Am I eating clean or not?
lthames0810
Posts: 722 Member
I've been lurking on another thread on the topic of clean eating. I understand that the definition of "clean" as used on these forums isn't precise and does include some small degree of processing. The argument rages about whether not eating clean can hinder weight loss and compromise health. I don't want to derail that thread with this question about the way I eat which I hope some clean eaters can answer and I ask this humbly and for understanding.
Say, for example, that I make a pot of chili. I buy ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix. It takes maybe a half hour to make. Is that considered not clean? Is a pot of chili made from fresh whole foods nutritionally superior? If so, which of these ingredients make the difference?
I routinely use convenience foods and ingredients like deli meats and boxed pasta and boxed cereal. I also use fresh fruits and vegetables along with these. I guess I'm not understanding the nutritional distinction between clean eating and the way I eat.
Say, for example, that I make a pot of chili. I buy ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix. It takes maybe a half hour to make. Is that considered not clean? Is a pot of chili made from fresh whole foods nutritionally superior? If so, which of these ingredients make the difference?
I routinely use convenience foods and ingredients like deli meats and boxed pasta and boxed cereal. I also use fresh fruits and vegetables along with these. I guess I'm not understanding the nutritional distinction between clean eating and the way I eat.
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Hey bro, I have 2 friends who don't eat clean at all and they are shredding fat so they can get ready for the summer here in jersey ...if your concerned about losing fat..then You can eat what you want as long as you don't eat more calories then what you need....and You need to be at a deficit !!!... As for clean eating, my definition For that is eating lean proteins like , tilapia, chicken breast and egg whites.... Carbs like rice and potatoes....and healthy fats like peanut butter, olive oil and supplements like omega 3 fish oil ....hope this helps my friend0
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Wash your hands before you eat
Don't make dirty jokes while eating
Wash all fruit and veg!0 -
What you're doing is fine, you're by no means eating purely processed foods. Don't over think it, cals in vs cals out, if you're eating 80% healthy all is good. Some processed food won't harm you or your weight loss.0
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Now I just did a quick and dirty search - but here's one from Cooking Light: http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/clean-eating
"With each move, the clean eating concept became more refined and developed. Here are the seven core principles of today:
1. Choose whole, natural foods and seek to eliminate or minimize processed foods.
Processed foods are anything in a box, bag, can, or package, and although there are always a few exceptions to the rule (like a bag of fresh green beans), the majority of your foods should be fresh.
2. Choose unrefined over refined foods.
While it may not be possible all the times, you can up your intake of whole grains like brown rice, millet, amaranth, and quinoa. Beans and legumes are also important. Clean sugars include honey, maple syrup, and dehydrated sugar cane juice.
3. Include some protein, carbohydrate and fat at every meal.
Most of us typically do well with carbohydrates and fat, but we often lack protein, especially in the early part of the day, like at breakfast and lunch. Protein is an important muscle-builder, and it can also help curb your appetite. When eaten throughout the day, it keeps us feeling full longer. Be aware of the kinds of meals you put together and space out your protein.
4. Watch out for fat, salt, and sugar.
This is easier than you think, particularly if you’ve cut out processed foods, which are responsible for most of our excess calories and high levels of fat, sugar, and salt. Clean foods are usually naturally low in all of these ingredients.
5. Eat five to six small meals throughout the day.
This usually pans out into three main meals and two or three hefty snacks. Eating this way prevents you from skipping meals and overeating. It also keeps your blood sugar levels steady so energy doesn’t lag.
6. Don’t drink your calories.
High calorie drinks like specialty coffees and soft drinks, on average, tack on an extra 400 to 500 calories a day. Choose water first, or my personal favorite, unsweetened tea (any flavor). Other clean drinks: low-fat or skim milk and 100 percent fruit juice diluted with sparkling water."
They had a seventh but that was based on activity level - not on intake.
I would say you are - just because the beans are canned doesn't mean they are bad from a clean eating perspective. It's just been setup for you to use - washed and readied for use so you don't have to.
I get concerned about the issue of "too much salt" in the diet - salt and potassium are important minerals for the body in combination.
Your meal is a healthy balanced macro-based meal. I would say it's fine.
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If you wash the box or can it comes in, then it's clean, right?
