Have you ever tried clean eating?

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Replies

  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    edited July 2016
    I feel I should add that I am completely in favour of home cooking, but that's because home cooked meals often have more fruit and veg, more meat, and less cheap filler tarted up with salt and sugar - so that's more protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and so home cooked meals TEND to be higher quality, more nutritious and taste better - but it doesn't always follow.

    Some premade food is as good as you can make at home or better, but tends to be far more expensive than the home made version. So home cooking gives you higher quality food for a lower cost. It's not because of some magic quality of being "unprocessed". My home made bolognese sauce has had a lot of processing by the time it gets onto the plate.

    There are also, of course, some premade foods (crisps, biscuits, instant noodles) that are processed on a specific way so as to give max calories for minimum nutrition. But I can make this kind of thing at home, too, and the fact it's made from scratch doesn't make it any less trashy!
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    The only thing I eat that is processed is bacon, tomato purée and tinned tomatoes. I buy raw ingredients to make everything from scratch. Oh, and kippers, love those bad boys.

    See, this is exactly what I don't get. You consider tinned tomatoes to be "processed" when all that's been done to them is skinning, cooking and sealing in a tin, but you don't consider your own home cooking to  be "processing", even though you have done much more processing to make your meal than the factory ever did to the tomatoes.

    It's like people are acting on this idea of what is or isn't "processed" based on some completely arbitrary definition, which is OK, I guess, except that people act as if it's totally obvious that their home made pizza is acceptable when an identical frozen one isn't, and expect it to be obvious to everyone else as well.

    If tinned tomatoes are processed, what about flour? What about olive oil or butter or maple syrup? What about honey, even? The bees put A LOT of processing into that!

    It frustrates me, not because it doesn't make sense, but because people keep acting as if it does.

    Tinned tomatoes have gone through a process to get them into a tin can.
    Second point. Home cooking is cooking, not processing for sale.
    I have to add things to my processed list... Coconut oil, olive oil and minced meat oh and pork rinds.

    I think the point is that there are more odd chemicals in a bought, frozen pizza than there would be in a home made pizza. Not that I eat them anymore, but whenever I made pizza I didn't put MSG or a *kitten* load of sugar in the dough.

    I'd say, if you can't pronounce the ingredients on the packet, or have to google them, you shouldn't be eating them unless they're prescribed.
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I agree and I think many of the people commenting in this thread would too. The other pet peeve of mine is that "eating clean" often has a tinge of moral superiority, as if those who do not claim to eat this way are "eating dirty" and it is often implied that we don't care about nutrition or health, that people who don't "eat clean" are eating nothing but donuts and Doritos...

    It is perplexing to say the least...

    People think I eat dirty because I invest a shed load of fat a day - and we all know how bad for you that is! Weird that I have the lowest BMI in the house and I'm not the youngest.
  • Taylorgo90
    Taylorgo90 Posts: 56 Member
    not yet
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    I think we are getting closer to reaching a definition. Basically, if you change something (via chopping, cooking, baking, pickling..etc) then slap a price tag on it, it becomes processed. If you do the same thing at home but don't sell the stuff, it's not processed.

    I need to find that pizza which has a *kitten* load of sugar in the dough. Probably a sweet pizza, like a fruit pizza or something? (a small amount of sugar is used for proofing in most types of dough), or do you mean.. this?
    The_Roly-Poly_Pudding_Tom_Kitten.jpg

    You know, I just thought of something. When I lived in Iowa, you could drive out to the Amish communities and buy their preserves, pies, cookies, bread, etc.. I don't know anybody who would consider the Amish "processed", but since I've bought food from them, that would make it "processed" and therefore "unclean".
  • FaylinaMeir
    FaylinaMeir Posts: 661 Member
    @zyxst oh I needed that laugh this morning LOL

    I have never tried the "clean" diet as written about in books but I'm currently on a high fat lower carb diet. I don't eat grains except maybe the rare serving of white rice when I get sushi (less than 1 time a month). I have gerd/ibs and a swallowing problem. This is helping me :) it's not the diet for everyone though.

    At the end of the day you eat the diet that makes you feel good and you can sustain long term and keep the weight off. Very simple. (and trust me I've done them all from SAD to raw vegan to paleo and everything in the middle.)
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    I'm sorry, why have you quoted my post in your post? Baffled.

    I made a post earlier, I listed the things I eat which are processed. Olive oil is a process wherever it's done, is it not? I eat it, a lot of it.

    IMO, if you make things from scratch it's not going to have unpronounceable chemicals in it.

    I had a quick google:
    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/processed-food-definition-2074.html
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It would be nice if we could one day move beyond the silly "eat what you can pronounce" test (I don't find chemicals hard to pronounce) and actually focus on things like nutrition.

