beef, try venison, bison or buffalo. Both are much healthier than beef and are very similar in flavor.
Other meats
Pork – While even I will enjoy pork chops from time to time, overall, pork should be avoided. Things like ham and bacon are definitely NOT part of a clean eating meal plan. Skip the Canadian bacon as well. (How Canadian bacon ever got labeled as healthy is beyond me!)
Duck – This is too fatty to be part of a clean eating meal plan.
Venison – While I have never cooked with it, it is a very lean meat and can be used in place of beef in most recipes.
Fish – Most fish is considered clean, just be careful of the mercury content found in most fish today.
Produce
This is where you really want to stock up. If you are concerned about pesticides, the general rule of thumb is to purchase organics for produce that has thin skin such as peaches, nectarines and all berries, and purchase regular produce for produce that has thicker skin like bananas and oranges. Google “The Dirty Dozen” if you want to have a list of the worst pesticide laden produce.
So this is where “Shop The Perimeter” really comes in. The produce section is your friend. Load up when you can as you’ll want most of your eating plan to be generated from this section of the store.
Fruits:
Apples
Oranges
Grapefruits
Banana
Berries of all kinds
Cherries
Kiwi
Star fruit
Any other fresh fruit you enjoy
Veggies:
Carrots
Celery
Spinach
Broccoli
Bell Peppers in any color
Zucchini
Eggplant
Squash of any variety
Kale
Chard
Collard greens
Okra
Green beans
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
Onions of any variety
Any other fresh veggie you enjoy
The Aisles
When you do venture into the aisles of the store, you should only be there for a few, food related items such as:
Tea – particularly green tea
Coffee – decaf is always best if you don’t mind it
Oatmeal – Just the plain kind. Nothing flavored. Opt for steel cut oats or traditional rolled oats. I personally use quick oats, but only on occasion. Most of my oatmeal recipes use steel cut or rolled oats.
Canned items with no added sugar – There is a lot of debate as to whether or not canned items, even without added sugar and salt, are clean due to the BPA’s in the cans. But if you do decide to purchase things like beans or tomato sauce in a can, read the ingredients! There should be no added sugar (sugar, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc…) in the list. Also, watch the sodium content in canned goods. It can add up quick!
Dry beans and legumes - like lentils, black beans, chickpeas, etc.
Brown rice
Whole wheat or whole grain (like brown rice) pasta
Other whole grains such as barley
Nuts – Again, read the ingredients here. Nuts should be the only ingredient on the package. Usually, this means you’ll be buying raw nuts.
Seeds – Quinoa is a seed and it’s wonderful stuff. I use it a lot. Sun flower seeds, sesame seeds, chia or flaxseed are all good choices.
Condiments, Spices and Natural Sweeteners
Ketchup – It’s virtually impossible to find a clean ketchup. So you may want to try a clean eating recipe at home.
Mustard – It’s getting harder and harder to find mustard without added sugar. OrganicVille puts out a tasty yellow mustard without added sugar. But if you can’t find regular yellow mustard that is clean, opt for mustard like Dijon or other varieties. It’s much easier to find clean mustard if you do.
Honey
Pure Maple Syrup – Not the bottle syrups you get in restaurants. The real stuff.
Molasses – Look for the unsulfured variety.
Spices – Any herbs you buy should come in bulk or a bottle. Never purchase seasoning packets. They are not clean by any means. Purchase singular herbs such as basil, parsley and thyme. Opt for garlic and onion powder, without salt. Avoid the herb blends unless you are comfortable with reading ingredient lists. Many have added sugars, even Mrs. Dash (though some of those items are indeed clean, some are not).
Flours
This is another source of much confusion for newbies. So here’s what to look for:
Whole wheat flour
Whole wheat pastry flour – tough to find in some areas, but great for baking.
White whole wheat flour – Easier to find but not as dense as regular whole wheat flour. (It’s a different variety of wheat, but it’s still whole grain)
Other flours – If you are gluten intolerant, you will want to research other flours on gluten free sites. Unfortunately, I know nothing about gluten free cooking/baking. However, regardless of what you buy, don’t buy it unless it’s whole grain or whole meal (same thing).
So there you have it. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, but it should give you a good start. I hope it helps!
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