It's not nutritionally superior if it's not in a can or boxed. Whether you buy the beans in a can, bag or go out to the darn farms and gather it yourself, it still has the same nutritional content.
If you like the convenience of cans and boxes, then keep doing it.0 -
I call 'clean' anything that doesn't cause your body bloat or inflammation. I try to eat as close to nature as possible, but even some 'clean' foods (wheat, milk) cause me to gain pounds and inches from inflammation, slow digestion, and bloating. If eating salty foods makes you swell up the next day, that's probably not 'clean' for you. But if using canned, frozen or boxed foods helps you stick to your goals without adding undue stress to your routine, and if you're continuing to lose at an acceptable rate, then roll with it. Better that than burning out trying to make everything from scratch with whole organics and then falling off the wagon. Your chili sounds good
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Honestly, does it even matter if what you're eating is considered "clean"?0
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justcat206 wrote: »I call 'clean' anything that doesn't cause your body bloat or inflammation. I try to eat as close to nature as possible, but even some 'clean' foods (wheat, milk) cause me to gain pounds and inches from inflammation, slow digestion, and bloating. )
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My answer would be that it really doesn't matter whether or not you're eating clean. The definitions are so varied and so different and many of them directly contradict each other. If you like the way that you're eating and it makes you feel good, then stick with it! If not, then make changes based on what you need rather than what some magazine, book, or website says you need.0
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Great discussion. I have been a clean eater for such a long time, before it was called "clean." Basically anything that is processed or includes added ingredients for shelf stability and preservatives is not considered clean. That being said, one could have a piece of bread made from organic flour, water, salt and yeast, and I would consider that being clean, but each to their own.
Your chili sounds great, the only thing is watching what kind of meat you put into your body, hormone free/organic is the way to go of course, but using a piece of chuck meat and dicing it yourself would be a cleaner option, and tastes so much better, also watch out for seasoning packets...yikes! Loads of salt, and you are better off buying your own seasonings and doing it that way. Deli meats are way processed! Even the 100% natural ones are still processed and contain preservatives like nitrates....horrible for you body, so nothing clean about that. Boxed cereal and boxed pastas are pretty much the same, very processed. Unless you could find a pasta that was simply, flour/semolina, water, salt and egg, that would be fine. Cereal, shredded wheat is good, very few ingredients and then of course old fashioned oats, or another grain for breakfast.
So, nutritionally, there are some differences to how you may be eating, but overall, it's about putting only the pure good stuff in. These days with all the chemicals in foods, it can hinder health goals, not just weight loss. My son for example out of no-where started getting bad reflux, so much so they wanted to do surgery if they couldn't control it. Of course western doctors only wanted to prescribe meds to take away the symptoms, not heal the problem. Long story short I was able to heal his problem and keep it from coming back by making sure he was not consuming nitrates (lunch meats, hot dogs, sausages...they are in everything!) We never realized the damage one little preservative could do. Now, think of all the other items they sneak in our food that we are not educated about yet....clean eating is the way to go, let our bodies do what it should do naturally without the hindrance of unknown substances.
And don't get me started on Aspartame! So bad for your intestines!
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Eating "clean" is not a requirement for weight/fat loss. The only requirement is eating less than you're burning. After that, it's personal preference.
Eating "clean" is not a requirement for improving body composition. The requirements for retaining muscle while on a moderate calorie deficit is to get enough protein and incorporate a progressive resistance training program. My favorite is heavy lifting.
Eating "clean" is not a requirement for overall health. I can get my micronutrients from fruits and veggies AND enjoy a Twinkie without negatively impacting my health. "Once our nutritional needs are met, we don't get extra credit for more nutritious food." -Eric Helms
Moderation, variation and NO unnecessary elimination!
Why complicate things?
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Your chili recipe sounds exactly like my own. I make it at least once per month and my family loves it.
Frankly, some canned, and most frozen, vegetables are better than fresh. By the time I get my fresh vegetables at the grocery store they have traveled quite a distance and sat on the grocer's rack for awhile and then they often sit in my vegetable crisper for a couple of days. They are losing some of their nutritional value that whole time. Frozen and canned vegetables are picked and canned or bagged and frozen within about 24 hours so they have more nutrition. From what I've read on the topic, farmers also grow different vegetable types based on where they are bound: the cannery/freezer or the grocer. Tomatoes which are heading to the market usually have tougher skins, etc. so they do better on the journey. Tomatoes also have a season and out of season tomatoes are not very tasty. Canned/frozen veggies are almost always grown in season. Additionally, canned tomatoes have more lycopene which is released during the cooking process.
