Eating clean?
Replies
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ForecasterJason wrote: »I agree with the posts that have mentioned that homemade versions of some foods are quite different than commercial versions when considering the topic of "eating clean".
Maybe psychologically; but to your body, it really doesn't matter: bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/hormonal-responses-fast-food-meal.html/0 -
ForecasterJason wrote: »
Others have already stated in this thread that eating clean can be subjective (such as chicken being unclean for vegetarians), so I would say it can depending on who you ask.ForecasterJason wrote: »I agree with the posts that have mentioned that homemade versions of some foods are quite different than commercial versions when considering the topic of "eating clean".
which has nothing to do with clean vs unclean
still does not change the fact that homemade mac and cheese is not anymore clean that kraft mac and cheese...0 -
Our general rule of thumb for "eating clean" is would our great grandfathers recognize/pronounce these ingredients.
So:
Homemade mac & cheese - clean; Kraft blue box - not clean
Homemade bread - clean; in a plastic sleeve - not clean
etc etc.
We of course don't always achieve it, but we at least try.
I always get a kick out of the "grandparents" definition. My grandparents and great-grandparents ate all kinds of things out of boxes and bags: snack cakes, candy, white bread, kielbasi, pudding, macaroni and cheese, etc.
Does that means these foods are "clean?"0 -
Here's the ingredients in Hawaiian Punch:
Ingredients: Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup And 2% Or Less of Each of The Following: Concentrated Juices (Pineapple, Orange, Passionfruit, Apple), Purees (Apricot, Papaya, Guava), Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Pectin, Gum Acacia, Sucralose, Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin, Sodium Hexametaphosphate
If I was in Hawaii and wanted to make some punch, I'd probably leave out the Ester of Wood Rosin and Sodium Hexametaphosphate. If I did want to add those ingredients, I might want to visit a hardware store or the chemistry lab of a local high school. I think to do such a thing though, would make the punch very, very dirty, in comparison to, say, the homemade variety. Where the fresh fruit was pressed in a juicer with some sugar and ice cubes added.
The glycerol ester is to keep the ingredients all well mixed and the hexametaphosphate is for texture. Neither is dirty and if you wanted to keep your homemade for more than 1-2 days until it doesn't taste good anymore you might want to add something to it too.0 -
I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.0
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_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?0 -
It's subjective. To me it's just eating "real" foods in their most natural state. So like meat and potatoes basically lol. I don't really get it. Why is processed a bad thing? Things like rice and oatmeal are processed but generally are foods that are "acceptable" to eat under the "clean eating" philosophy.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
beat me to it...
so any frozen vegetable or fruit is now unclean?
This exemplifies the ridiculousness of the clean eating concept.0 -
It's subjective. To me it's just eating "real" foods in their most natural state. So like meat and potatoes basically lol. I don't really get it. Why is processed a bad thing? Things like rice and oatmeal are processed but generally are foods that are "acceptable" to eat under the "clean eating" philosophy.
There are many philosophies. Some do not consider any grains "clean" because there is a process to remove the inedible parts of the plant. I find this funny because most of the same people think wild or naturally raised meat is clean, even though they remove parts to get to the meat.
When most people speak of processed foods they aren't talking about whole grains or raw meat. They are talking about cured meat, foods that have been pre-prepared with additives, synthetic foods, etc.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
I don't understand? How does a refrigerator change food?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
I don't understand? How does a refrigerator change food?
How does freezing change it?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
beat me to it...
so any frozen vegetable or fruit is now unclean?
This exemplifies the ridiculousness of the clean eating concept.
"unclean"?? That wasn't your question and has nothing to do with my answer.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?
Because there's nothing "unclean" or unhealthy about eating a slice of pizza or a candy bar (or whatever other "unclean" food is your favorite object of loathing) occasionally within the context of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Barring a medical condition/allergy, calling something "unclean" or "unhealthy" is ridiculous and unnecessary when it's eaten/drank in sane amounts and has the proper context in the diet.
