WHAT DOES "CLEAN EATING" MEAN TO YOU???

GrannyGwen1

HI EVERYONE,

WHEN EVER I ASK THIS QUESTION I GET SEVERAL DIFFERENT ANSWERS.
WHAT DOES "CLEAN EATING" MEAN TO YOU???
WHAT DO YOU EAT ON A CLEAN DIRT?
HOW DO YOU PREPARE IT?
WHAT DONT YOU EAT?
WHATS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT EATING CLEAN??

LOVE TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS AND THOUGHTS
GG

FlaxMilk

To me, clean eating means making food choices as nutritious as possible. I'm not perfect, and I do eat foods that I wouldn't consider clean, but I feel and do my best when I stick to clean eating. A great clean eating book for me is the O2 Diet.

In general, if it's something I can cook at home, I'd consider it clean. Desserts from websites like OhSheGlows, ChocolateCoveredKatie, and PeasandThankYou count, but I make them with modifications. I usually don't use sugars like cane, agave, or maple syrups when baking, but it's hard to put into words why. I just don't seem to do as well eating foods so concentrated in sugars. I can't have gluten, so I don't use flour, and I don't have substitute flours either, though I'm interested in trying coconut flour. My body just seems to respond poorly to grains overall, even gluten free versions without any added anythings. I will buy them still for cravings, but they don't fill me up as much, I don't feel as alert, and I have a greatly increased appetite and food cravings.

Sknny_Btch

For me, I don't eat anything processed at least 95% of the time, I still like my not having to cook once a week when we get pizza and wine. I do have greek yogurt everyday and coconut milk, to me they are processed but I love it so I have it, I'm doing this for me and my family so I really can't mess up since I'm not really following any rules, just my own. We eat meat just about everyday and I only buy a handful of things organic bc I can't afford to buy everything organic, I just make my own fruit and veggie cleaner with water and vinegar, actually I clean everything in my house with water and vinegar...and baking soda. Anyway, that's another story. Lol It is a lot more work on grocery day bc it takes me about 2hours to wash all the fruit and veggies ( I have a family of 6 so there's a lot of food ) and put them in the fruit bowl or cut and put in bowls and bags and refrigerate or freeze. I also make my own peanut butter bc we cannot give that up! No way!

dazzer1975

for me, clean eating is something like this:

I class clean food as all the stuff nature provides for us, without being tinkered with, added to, refined etc.

I wouldn't personally class fried eggs and sliced ham as clean, even though it could probably be argued as such to an extent.

I think cron's would be close to my ideal of what clean eating is.

Doesn't mean i hit this lofty perch but it is my idea of what i should be striving for in my aims of achieving optimal health.


I like Flaxmilk's explanation and have much of the same issues around processed foods and sugars etc.

Chief_Rocka

Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods, while allowing myself to eat other foods I enjoy, so long as they don't derail my calorie and macronutrient goals for the day.

GabyBaby916

I've been cleaning up my food and personal life for about a year now, though I never thought of myself as "eating clean".
I've slowly stopped using as much processed foods over time. I'm not perfect and I still have processed treats (and wine!!!) sometimes, but its a far cry from what I was eating a few years ago.

My pantry went from being pre-packaged boxes of this and that, to loads more fresh veggies and meats, rubbermaid storage bins labeled and organized with dried raw ingredients that I use to cook from scratch. Nearly everything I cook now is made from scratch. I've replced white flours in my personal baking with nut/seed flours (though my kids and hubby still prefer the "traditional" cakes/cookies they grew up with). I love that I no longer feel bloated and sluggish all the time, even though I weigh 35lbs more than I would like.

I also make a lot of my own cleaning products, using simply vinegar and baking soda for the majority of it.

