First and foremost, I would like to apologize to anyone in the Kirksville HyVee on January 11 that saw a manic girl pacing the aisles loudly exclaiming, "I don't know where anything is." or "What is that even?" That was me. But never fear, my personal humiliation was for your gain. I decided to take the BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge and logged how it went. Here's an overview of the rules:
1. Follow the recipes listed here for the entire week. A grocery list is provided. Some items can be substituted for others so your grocery bill isn't quite as expensive (even though it'll be expensive no matter what you do).
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2. Every meal and snack is homemade; no processed foods allowed (See you later Cheetos)
2. You need to drink about 6 glasses of water a day (this is the closest I'll ever become to being a mermaid)
3. Aim to eat every three to four hours (That will not be a problem)
4. Limit coffee consumption to two cups a day (does this mean I have to get rid of my IV drip?)
5. No booze (Not cool BuzzFeed. Not cool.)
I held true to the rules set before me as a true reporter with integrity should (my roommates and friends can vouch for me. They got to hear me complain about it for an entire week). Here's an idea of how the week went.
Day 1
I can do this! These recipes are pretty good. I'm ready for a healthier 2016!
Day 2
I want a pizza. Or a burger. Or onion rings. I don't think I've ever peed this much in my life. I shouldn't interact with anyone today I'm so hangry.
Day 3
Is this what a withdrawal feels like? I don't have to do this. I can just think of something else to write about. But, now I have all this food that I have no clue what to do with outside of the recipes BuzzFeed has given me. Damn.
Day 4
Ok. I actually have some kind of will power, that's pretty cool. I'm going to sit in my room and watch Tasty videos and torture myself with the fact that I can't eat any of this stuff as a way to kill time.
Day 5
I feel pretty good today. I don't normally have this much energy. Water is my friend. I should weigh myself. Holy crap, I've lost weight. I still want pizza.
Day 6
Still feeling pretty great. Plus I'm not having intense cravings for salt or sugar as much anymore either. Still want that pizza though.
Day 7
I did it. I actually went an entire week without eating any processed food. Wow. Cool...I GET TO EAT BREAD TOMORROW!!!
As you can see, the week was an uphill battle for me. Most of the recipes were decent and pretty easy to make. I did have a few favorite dishes that I would definitely make again. Some of the other dishes, well, they should just stay lost in the Interweb forever.
My Favorites
Parsnip "Noodles" with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Goat Cheese
Way to save best for almost last BuzzFeed. I want to make a massive vate of the sauce in this recipe and bath in it, it's so good. Ok, maybe not bath in it, but I'm already planning on buying all of the ingredients to make it again. This time with real noodles.
Curried Butternut and Kale Soup
Holy flavor, Batman! This soup is the bomb. It makes three servings and I can't wait to eat the rest of it. I never thought I would enjoy curry so I stayed away from it up until this challenge. I wish I had tried it sooner. It gives such a wonderful heat and earthiness to whatever you're cooking without over compromising the flavor of the other ingredients. I would definitely make this again.
Turkey-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This was super easy to make and had all kinds of flavors going on. There was sweetness from the squash and savory spiciness from the Turkey stuffing. The only tip I have for this recipe is to cook the squash for an extra 5 minutes before you add the stuffing, just to make sure it is definitely cooked all the way through.
This is a great healthy alternative to ice cream. It's got creamy sweet goodness with a bit of crunch from the frozen fruit and nuts inside. BuzzFeed says it makes two portions but it honestly was so filling that I probably could have spread it out to three or four.
My Least Favorites
Pumpkin Oatmeal-Raisin Mug Cake
This was the biggest disappointment out of all the recipes for me. When I see the word 'cake' I am thinking of the sweet sugary confection that makes my heart soar. This was a spongy eggy lump that only tasted semi-decent when you got a bite with a raisin in it. I think the problem was that there's no sugar in the batter whatsoever. Even a little honey could have saved this from being a cupcake-gone-wrong.
This was cold oatmeal, plain and simple. I will never make it again.
Spinach Salad with Roasted Chickpeas, Tofu, and Orange Vinaigrette
I like crunchiness in my food. Like a good chip kind of crunch. I do not like food that looks and potentially tastes like the big white eraser they used to give us during the ACT. That is what tofu tastes like to me. I did try it. I even ate more than one piece. It is just not my thing. On that note, a vegan friend of my informed me that I had accidentally bought silken tofu instead of normal tofu, so my dislike for this one might be my own fault.
This was way too mushy for me. I really don't think I needed teeth to eat this. The worst part about this though had to be how much it made me want toast. Toast with lots of butter.
Final Verdict
I don't regret doing this week of clean eating, no matter how much I complained about it. It taught me a lot about the importance of what you put into your body and how it truly can effect how you feel throughout the day. I learned that I really should drink more water and eat breakfast on a daily basis. I learned it's really not that hard to eat healthy food that tastes great too.
I also learned some ingredients and their prices are not meant for a college student's wallet. I'm going to try and stay with a cleaner diet now that I've started, but be a little stricter with my budget.
Something that we should also all remember is this: There's no shame in wanting a margarita or pizza slice in your life. The whole philosophy of clean eating is taking care of yourself and sometime that means passing on the carrots and splurging on a Big Mac. Find a balance between the two extremes.
If you want to take clean eating on a test drive but don't know where to start, here's the Buzzfeed Clean Eating Challenge link one more time:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/2016-clean-...
Best of luck!