A bowl of ice cream or a couple pieces of chocolate for dessert will have no deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss or body composition. Subsisting entirely (or even mostly) upon ice cream and chocolate would certainly have deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss and body composition.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
I don't understand? How does a refrigerator change food?
How does freezing change it?
http://www.extension.umn.edu/food/food-safety/preserving/freezing/the-science-of-freezing-foods/0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
beat me to it...
so any frozen vegetable or fruit is now unclean?
This exemplifies the ridiculousness of the clean eating concept.
"unclean"?? That wasn't your question and has nothing to do with my answer.
ummm, I said so frozen strawberries are now less clean than strawberries from the garden and you said yes...
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?
Because there's nothing "unclean" or unhealthy about eating a slice of pizza or a candy bar (or whatever other "unclean" food is your favorite object of loathing) occasionally within the context of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Barring a medical condition/allergy, calling something "unclean" or "unhealthy" is ridiculous and unnecessary when it's eaten/drank in sane amounts and has the proper context in the diet.
A bowl of ice cream or a couple pieces of chocolate for dessert will have no deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss or body composition. Subsisting entirely (or even mostly) upon ice cream and chocolate would certainly have deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss and body composition.
Um, okay. We obviously have very different definitions of "clean eating" so I guess I need a little context. How does health figure in?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
Unless we have an unseasonable freeze. ::laugh::
Seriously though, while I don't think I'd be that strict with the definition I suppose it is a gray area. If nothing was added to the strawberries before freezing them then I'm not sure I'd consider them less clean, but I can definitely see where some might.
What? How? Following that logic, anything that needs preserving at all would be 'unclean' but I don't see a lot of "clean eaters" living without refrigerators.
beat me to it...
so any frozen vegetable or fruit is now unclean?
This exemplifies the ridiculousness of the clean eating concept.
"unclean"?? That wasn't your question and has nothing to do with my answer.
ummm, I said so frozen strawberries are now less clean than strawberries from the garden and you said yes...
No, I didn't. And "less clean" =/= "unclean"0 -
lNeed2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
5 bucks for a puny 200g punnet, I have no choice but to stick with the frozen kind!0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?
Because there's nothing "unclean" or unhealthy about eating a slice of pizza or a candy bar (or whatever other "unclean" food is your favorite object of loathing) occasionally within the context of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Barring a medical condition/allergy, calling something "unclean" or "unhealthy" is ridiculous and unnecessary when it's eaten/drank in sane amounts and has the proper context in the diet.
A bowl of ice cream or a couple pieces of chocolate for dessert will have no deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss or body composition. Subsisting entirely (or even mostly) upon ice cream and chocolate would certainly have deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss and body composition.
Um, okay. We obviously have very different definitions of "clean eating" so I guess I need a little context. How does health figure in?
Everyone has different definitions of "clean eating" which is why it is an unhelpful term, in my opinion. I know you were asking @AnvilHead but to me, the health figures in because many people associate "clean" foods with "healthier" foods, ignoring the fact that there are plenty of "unclean" or "processed" foods which provide many nutrititional benefits. As discussed here - frozen fruits and vegetables, or greek yogurt, steel cut oats, etc are all good examples of foods which are processed by definition, and someone who is rigorously adhering to a "clean" diet, may forgo them.
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WinoGelato wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?
Because there's nothing "unclean" or unhealthy about eating a slice of pizza or a candy bar (or whatever other "unclean" food is your favorite object of loathing) occasionally within the context of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Barring a medical condition/allergy, calling something "unclean" or "unhealthy" is ridiculous and unnecessary when it's eaten/drank in sane amounts and has the proper context in the diet.
A bowl of ice cream or a couple pieces of chocolate for dessert will have no deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss or body composition. Subsisting entirely (or even mostly) upon ice cream and chocolate would certainly have deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss and body composition.
