So the Clean Eating Fix Foods list in the 21 Day Fix meal plan is pretty specific and general at the same time. There is now and updated version that just came out this week that I am really grateful for. However there are still some areas I'm not sure about.
For example, will include tomatoes. What it doesn't tell you in what forms (besides fresh) that you can actually eat. Most people, myself included, cook for a family. I don't have time get fresh tomatoes and make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch every week. I also don't have the time to create fresh chicken stock and beef stock every week either.
What about cereals? What exact whole grain low sugar cereals do they mean? Can I have instant oatmeal of any kind?
That's where the Fooducate App comes in. The amazon version is pictured below. However your phone's App store on your smartphone should carry one as well.
It's very simple to download. Then all you do is click into the app and a camera screen comes up. Scan the barcode and the item will appear on the screen with details about the product. The most important part is the grading system. Any item that receives a grading of B+ or higher is clean eating and 21 Day Fix approved! How awesome is that? It's clean eating grocery shopping made simple! So of course I start scanning all sorts of items in my pantry to give me an idea of what I can and can't eat. It's all part of educating myself. Here is what I learned about the specific questions I had:
- Instant steel cut oatmeal is ok as long as there is no sugar in it. The Better Oats Oat Revolution is my favorite.
- Low sodium canned chicken broth is ok. Also, the Better Than Bouillon chicken stock is really ok! I use it all the time so I was really excited. *Side note: Don't buy it at the grocery store. Costco has 16 oz jars for $7. 1 1/2 Tablespoons = 1 quart of stock making this cheaper than buying canned broth.
- Canned vegetables are generally ok if they are low sodium.
- Canned fruit and fruit bowls are ok if packaged in their own juice.
*This is NOT going to apply for everything so make sure you personally scan everything before you buy it!
I'm feeling a renewed sense of confidence knowing that I can cook like a “normally” do and that I already use a lot of clean eating ingredients and I just didn't know it. It also makes me feel better knowing that I can still make my instant oatmeal on busy mornings when I'm trying to get the kids off to school.
Get the app! You will love it!
Follow my clean eating journey and get my recipe ideas HERE.
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