The Reality of Fruit

In my last post, I talked about portion control. Now that I've really started paying attention, it's not easy! Granted, I do find this plan a lot easier to follow than other diets I've done in the past, mainly because it doesn't require as much measuring. It was always such a pain to be measuring out a measly half cup of carrots; therefore, I do like that eating clean relies more on "eyeballing it" and handfuls.

HOWEVER, as you can see in the picture above, not a whole lot of fruit fits in a handful! And I always wonder if my handfuls are the same as Tosca's....see how my fingers are spread out to accommodate a couple of extra berries? I also sort of have two layers--I'm not sure what she would have to say about that. But even if my handfuls are larger than they should be, that's still only eight strawberries!

I've realized that perhaps I've eaten a little too much fruit in the past. Not only were my portions larger than they probably should be, but also I was never careful about pairing fruit, which is a simple carbohydrate after all, with a complex carbohydrate and protein. This past week I've realized that it's important to do this, as it really helps slow down digestion and doesn't cause that good 'ol spike in blood sugar (like the one you get from candy).

I should also say that even though this plan calls for six servings of carbohydrates from fruits and non-starchy vegetables, it's preferable if the majority come from the vegetables, ie spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green peans, peas, etc. While I like the vegetables well enough, I just like fruit so much better! Today for example, I've had five servings of fruit and only one serving of vegetables. Oops...this is something I need to work on.

Aside from controlling my fruit portions, eating clean hasn't been terribly difficult with the exception of eating out and socializing (more on that tomorrow). I find that clean food really keeps me full and satisfied. It's also been very reasonable economically. 10 days ago I bought $138 in groceries from Trader Joe's, but my freezer is still stocked with chicken, salmon, and other clean protein options. I also have a large supply of quinoa, brown rice and egg whites on hand. I haven't had to go to the grocery store since with the exception of the farmer's market, where I spent approximately $15 yesterday on fresh produce.

So overall, I would say I'm a fan of this clean eating. I'm trying to stay away from the scale and to focus purely on how I feel, but I think I'll weigh myself on Friday to see what has been happening on the front. As much as I hate to admit it, numbers on the scale rarely lie...