What is 'clean' eating??

juliebowman4

I keep seeing references to 'eating clean'. What does this mean?
I assume it means something different than washing my fruit and veg.

diannethegeek

It honestly depends on who you ask. I made a list of the various definitions I've seen here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10337480/what-is-clean-eating/p1

janejellyroll

It means something different to everyone. Some people take it to mean eating no processed foods, some take it to mean avoiding certain types of processed foods, some people take it to mean eating organic, some people take it to mean only eating foods with a limited number of ingredients or purchased in certain regions of the grocery store, some people take it to mean avoiding certain ingredients, some people take it to mean avoiding anything that is sold in a bag or box or can . . . there are dozens of definitions, so when you see someone using the term, it's usually easiest to ask them what THEY mean by it and go from there.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

To me it means that I didn't give myself food poisoning.

Aaron_K123

Good question and rather impossible to answer because it is so vague.

Basically when someone says they are eating "clean" they mean they are avoiding "junk". What is "junk"? Also a good question, also vague.

Oversimplifing for point of example its someone who eats brown rice chicken breasts and broccoli and avoids things like fast food, chips, processed foods, high salt, etc etc. They eat "whole" foods and tend to be rather snobby about it.

Fact is if you switch your diet from a bunch of highly processed junky type foods and force yourself to eat nothing but chicken breast and broccoli you will probably lose weight because you would probably struggle to eat as many calories as you used to. The mistake is thinking eating "clean" has some sort of magic fat burning property other than just calorie deficit.

nvmomketo

I think it started in the body building world. When I reference clean eating it is to Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet book series which is lower in sugars, uses minimally processed foods, and is moderate to slightly higher protein

Ready2Rock206

It means whatever the person saying it wants it to mean. There's a million different definitions and usually I find the people doing it don't even know what it means.

fr33sia12

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

To me it means that I didn't give myself food poisoning.

There's always someone gotta mention cleaning food. Getting old now lol

tomteboda

It's a term that imbues food with moral properties. As such it is entirely subjective and arbitrary, as @diannethegeek had meticulously catalogued.

At least washing your food is a standard practice of good hygiene worldwide.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

fr33sia12 wrote: »

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

To me it means that I didn't give myself food poisoning.

There's always someone gotta mention cleaning food. Getting old now lol

Not sure why you quoted me? Only the OP mentioned cleaning food.

Raptor2763

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

janejellyroll

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

That sounds like a definition that would result in many of us either starving or developing nutritional deficiencies.

Therealobi1

janejellyroll wrote: »

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

That sounds like a definition that would result in many of us either starving or developing nutritional deficiencies.

thats exactly what does happen to the clean eaters

Aaron_K123

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

I pick my burritos carefully.

Sara1791

oh no, fool me once

kgeyser

When someone says they eat clean, I interpret that as saying their diet is mostly comprised of whole foods as a jumping off point, then ask for specifics. It's the same way I approach vegetarians; I know that not eating meat is a pretty good jumping off point for them, but there are different types of vegetarians. It's a just general term to describe how someone eats, and like every other diet on earth, each individual is going to have preferences about what foods they do and do not want to eat.

lemurcat12

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Easiest definition I've found is "if it didn't have a mother or you didn't pick it, don't eat it"

So much for the salad I'm currently eating:

spinach -- I didn't pick it, I got it from my CSA

green peppers and onions -- same

cucumbers and tomatoes -- bought them at the grocery store

olives and feta cheese -- bought them, neither could be "picked" anyway, as both require some processing

chicken -- well, guess that would be okay

olive oil and vinegar -- not "pickable," but processed.

cwolfman13

It depends...

I dislike the term, but ultimately I would describe my diet as pretty "clean" in that it revolves substantially around whole foods and minimally processed foods like canned tomatoes, beans, etc.

That said, there are many self righteous zealots out there who wouldn't consider my diet clean at all...because I don't necessarily go out of my way to by organic or non gmo or whatever...my broccoli is just regular old dirty broccoli. Yet others would not consider it clean because I eat fish, poultry, and meat...or the fish would be ok, but not red meat...etc, etc, etc...

