The FastDay Forum

I wasn't familiar with the term clean eating either. I think of it as real, or minimally processed, food. I don't care so much about organic, but I'm really into local. So many cool things are grown in Okinawa. Local pork is amazing, and chicken is also available. Farmers markets here are awesome, and cheaper than grocery stores--especially fruit, which sells for silly prices in grocery stores.

There are farmers in the collective that run our cafeteria at work, and they have a small vegetable stand. I buy from them, but it annoys me that they're all transplanted mainlanders. I'd rather support true locals. They need all the help they can get!

I'd read the term clean eating but didn't really know what it was either, thanks for clarifying, I knew that as whole foods.
We do eat most things cooked from scratch and nearly no processed food, and a vegan diet at home and as we live in France, the land of meat, we have no real choice but to cook our own foods and buy a lot of organic stuff, it simply doesn't exist in any other form. We also often get veggie and fruit boxes, I like that I have to come up with recipes to try things I wouldn't have bought, it turns out my 5 year old has a passion for artichokes, who knew?!
I don't buy everything organic though, I pick the things which are not too expensive or which I know you should really buy organic because they have the most pesticides.

OOh thanks for the PB balls recipe Carie - I will have to give them a go. I like to make little snack balls from whizzed up dates & almonds & add in other bits & pieces so this will be a good addition to the repertoire! Is almond flour the same as ground almonds? Perhaps I could use something else? I've go ground almonds but they would probably be too oily as I'm guessing the purpose of it is to stiffen up the PB and 'dry' it out a bit. Hmm I will experiment!

[carieoates]

I have made them without the flour, and added vanilla extract, flax with goji berries, with chopped almonds. I think it's a suck it and see recipe.

'Suck it & see' - or chomp it & choose! or Munch it and make up your mind!

Will have to try something like this and let you know how I get on! Thanks for the ideas!

I started eating only organic food & drinking bottled mineral water when I was recovering from breast cancer eleven years ago on the advice of The Bristol Cancer Centre. They also recommended going vegetarian & non dairy but I couldn't cope with that so I have organic Goats milk instead of cows, because goats are less messed around with being fed antibiotics routinely etc. I also eat non farmed fish & organic meat but have relaxed a little in the last couple of years to eat some M & S meals, & dining out you have to be more flexible. I also only buy organic eggs & bread but often make my own bread.
Fortunately my local Waitrose also stock some locally grown veggies that I often now buy as well because organic ones can be in short supply & I keep an eye on travel miles & really object to buying South African fruit because of how far it has travelled. I no longer buy low fat foods because of added trans fats & sugar & really cast a critical eye over any listed ingredients on labels to avoid loads of added preservatives & additives.
I didn't know what clean eating was but sort of originally likened my original diet to the cave man diet which meant cooking fresh ingredients from scratch & avoiding any additives or preservatives. It is interesting to read how everyone else manages the balancing act between fresh food & convenience.