    I bought some processed stuff at the green market, this morning. Pickled vegetables and some cheese. Delicious, and much easier than having to make it myself. I'm not sure what the benefit would be from worrying about the fact that those foods are processed by someone other than me.
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.
  • mturnerfit
    mturnerfit Posts: 2 Member
    Mandygring wrote: »
    I'm curious if anyone has tried clean eating and saw results. I have been doing it for a while now and feel so much better.

    Hey everybody! I'm sort of new to my fitness pal and wanted to ask y'all about fast food. I have a 1500 calorie allowance per day to lose 2 pounds a week and I was wondering if I can count fast food in my calorie allowance and still lose weight? Any weight loss experiences with this? And when I say fast food I mean like a chik fil a sandwich here and there or a moes burrito bowl. I haven't tried my fitness pal long enough to know if I would still have results, even if I stayed within my calories. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.

    This is the thing right here. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods. If you have a qualm about an ingredient that you aren't familiar with, then look it up and find out what it is and what it does. If you still would rather not ingest it, then at least you have a solid reason for it instead of a silly blanket rule about not eating things based on how hard it is to pronounce. Blanket rules are for people who cannot reason for themselves.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Mandygring wrote: »
    I'm curious if anyone has tried clean eating and saw results. I have been doing it for a while now and feel so much better.

    Hey everybody! I'm sort of new to my fitness pal and wanted to ask y'all about fast food. I have a 1500 calorie allowance per day to lose 2 pounds a week and I was wondering if I can count fast food in my calorie allowance and still lose weight? Any weight loss experiences with this? And when I say fast food I mean like a chik fil a sandwich here and there or a moes burrito bowl. I haven't tried my fitness pal long enough to know if I would still have results, even if I stayed within my calories. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    I eat fast food all the time, it hasn't stalled my progress one iota!
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    Mandygring wrote: »
    I'm curious if anyone has tried clean eating and saw results. I have been doing it for a while now and feel so much better.

    Hey everybody! I'm sort of new to my fitness pal and wanted to ask y'all about fast food. I have a 1500 calorie allowance per day to lose 2 pounds a week and I was wondering if I can count fast food in my calorie allowance and still lose weight? Any weight loss experiences with this? And when I say fast food I mean like a chik fil a sandwich here and there or a moes burrito bowl. I haven't tried my fitness pal long enough to know if I would still have results, even if I stayed within my calories. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    A quick answer for you is Yes, but you'll be better off starting your own thread so as not to hijack this one. :)
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.

    This is the thing right here. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods. If you have a qualm about an ingredient that you aren't familiar with, then look it up and find out what it is and what it does. If you still would rather not ingest it, then at least you have a solid reason for it instead of a silly blanket rule about not eating things based on how hard it is to pronounce. Blanket rules are for people who cannot reason for themselves.

    I didn't say there was.
    I don't have qualms about ingredients.
    Way to state the obvious.
    I see what you mean, because where some would struggle with Sodium chloride another May have no issues reading, pronouncing or eating sodium hexametaphosphate.
    A blanket rule is a simple method for people wishing to not ingest added chemicals.
    Most whole foods will have less additives to make it edible.

    I'm not sure why folk appear to think I need advice, I was only sharing what I thought. My opinion - not fact or a request for help.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    I'm sorry, why have you quoted my post in your post? Baffled.

    I made a post earlier, I listed the things I eat which are processed. Olive oil is a process wherever it's done, is it not? I eat it, a lot of it.

    IMO, if you make things from scratch it's not going to have unpronounceable chemicals in it.

    I had a quick google:
    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/processed-food-definition-2074.html

    I quoted your post because I was responding specifically to you and what you wrote.

    It's good to know that me being knowledgeable about pronouncing words makes all that I eat "clean". Thanks Sesame Street!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chHz3bo3f1U
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    edited July 2016
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.

    This is the thing right here. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods. If you have a qualm about an ingredient that you aren't familiar with, then look it up and find out what it is and what it does. If you still would rather not ingest it, then at least you have a solid reason for it instead of a silly blanket rule about not eating things based on how hard it is to pronounce. Blanket rules are for people who cannot reason for themselves.

    I didn't say there was.
    I don't have qualms about ingredients.
    Way to state the obvious.
    I see what you mean, because where some would struggle with Sodium chloride another May have no issues reading, pronouncing or eating sodium hexametaphosphate.
    A blanket rule is a simple method for people wishing to not ingest added chemicals.
    Most whole foods will have less additives to make it edible.

    I'm not sure why folk appear to think I need advice, I was only sharing what I thought. My opinion - not fact or a request for help.
    • I didn't say you did.
    • General "you" [Edit: but wait, you appear to have a qualm about MSG]
    • You'd be surprised.
    • Yay! We agree!
    • Disagree. Salt is a chemical. The advice is too vague to be practical.
    • True.