It is a lifestyle and way of eating that I have embraced (and am slowly winning over more family members). I used to think it was more expensive to eat and live healthy, but I find that it isnt. I actually eat LESS but feel satisfied and fulfilled. I love spending a $10 on the basic supplies that will give me 6 months worth of cleaning products, laundry and dishwashing soap versus $10 on a single bottle of laundry detergent that will last less than a month.

lauraleighsm

Whole organic foods with limited ingredients. I always thought of organic yogurts as "clean" but I may be wrong about that! I just have no urge to even try and make my own yogurt.

I eat primarily non gmo before even "clean."

Gourmetcook4Jesus

For me it means natural, sustainable, from scratch, if possible locally produced. It means avoiding processed foods, GMO's and eatiing as much as possible the way God made it.
I would include Weston A. Price principles, BUT I have not gotten into soaking grains.

(Oh yes, by the way, I "DO" eat grains! >gasp!<)

michybeans

Like most others here, I consider clean eating for myself to be eating mostly unprocessed, homecooked meals made from real ingredients (i.e. things I buy that aren't packaged/have chemicals - like produce, meat, anything fresh). If it came from the earth, it's clean to me. I do try to eat grain-fed, free-range meat when I can (although it is too pricey sometimes) and always cook/bake with natural oils like grapeseed (new fave) or coconut oil. Never Crisco or any of that processed GMO stuff. Also, I stay away from the deep fryer which isn't an issue for me since I hate greasy food, always have.

Of course I don't eat clean 100% of the time, although I feel much better and have more energy when I do! My work has a Friday lunch day where the owner takes us out for lunch, which is very generous but sometimes not to places with the best food choices (think, a lot of pubs!). So, I try my best those days. Or if I feel like having french fries, I have some damn french fries.

I don't think you can be too strict if you want to stick with it for life. There's plenty of clean eating treats around, and I love those too, but sometimes you just gotta have a Mars bar or some takeout pizza. Sadly, especially if you want to be sociable and go out to eat with friends. Quite sad most of our restaurants in North America are so unhealthy and greasy... but that's another topic.

But yep, I consider myself a clean eater as I eat homecooked meals 95% of the time, and the only times I don't eat clean are if I am at someone else's house, or out for a meal (and even then I try). Or, drinking wine, the occasional beer, etc.

rduhlir

There are so many people that take that differently, but to me it basically means being able to understand the food label. Take for example Chips A'hoy:



Now....

Take for example Miss Graces sunflower cookies:



Forgive me, I couldn't find a picture of the ingredients but here they are:

INGREDIENTS: Enriched Wheat Flour, (Containing Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine, and Riboflavin), Rolled Oats, Sweet Cream Butter, Brown Sugar, Sunflower Seeds, Sugar, Eggs, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Baking Soda
http://www.gracesbestcookies.com/all-natural-ingredients

Now I can understand what is in them. It doesn't take a PHd in chemestry to understand what is in the cookies.

It is too hard to get away from all processed things. I mean, even Stevia and sugar goes through a process to make it to your counter. Wheat is processed into the flour that makes it to your bread. So you can't truly rid the world of all processed items. But to me, the less of a proccess it takes to get to your door the cleaner it is.

morganrieger

Tough question! There is so much contradictory information out there right now, For example, I just came across this article the other day http://impruvism.com/clean-eating/

So, for the past year I would have said YES i absolutely believe in clean in eating and I consider myself to eat relatively clean. However, I feel that the word CLEAN can fit many different diets for different people.

For myself, clean eating is eating the most natural foods you possibly can. For example, stapes in my diet are eggs, turkey, chicken, fruit, veggies, and then there is greek yogurt, almond milk, egg whites, hot sauce, ect. So, I guess one could argue these all are 'cleanish' but the yogurt and milk for example are still a bit processed. Also, one could ask where my meat is from, are my fruits and veggies organic. So for me clean eating is about balance. I eat the most natural foods that I have access to, I cook 99% of all my foods, I supplement with multivitamins and shakeology, and if foods are in a package..I try and stay under 3-5 ingredients as a guideline.