The problem you've hit upon is that, while those are some good rules for what might be considered clean, you're still going to have people whose definition is marginally different, perhaps even just what I pointed out above. Add that to the fact that there's absolutely no proof that a strictly clean diet is better for weight loss or health and it just gets messy.0 -
If you're happy with the food you're preparing, are losing weight, feeling good, etc... why does it matter if other people consider your diet to be a certain way or if it falls under a certain label?
Regardless, I'd say most "clean eaters" would say that it is not, because you buy foods in boxes and cans.0 -
Who cares?! :flowerforyou:
I know it's more just a theoretical question since from other posts you've made, you don't seem to care about eating clean.
My guess is you will have all sorts of different answers because there is no definition of clean.0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »I've been lurking on another thread on the topic of clean eating. I understand that the definition of "clean" as used on these forums isn't precise and does include some small degree of processing. The argument rages about whether not eating clean can hinder weight loss and compromise health. I don't want to derail that thread with this question about the way I eat which I hope some clean eaters can answer and I ask this humbly and for understanding.
Say, for example, that I make a pot of chili. I buy ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix. It takes maybe a half hour to make. Is that considered not clean? Is a pot of chili made from fresh whole foods nutritionally superior? If so, which of these ingredients make the difference?
I routinely use convenience foods and ingredients like deli meats and boxed pasta and boxed cereal. I also use fresh fruits and vegetables along with these. I guess I'm not understanding the nutritional distinction between clean eating and the way I eat.
Those ingredients are minimally processed so for my own personal definition of "clean", yes. By my own standards, I eat "clean"...by other people's standards I'm a filthy pig. Meh...0 -
This is just a guess, but I think OP is posing a hypothetical question to get a reasonable debate going about the definition of "clean", by listing some ingredients that are in that sort of "grey" area, not actually trying to decide whether or not any changes actually need to be made because she is concerned she's not eating "clean enough".
For what it's worth OP, I am with you - I think your meal and your approach is how myself, and most of the "Team Moderation" eaters tend to eat, not, as many "Team Clean" like to portray, a donut and dorito filled diet. Nothing wrong with ground beef from the store, cans of beans, cans of tomatoes, and pre-packaged seasoning mixes, if you don't have a medical reason to restrict sodium.
What time is dinner, I will bring beer and cornbread (Jiffy cornbread mix though - that ok?).0 -
I'm eating a massive garden salad right now for lunch...I also have a 1/2 avocado here and about 85 grams of cherries. I'm also eating some tuna out of a can with some spicy brown mustard and pepper...the tuna is the filthy part (can == unclean)...otherwise, clean as a whistle.
/sarcsm0 -
This is just a guess, but I think OP is posing a hypothetical question to get a reasonable debate going about the definition of "clean", by listing some ingredients that are in that sort of "grey" area, not actually trying to decide whether or not any changes actually need to be made because she is concerned she's not eating "clean enough".
For what it's worth OP, I am with you - I think your meal and your approach is how myself, and most of the "Team Moderation" eaters tend to eat, not, as many "Team Clean" like to portray, a donut and dorito filled diet. Nothing wrong with ground beef from the store, cans of beans, cans of tomatoes, and pre-packaged seasoning mixes, if you don't have a medical reason to restrict sodium.
What time is dinner, I will bring beer and cornbread (Jiffy cornbread mix though - that ok?).
Jiffy is awesome!!! Hm, I need to go pick some up after the gym tonight; it'd go great with dinner for tomorrow.0 -
This is just a guess, but I think OP is posing a hypothetical question to get a reasonable debate going about the definition of "clean", by listing some ingredients that are in that sort of "grey" area, not actually trying to decide whether or not any changes actually need to be made because she is concerned she's not eating "clean enough".
For what it's worth OP, I am with you - I think your meal and your approach is how myself, and most of the "Team Moderation" eaters tend to eat, not, as many "Team Clean" like to portray, a donut and dorito filled diet. Nothing wrong with ground beef from the store, cans of beans, cans of tomatoes, and pre-packaged seasoning mixes, if you don't have a medical reason to restrict sodium.