Um, okay. We obviously have very different definitions of "clean eating" so I guess I need a little context. How does health figure in?
Everyone has different definitions of "clean eating" which is why it is an unhelpful term, in my opinion. I know you were asking @AnvilHead but to me, the health figures in because many people associate "clean" foods with "healthier" foods, ignoring the fact that there are plenty of "unclean" or "processed" foods which provide many nutrititional benefits. As discussed here - frozen fruits and vegetables, or greek yogurt, steel cut oats, etc are all good examples of foods which are processed by definition, and someone who is rigorously adhering to a "clean" diet, may forgo them.
So you are using "healthy" and "clean" interchangeably when it comes to food?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?
Because there's nothing "unclean" or unhealthy about eating a slice of pizza or a candy bar (or whatever other "unclean" food is your favorite object of loathing) occasionally within the context of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Barring a medical condition/allergy, calling something "unclean" or "unhealthy" is ridiculous and unnecessary when it's eaten/drank in sane amounts and has the proper context in the diet.
A bowl of ice cream or a couple pieces of chocolate for dessert will have no deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss or body composition. Subsisting entirely (or even mostly) upon ice cream and chocolate would certainly have deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss and body composition.
Um, okay. We obviously have very different definitions of "clean eating" so I guess I need a little context. How does health figure in?
Everyone has different definitions of "clean eating" which is why it is an unhelpful term, in my opinion. I know you were asking @AnvilHead but to me, the health figures in because many people associate "clean" foods with "healthier" foods, ignoring the fact that there are plenty of "unclean" or "processed" foods which provide many nutrititional benefits. As discussed here - frozen fruits and vegetables, or greek yogurt, steel cut oats, etc are all good examples of foods which are processed by definition, and someone who is rigorously adhering to a "clean" diet, may forgo them.
So you are using "healthy" and "clean" interchangeably when it comes to food?
I'm not, because I don't use the word clean to describe food. It's a meaningless word. Many people think those two words are synonyms though.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »JanetYellen wrote: »Is organic skim milk clean? Curious.
It would probably be easier to start a list of what 'isn't' clean.
And that list would be totally subjective and most likely completely ignore the concepts of context and dosage within a well-rounded diet. Orthorexics would have a field day with it, though.
Why would context and dosage matter?
Because there's nothing "unclean" or unhealthy about eating a slice of pizza or a candy bar (or whatever other "unclean" food is your favorite object of loathing) occasionally within the context of a healthy, well-rounded diet. Barring a medical condition/allergy, calling something "unclean" or "unhealthy" is ridiculous and unnecessary when it's eaten/drank in sane amounts and has the proper context in the diet.
A bowl of ice cream or a couple pieces of chocolate for dessert will have no deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss or body composition. Subsisting entirely (or even mostly) upon ice cream and chocolate would certainly have deleterious effects upon your health, weight loss and body composition.
Um, okay. We obviously have very different definitions of "clean eating" so I guess I need a little context. How does health figure in?
Everyone has different definitions of "clean eating" which is why it is an unhelpful term, in my opinion. I know you were asking @AnvilHead but to me, the health figures in because many people associate "clean" foods with "healthier" foods, ignoring the fact that there are plenty of "unclean" or "processed" foods which provide many nutrititional benefits. As discussed here - frozen fruits and vegetables, or greek yogurt, steel cut oats, etc are all good examples of foods which are processed by definition, and someone who is rigorously adhering to a "clean" diet, may forgo them.
So you are using "healthy" and "clean" interchangeably when it comes to food?
I'm not, because I don't use the word clean to describe food. It's a meaningless word. Many people think those two words are synonyms though.
Agreed on both counts. I don't ascribe the tags of "clean/unclean" or "healthy/unhealthy" to any particular food or food group, because I don't view them in a vacuum. It's a phrase that can mean nothing or various things, depending on whose definition you're using. I'd feel a little more comfortable making such a judgment upon one's overall diet, viewed over a sustained period of time, than based upon one meal they ate on one day.