    I have no problem with anyone who is trying to improve their diet the best way they know how, lest I give the impression that I think it's ok to eat only cookies and beer. But you and I are not the only ones reading this. I have in mind newbies, lurkers, and future readers. I, too, am only sharing what I think.
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    edited July 2016
    zyxst wrote: »
    I quoted your post because I was responding specifically to you and what you wrote.

    It's good to know that me being knowledgeable about pronouncing words makes all that I eat "clean". Thanks Sesame Street!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chHz3bo3f1U

    Well no, you actually weren't. Your response made about zero sense regarding what I wrote.
    Way to go at being able to pronounce <<slow clap>>
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.

    This is the thing right here. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods. If you have a qualm about an ingredient that you aren't familiar with, then look it up and find out what it is and what it does. If you still would rather not ingest it, then at least you have a solid reason for it instead of a silly blanket rule about not eating things based on how hard it is to pronounce. Blanket rules are for people who cannot reason for themselves.

    I didn't say there was.
    I don't have qualms about ingredients.
    Way to state the obvious.
    I see what you mean, because where some would struggle with Sodium chloride another May have no issues reading, pronouncing or eating sodium hexametaphosphate.
    A blanket rule is a simple method for people wishing to not ingest added chemicals.
    Most whole foods will have less additives to make it edible.

    I'm not sure why folk appear to think I need advice, I was only sharing what I thought. My opinion - not fact or a request for help.
    • I didn't say you did.
    • General "you" [Edit: but wait, you appear to have a qualm about MSG]
    • You'd be surprised.
    • Yay! We agree!
    • Disagree. Salt is a chemical. The advice is too vague to be practical.
    • True.

    I have no problem with anyone who is trying to improve their diet the best way they know how, lest I give the impression that I think it's ok to eat only cookies and beer. But you and I are not the only ones reading this. I have in mind newbies, lurkers, and future readers. I, too, am only sharing what I think.
      *you implied *Choosing not to eat MSG does not make it a qualm. I understand it, I don't need it, I don't weep in a corner when I see it in an ingredients list. *I really wouldn't *I'm not trying to disagree, why is it such a big deal that folk have to agree or not? You may not agree with the weather, will it change it? No. *Very clever, think of it this way; sodium chloride is usually listed as salt in an ingredients list. Sodium hexametaphosphate's common name is...
    That's the point, provoking thought into what people buy in the shop. Take coleslaw: you buy the stuff in the shop and there's a chemical shitstorm on the ingredients list. Make it at home from scratch, mayo included, and I'd say one has a better food source. Yeah, it may spoil quicker, but you learn to make the right amount so it won't get wasted.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    The only thing I eat that is processed is bacon, tomato purée and tinned tomatoes. I buy raw ingredients to make everything from scratch. Oh, and kippers, love those bad boys.

    See, this is exactly what I don't get. You consider tinned tomatoes to be "processed" when all that's been done to them is skinning, cooking and sealing in a tin, but you don't consider your own home cooking to  be "processing", even though you have done much more processing to make your meal than the factory ever did to the tomatoes.

    It's like people are acting on this idea of what is or isn't "processed" based on some completely arbitrary definition, which is OK, I guess, except that people act as if it's totally obvious that their home made pizza is acceptable when an identical frozen one isn't, and expect it to be obvious to everyone else as well.

    If tinned tomatoes are processed, what about flour? What about olive oil or butter or maple syrup? What about honey, even? The bees put A LOT of processing into that!

    It frustrates me, not because it doesn't make sense, but because people keep acting as if it does.

    Tinned tomatoes have gone through a process to get them into a tin can.
    Second point. Home cooking is cooking, not processing for sale.
    I have to add things to my processed list... Coconut oil, olive oil and minced meat oh and pork rinds.

    I think the point is that there are more odd chemicals in a bought, frozen pizza than there would be in a home made pizza. Not that I eat them anymore, but whenever I made pizza I didn't put MSG or a *kitten* load of sugar in the dough.

    I'd say, if you can't pronounce the ingredients on the packet, or have to google them, you shouldn't be eating them unless they're prescribed.

    Good thing I have graduate degrees and am well spoken.
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    edited July 2016
    glassyo wrote: »



    If people can't pronounce hexametaphosphate, even slowly, they clearly should invest in Hooked on Phonics. I hear there's an app for that.

    People can make blanket statements all they want but it doesn't change the fact that just because they can't pronounce something that it's bad for them.

    It was just an example.

    Maybe it's not bad for them, maybe it is. How would they know if they don't know what it is? This is all I'm trying to convey.
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
    [
    Good thing I have graduate degrees and am well spoken.

    Excellent contribution, you must be so proud.
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.