What time is dinner, I will bring beer and cornbread (Jiffy cornbread mix though - that ok?).
Jiffy is awesome!!! Hm, I need to go pick some up after the gym tonight; it'd go great with dinner for tomorrow.
Even better if you mix in a can of kernel corn, some shredded pepper jack cheese, and some diced jalapenos.
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You're right, I have been brazenly eating dirty and haven't cared much, although I do follow discussions on the topic. As a result, I've been reconsidering a few things and wondering how clean eating is different from the way I eat and what it would take and would it be worth it to move the dial more to the clean side.
I'm all over that Jiffy cornbread mix (and the beer.) See, I love cornbread but if I have to make it from scratch, it will be a very rare treat. That's my real objection to clean eating as I had understood the term...the effort and time it takes.
Thanks for the replies. Plenty to think about.0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »You're right, I have been brazenly eating dirty and haven't cared much, although I do follow discussions on the topic. As a result, I've been reconsidering a few things and wondering how clean eating is different from the way I eat and what it would take and would it be worth it to move the dial more to the clean side.
I'm all over that Jiffy cornbread mix (and the beer.) See, I love cornbread but if I have to make it from scratch, it will be a very rare treat. That's my real objection to clean eating as I had understood the term...the effort and time it takes.
Thanks for the replies. Plenty to think about.
This is a big deal breaker for me. I spend more time in the gym, and less time cooking these days. I find I'm less likely to eat small samples of everything during the cooking process if it doesn't take as long, especially if I've just come from the gym. If I'm standing in the kitchen for 3 hours, I'm taking taster bites for 3 hours.0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »You're right, I have been brazenly eating dirty and haven't cared much, although I do follow discussions on the topic. As a result, I've been reconsidering a few things and wondering how clean eating is different from the way I eat and what it would take and would it be worth it to move the dial more to the clean side.
I'm all over that Jiffy cornbread mix (and the beer.) See, I love cornbread but if I have to make it from scratch, it will be a very rare treat. That's my real objection to clean eating as I had understood the term...the effort and time it takes.
Thanks for the replies. Plenty to think about.
I wasn't trying to spoil the thread, I actually really am intrigued by this question too as I think what you've described is similar to how I eat. I love to cook, but because of my busy schedule, I use convenience foods to help get me to the finish line faster. I don't think that makes my food "unhealthy". I try not to label the food one way or another, I just try to eat good food and some days it is better nutritionally than others. Today I think I'm doing a bangin job:
Breakfast: greek yogurt, coffee with coffeemate creamer
Lunch: leftover grilled tilapia, homemade mango avocado salsa, and a box of frozen mixed veggies
Snack: Luna Protein Bar
Dinner (planned): Mango-jalapeno chicken sausage sauteed with frozen mixed veggies (squash, zucchini, red pepper and onion) and a wedge of chipotle laughing cow cheese over either rice or pasta.
~1200 cals so far and I still have close to 700 left for other foods. I'm a little short on protein so I may try to get more of that in there, or, thanks to this thread, I may just look to see if I have any cornbread mix in the pantry.
There will also likely be wine and gelato.
My day is by no means clean, but is it unhealthy? I certainly don't think so.
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diannethegeek wrote: »My answer would be that it really doesn't matter whether or not you're eating clean. The definitions are so varied and so different and many of them directly contradict each other. If you like the way that you're eating and it makes you feel good, then stick with it! If not, then make changes based on what you need rather than what some magazine, book, or website says you need.
This!gidget00mcleod wrote: »Unless you could find a pasta that was simply, flour/semolina, water, salt and egg, that would be fine.
Maybe this is my European ignorance, but what the heck else would pasta contain other than flour, water and salt (and egg for some varieties)?0 -
lthames0810 wrote: »You're right, I have been brazenly eating dirty and haven't cared much, although I do follow discussions on the topic. As a result, I've been reconsidering a few things and wondering how clean eating is different from the way I eat and what it would take and would it be worth it to move the dial more to the clean side.
I'm all over that Jiffy cornbread mix (and the beer.) See, I love cornbread but if I have to make it from scratch, it will be a very rare treat. That's my real objection to clean eating as I had understood the term...the effort and time it takes.