And yes, I think most people's definition of "clean" and "healthy" are synonymous. They think eating "clean" will avoid taking in, or rid their body of, whichever "toxins" they've chosen to demonize and make them more "healthy".Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Um, okay. We obviously have very different definitions of "clean eating" so I guess I need a little context. How does health figure in?
In my opinion? In a dietary sense, by eating a reasonable, varied, balanced diet which provides adequate calories, macro and micronutrients. In a more broad/overall sense, by mixing in reasonable amounts of exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight/composition and a sound mental outlook on life.0 -
Well... this thread is entirely unhelpful to anyone. Its just a bunch of people arguing their own personal eating philosophies.
So heres the point op... decide what works best for you and do it and screw anyone who doesn't like your choices. I used to eat very clean and I am trying to get back to that. I made the same mistake you did and asked for advice on here and got all the same snarky unhelpful responses. Most people know what you mean in general. They just want to push their way as the only way. Its not. Theres all kinds of diets out there. Some better than others but unless your doing something harmful to your body, then do what works for you.0 -
Confuzzled4ever wrote: »Well... this thread is entirely unhelpful to anyone. Its just a bunch of people arguing their own personal eating philosophies.
So heres the point op... decide what works best for you and do it and screw anyone who doesn't like your choices. I used to eat very clean and I am trying to get back to that. I made the same mistake you did and asked for advice on here and got all the same snarky unhelpful responses. Most people know what you mean in general. They just want to push their way as the only way. Its not. Theres all kinds of diets out there. Some better than others but unless your doing something harmful to your body, then do what works for you.
No, the actual point is that "eating clean" means whatever you want it to mean. As I said in my first post, a vegetarian, a vegan, a low-carber and a paleo dieter would all have entirely different definitions of what "clean" is - and each would differ from the other. It's like asking "how long is a piece of string?", or "what color is a car?".0 -
hehehehehehhe okay so I pick blueberries and freeze them to make storing them easier. They are now unclean? Why does this just like religion? If I have someone speak Yiddish over the blueberries before consuming them can I claim they are clean?Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I've always known it to mean eating natural foods. The closer a food is to it's natural state, the cleaner it is.
so frozen strawberries are less clean than ones you picked from a garden?
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Your great-grandparents ate all of kinds of foods out of a box??? I find that very hard to believe, unless you're referring to them eating those foods very late in life. As an example, Kraft mac-and-cheese didn't come out until 1937, and a lot of those other foods didn't really become popular in commercialized form until well into the 20th century. Anyone over the age of 40 would have great-grandparents who would have been born roughly a century ago (at least). So, they would have grown up prior to World War II, when many of those foods were certainly not nearly as widespread in households as they are now.Our general rule of thumb for "eating clean" is would our great grandfathers recognize/pronounce these ingredients.
So:
Homemade mac & cheese - clean; Kraft blue box - not clean
Homemade bread - clean; in a plastic sleeve - not clean
etc etc.
We of course don't always achieve it, but we at least try.
I always get a kick out of the "grandparents" definition. My grandparents and great-grandparents ate all kinds of things out of boxes and bags: snack cakes, candy, white bread, kielbasi, pudding, macaroni and cheese, etc.
Does that means these foods are "clean?"0 -
Didn't you ever see Deadwood? Canned peaches were a treat item.
It's not uncommon for people's grandparents and great-grandparents to have bought such things from the general store (my grandfather on one side even ran the town's general store in an area where fresh food was not available much of the year). Also, given that we saw above that some claim any grains are "unclean," obviously grains were common in prior generations. My own great great great (I dunno, I'd have to look it up) grandparents even had the first mill in their Iowa county. Guess they were among the harbingers of uncleanliness in the US midwest.0
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