And of course, I still sometimes go out for pizza or have some candy, etc...I'm not all or nothing so for many, my diet, regardless of overall nutrition would be dirty as *kitten*.

bb2much

Check out this link from Cooking Light:
http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/clean-eating

lemurcat12

I hate the term, but under some definitions my diet is, since I am nutrition-conscious and like to cook from whole foods (even if I don't pick them myself except on occasion -- my garden is better in some years than others). Under other rules (like the ridiculous NO processed food or the one my salad fails miserably), I'm not at all, despite the above and the fact I focus on seasonal and local as much as possible and get my meat from local farms and stuff like that.

I think the term tends to be divisive and not to map to what it claims to, namely a focus on "healthy" eating, which is one reason it annoys me.

cerise_noir

juliebowman4 wrote: »

I keep seeing references to 'eating clean'. What does this mean?
I assume it means something different than washing my fruit and veg.

Honestly, that's how I've been seeing, as there are so many definitions for clean eating.


I dislike the term also. Many times someone joins the forum with a pretentious 'I eat clean and am holier than thou' attitude and insult those who chose to eat a balanced diet. I once had a clean eating enthusiast hound me over wanting to make breakfast muffins. It was amusing.

Jruzer

"When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

trigden1991

Washing your food before you eat it. Normally I go for an antibacterial spray and then deep rinse cycle before I consider cooking it.

StealthHealth

What is clean eating? "A-can-of-worms", that is what clean eating is.

ClareMillsRoberts

I usually take it to mean a wholefood diet that avoids ultra-processed foods. I dislike the term because it implies that there is some sort of virtue attached to eating in a particular way. Generally it's used on these forums in the context of "i'm eating really clean but I'm not losing weight" or "I'm struggling with consistency, i'll eat clean for a week or two and then fall off the wagon". A lot of people seem to think that you have to exist on lean grilled chicken and vegetables in order to lose weight and haven't figured out that as long as your calories in are less than your calories out it doesn't really matter where you get those calories from (within reason).

trigden1991

Chilli7777 wrote: »

Eating things as close to their natural state as possible. Packaged food with more than 5 ingredients would be avoided. Sorry you were bombarded by idiots.

Genuinely inquisitve as to where the number 5 comes from? So if I have a pre-prepared fruit salad with 6 fruits, is it not longer clean?

Pawsforme

I think "clean eating" is so vague that it's meaningless.

As an example, someone earlier described a meal of chicken breast, broccoli and rice as fitting the description of "clean eating." But some people think "clean eating" means LCHF and that meal wouldn't fit their definition.

And yes I'm being judgmental here but any time someone uses it I assume they actually know little to nothing about what healthy eating really is or can include. More often than not in following postings here it becomes obvious that the majority of people who use that term do so because they've just latched on to the latest catchphrase instead of having any real knowledge. It's an endemic problem in today's world -- catchphrases and sound bites versus nuanced understanding.

snowflake954

It obviously means whatever YOU think it means.

Therealobi1

Chilli7777 wrote: »

Eating things as close to their natural state as possible. Packaged food with more than 5 ingredients would be avoided. Sorry you were bombarded by idiots.

Your answer wasn't clear at all?
Do I have to eat the animal alive or is killing it first ok.
Is a pre packed mix veg ok
What does happen if there is a sixth ingredient

lemurcat12

Chilli7777 wrote: »

Eating things as close to their natural state as possible. Packaged food with more than 5 ingredients would be avoided. Sorry you were bombarded by idiots.

Who was bombarded by idiots?

Why is it idiotic to question the meaning of a term when no one uses it the same way.

Probably your own diet is not "clean" under many definitions, so why is your definition the right one? What's special about 5 ingredients and why is the salad mentioned above (which another poster already defined as unclean) clean because I made it, but not if I bought it (say at a place where they make it in front of me).

janejellyroll

Chilli7777 wrote: »

Eating things as close to their natural state as possible. Packaged food with more than 5 ingredients would be avoided. Sorry you were bombarded by idiots.

If I make an olive tapenade at home with green olives, black olives, dried parsley, olive oil, capers, and salt it would be "clean" but purchasing the exact same ingredients, processed exactly the same way, prepared by another person somehow makes it "dirty"?

Show your work.