    This is the thing right here. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods. If you have a qualm about an ingredient that you aren't familiar with, then look it up and find out what it is and what it does. If you still would rather not ingest it, then at least you have a solid reason for it instead of a silly blanket rule about not eating things based on how hard it is to pronounce. Blanket rules are for people who cannot reason for themselves.

    I didn't say there was.
    I don't have qualms about ingredients.
    Way to state the obvious.
    I see what you mean, because where some would struggle with Sodium chloride another May have no issues reading, pronouncing or eating sodium hexametaphosphate.
    A blanket rule is a simple method for people wishing to not ingest added chemicals.
    Most whole foods will have less additives to make it edible.

    I'm not sure why folk appear to think I need advice, I was only sharing what I thought. My opinion - not fact or a request for help.
    • I didn't say you did.
    • General "you" [Edit: but wait, you appear to have a qualm about MSG]
    • You'd be surprised.
    • Yay! We agree!
    • Disagree. Salt is a chemical. The advice is too vague to be practical.
    • True.

    I have no problem with anyone who is trying to improve their diet the best way they know how, lest I give the impression that I think it's ok to eat only cookies and beer. But you and I are not the only ones reading this. I have in mind newbies, lurkers, and future readers. I, too, am only sharing what I think.
      *you implied *Choosing not to eat MSG does not make it a qualm. I understand it, I don't need it, I don't weep in a corner when I see it in an ingredients list. *I really wouldn't *I'm not trying to disagree, why is it such a big deal that folk have to agree or not? You may not agree with the weather, will it change it? No. *Very clever, think of it this way; sodium chloride is usually listed as salt in an ingredients list. Sodium hexametaphosphate's common name is...
    That's the point, provoking thought into what people buy in the shop. Take coleslaw: you buy the stuff in the shop and there's a chemical shitstorm on the ingredients list. Make it at home from scratch, mayo included, and I'd say one has a better food source. Yeah, it may spoil quicker, but you learn to make the right amount so it won't get wasted.

    We could go back and forth all day, I'm really not interested in that or in who is right or wrong. Maybe I misunderstood your other posts, but when your first one a page ago was about the only three processed foods you eat, it sounded like you avoid processed foods aside from a few exceptions. Then you realized that you do actually eat several processed foods, at which point I thought we were on the same page and so added my thoughts on why eating according to an oversimplified mantra is silly. Now we're mortal enemies.

    Just kidding. :smiley:

    Like I said, I have no problem with people trying to improve what they eat in the way they understand; but I think it's better to turn it into a learning process instead of sticking to a "rule" that leaves no room for one's own thinking ability.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    [
    Good thing I have graduate degrees and am well spoken.

    Excellent contribution, you must be so proud.

    Spoken like a newbie with a head full of pseudoscience. You're too stubborn to listen to good advice so sarcasm was appropriate.

    If you want to actually learn about nutrition check out what Eric Helms, Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald and their peers have to say. Otherwise keep pretending like you know something.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,730 Member
    glassyo wrote: »



    If people can't pronounce hexametaphosphate, even slowly, they clearly should invest in Hooked on Phonics. I hear there's an app for that.

    People can make blanket statements all they want but it doesn't change the fact that just because they can't pronounce something that it's bad for them.

    It was just an example.

    Maybe it's not bad for them, maybe it is. How would they know if they don't know what it is? This is all I'm trying to convey.

    LOL I know. I was also kinda of thinking about lazy readers who will see a long word and just not bother.

    Also, the internet can be pretty helpful in looking up information. So if someone is trying to stay away from added "bad" chemicals and they see something on a list that they have no idea what it is, isn't it better to educate themselves instead of assuming it's bad because they can't sound a word out?



  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    Bollocks! I forgot about cheese... I eat a lot of that too. That's a process, and cream. I eat a lot of processed food.

    This is the thing right here. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods. If you have a qualm about an ingredient that you aren't familiar with, then look it up and find out what it is and what it does. If you still would rather not ingest it, then at least you have a solid reason for it instead of a silly blanket rule about not eating things based on how hard it is to pronounce. Blanket rules are for people who cannot reason for themselves.

    I didn't say there was.
    I don't have qualms about ingredients.
    Way to state the obvious.
    I see what you mean, because where some would struggle with Sodium chloride another May have no issues reading, pronouncing or eating sodium hexametaphosphate.
    A blanket rule is a simple method for people wishing to not ingest added chemicals.
    Most whole foods will have less additives to make it edible.

    I'm not sure why folk appear to think I need advice, I was only sharing what I thought. My opinion - not fact or a request for help.
    Is there a distinction between added chemicals and chemicals that happen to be the building blocks of everything, including every food and including you and me?

    Do you wish to avoid all these chemicals in a banana? Unprocessed, single ingredient, nothing added, nothing taken away......
    nz68br7hrzv7.jpg