Thoughts on "Eating Clean"

A friend has asked me to reflect a bit on what I mean by the exhortation to "eat clean" that is part of my closing for RBR. Since I'm not a nutritionist, and not even really a very good role model in this regard, I'm going to throw a little shopping list of thoughts down on paper. Pick the ones you like, and pass on the ones that don't ring any bells for you.

• If it's good for you... eat it.
• If it comes from a garden instead of a factory... eat it.
• If your great-great-grandmother would recognize it as food... eat it.
• If you have to wash it first... wash it... then, eat it.
• If it isn't particularly bad for you, and you would never make it yourself... go ahead and eat it if you want to.
• If it isn't particularly good for you... but eating a little bit of it would make you really happy... for heaven's sake, eat it!

• If it has a long list of ingredients... careful.
• If it comes in a jar, a box, or a can... careful.
• If it requires no expiration date... careful.
• If it contains things you would never put in there if you made it at home... careful.
• If Dr. Oz or Jillian or some other celebrity guru says it's the next big thing... do your homework... and be careful.
• If the label says it's "natural," "light," "organic," "healthy," or in any way good for you... be very careful.

• If it comes in rows, stacks, or tightly uniform, geometric shapes... pass.
• If it has a theme song, a cartoon mascot, or a marketing budget... pass.
• If it includes ingredients that you can't recognize, identify, or pronounce... pass.
• If you have a hard time envisioning the process by which it made its way from the farm to the shelf... pass.
• If is is served in a cardboard cup, a Styrofoam clam shell, or out a drive-through window... pass with extreme prejudice.
• If you just kind of have a funny feeling about it... pass without shame.
• If it hurts your teeth, rots your gut, damages your brain, or gives you cancer... don't be stupid.

Those are some of my thoughts about eating clean. What are some of yours?

Sleep well. Eat clean. Lift heavy. Run hard.

Peace,

Bob

Who must confess that before his 16 mile run this morning, he had a cup of coffee with skim milk, and half a dozen glazed donut holes. 'Cause rules are made to be broken...