Thanks for the replies. Plenty to think about.
This is a big deal breaker for me. I spend more time in the gym, and less time cooking these days. I find I'm less likely to eat small samples of everything during the cooking process if it doesn't take as long, especially if I've just come from the gym. If I'm standing in the kitchen for 3 hours, I'm taking taster bites for 3 hours.
Yep, I'm not a very competent cook and I don't really like it much, so spending a lot of time at is stressful. But you also bring up another good reason to be efficient.
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lthames0810 wrote: »Say, for example, that I make a pot of chili. I buy ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix. It takes maybe a half hour to make. Is that considered not clean? Is a pot of chili made from fresh whole foods nutritionally superior? If so, which of these ingredients make the difference?
I routinely use convenience foods and ingredients like deli meats and boxed pasta and boxed cereal. I also use fresh fruits and vegetables along with these. I guess I'm not understanding the nutritional distinction between clean eating and the way I eat.
I would not consider the chili seasoning mix clean. The beans and tomatoes would be a gray area for me depending on the ingredients in them. I prefer grassfed organic ground beef, but I would consider CAFO ground beef to still fall under the clean category.
I would not consider boxed cereal clean unless we're talking about steel cut oats or something. For deli meats, it would depend on the ingredients used and where the meat was sourced. I don't have a problem with boxed pasta, again, depending on the ingredients.
I don't necessarily think there's a huge nutritional distinction except for the different nutritional profile in animal products based on how they were raised and what they were fed, and I don't think there's any one definition of "clean". Everyone will have a different definition so yours is as good as anyone else's. The only glaringly not-clean item is the chili seasoning.0 -
I would look at it as a spectrum, versus a black and white issue. For instance, on the spectrum of clean eating: fresh tomato is probably better than a canned tomato, but a canned tomato is better than a bag of doritos This is all nutrionally speaking, not regarding weight loss.
I'm not a fan of these labels, but I suppose I eat "clean" most of the day, in that it's food that isn't highly processed. Your chili sounds great. Keep doing what you're doing.0 -
Tried30UserNames wrote: »lthames0810 wrote: »Say, for example, that I make a pot of chili. I buy ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix. It takes maybe a half hour to make. Is that considered not clean? Is a pot of chili made from fresh whole foods nutritionally superior? If so, which of these ingredients make the difference?
I routinely use convenience foods and ingredients like deli meats and boxed pasta and boxed cereal. I also use fresh fruits and vegetables along with these. I guess I'm not understanding the nutritional distinction between clean eating and the way I eat.
I would not consider the chili seasoning mix clean. The beans and tomatoes would be a gray area for me depending on the ingredients in them. I prefer grassfed organic ground beef, but I would consider CAFO ground beef to still fall under the clean category.
I would not consider boxed cereal clean unless we're talking about steel cut oats or something. For deli meats, it would depend on the ingredients used and where the meat was sourced. I don't have a problem with boxed pasta, again, depending on the ingredients.
I don't necessarily think there's a huge nutritional distinction except for the different nutritional profile in animal products based on how they were raised and what they were fed, and I don't think there's any one definition of "clean". Everyone will have a different definition so yours is as good as anyone else's. The only glaringly not-clean item is the chili seasoning.
Why is chili seasoning "glaringly" unclean?0 -
"ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix"
I see nothing in that list that would be considered "clean" if clean means it isn't processed. The ground beef is pre-chewed, so you end up digesting it more quickly. The canned beans have added sodium. The diced tomatoes probably have sodium and maybe even sugar added. And who knows what kind of chemicals they put in the seasoning mix.
That being said, other than that fact that I would add a fresh hot habanero pepper and an onion to the recipe, that's exactly how I make chili.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »"ground beef, canned beans, canned diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning mix"
I see nothing in that list that would be considered "clean" if clean means it isn't processed. The ground beef is pre-chewed, so you end up digesting it more quickly. The canned beans have added sodium. The diced tomatoes probably have sodium and maybe even sugar added. And who knows what kind of chemicals they put in the seasoning mix.
That being said, other than that fact that I would add a fresh hot habanero pepper and an onion to the recipe, that's exactly how I make chili.
Canning itself is a form of processing.0
This discussion has been closed.
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