Calories vs Nutrients

I was wondering how you ladies feel about this. DH and I have been making a huge effort to remove all artifical ingredients from our diets especially perservates and sugar substitutes. DHs arguement against our"cleaner diet" is some of the CLEAN foods are higher in calories. What are your thoughts?

Re: Calories vs Nutrients

I feel very strongly about eating as clean a diet as possible. I have eliminated all artificial sweeteners from my life, eat food as unprocessed as possible. I cannot tell you how much better I feel since I have made the switch.

I would rather have a small amount of real ice cream than any kind of diet ice cream.

Re: Calories vs Nutrients

I don't use any artificial sweetener, but I do eat some packaged foods like Fiber one bars and special K products. On the whole, I prefer to build my meals from scratch using lean protein, vegetables, and fruits. Grains are usually brown rice but sometimes packaged couscous which has flavoring.

Re: Calories vs Nutrients

Sometimes you have no choice to get processed or artificial even in healthy foods... I mean Quaker Oatmeal had artificial flavors for a while (they switched to natural).

I try to do organic or at least fresh foods, but it is hard to find replacements for certain things and since we are on a VERY tight budget.

But now I make all of our junk food (We occasionally buy chips, but we stick to baked and pop chips) but i make any cookies, cakes... so that it's more natural. I do not use fake sweeteners or anything like that. Even chocolates I try to make on my own now, from pure cocoa/ chocolate chips.

I cut out drinks, I only drink water now or 100% fruit juice.

For dinners, I make potatoes from real ones (not out of a box) and I use fresh or frozen veggies and I stick to lean poultry.

There is still a long way to go to eat healthier and "greener" and more organic. But it's a process and I'm glad we are at least thinking about it and trying to work on it.

But we try to balance healthy and price and convenience, etc.

Re: Calories vs Nutrients

I totally get what your asking but whats weird is your poll is totally throwing me off!

So I did a cut & paste to show you how I think..

I only care about the calorie content! Bring on the artifical ingredients.
I get this, & no way for me, I'd rather more natural and less artificial even if it means more calories, EXCEPT for sugar. I substitue sugar in some instances (coffee) I refuse to drink my calories. Yet, I limit the artificial sweetners b/c I think they are cancer causing !!!!

I would rather have less of a more natural "cleaner" food.
This is true for me, I prefer a more natural food....however, I find you can eat more of natural foods than processed. Meaning, volume wise your plate and belly would be much fuller ... you would be eating more, not less.

I do my best to eat healthy but a little artifical flavor never killed any one, right?
I do my best to eat healthy and nothing artificial, except for my coffee sugar substitute! We do however buy things w/artificial colors and whatnot. We are not extreme.

I only eat organic foods.
This throws me off b/c organic has nothing to do with eating artifical or healthy or what. I could buy all organic processed foods...that would be totally unhealthy.

Re: Calories vs Nutrients

Re: Calories vs Nutrients