So, the word clean eating is more of an umbrella term I feel. A way to describe multiple forms of healthy nutrition.

amyelnash

Lean Low fat meats, grilled, never fried.

fresh fruit and veg

poridge oats and semi-skimmed organic milk, maybe with an orange thrown in or a small amount of organic local honey
but never the flavoured poridge sachets... clean oats taste so much better and is so much cheaper, buy a small tub or some sandwich bags if you buy for the convenience.

I never add butters or fats.
I very rarely have bread, any bread i do have, I prefer homemade.. i feel much more comfortable eating food when i know theres no hidden nasty secrets in there.

I never eat crisps, sweets, chocolate, cake, high sugary, or saturated fatty foods.

Im fussy that I consider clean cheese something for special occassions.
eat the fats to which you would burn during exercise.

I work a desk job and dont have much time for exercising. maybe once or twice a week?

melba_321

Clean eating for me is staying away from overly processed junk (chips, candy, fast food, soda, prepackaged goods, artificial sweeteners, most condiments -especially salad dressings, sauces & mayonnaise, artificial flavors, additives, chemical preservatives, food dyes, hydrogenated fats, GMO's, gluten & most grains, beet sugar/bleached refined sugar, non-fermented soy, corn anything, MSG, phytoestrogens & estrogen producing foods) and eating as much fresh as possible (2nd best being frozen fruits/veggies and dried legumes & at worst canned beans/legumes) and getting organic when possible.

For the most part, the only "processed" foods I eat/use are Almond milk, 1-2% organic milk, butter (on occasion), organic yogurt, cheeses, pre-dried and/or ground spices and herbs, some shelled/hulled seeds (like chia, hemp), EVOO & EV Organic coconut oil (and only cook in coconut oil), occasional sausage or pre-sliced lunch meats, vinegars, on rare occasion -stevia, -honey, -pure maple syrup, teas, coffee, cocoa powder (or very dark chocolate), sea salts, some natural & herbal supplements, occasional alcohol, canned fish and of course, protein powders/shakes. --I agree, reading labels and understanding ingredients is a must.

I try to do things much closer to what my great grandparents did, yet I don't have my own dairy cows to churn my own butter, have fresh milk, make my own cheese or yogurt. Instead of lard, I use coconut oil, since it's harder to find "healthy" lard (organic w/ animals whom actually get their sunshine & not full of hormones). I don't bake often though, since I don't really eat grains, & I stay away from gluten. Yet, I also use some cold pressed essential oils in my cooking.

Every great now and then, I will have "fast food" from Subway, but I throw away more than half the bread & get without oils, mayo. Sometimes, I will hurt later over the gluten. lol My weakness is Japanese (sushi) & where I will ingest white rice & sauces. --Will be learning how to make my own sushi though, so I can alter that.

So, I definitely could still use improvements.

Sabine_Stroehm

Fruits
veg
lean grass fed meats
free range poultry
fish
bread made from a few real, pronounceable ingredients
organic soybeans
wine
organic dark chocolate
whole grains
whole grains in foods with ingredients I can pronounce

And basically avoiding overly processed crap.

Slow carb and low crap is my motto

south beach diet (as initially conceived) meets Mediterranean diet, meets Michael Pollan

Notreadytoquit

I know what you mean. A friend taught me how to make really nice laundry detergent and I save a lot of money. I'm so grateful I will post recipe when I make it to the end of this thread.

vmlabute

Clean Eating means eating whole, non-processed, no chemicals added foods with all of their potential vitamins and minerals

Allmyusernamesaretakengeeze

It is all about keeping it simple. If it has a lot of ingredients don't eat it because it isn't good for you. If it has few ingredients but you don't know what some of them are, let alone have the ability to pronounce them, don't eat it.

DianeinFL

less processed, non gmo, no high fructose corn syrup, less sugar. I just saw the seminar on youtube called sugar.the bitter truth. Its really an eye opener. I try my best when cooking at home but I really look at the ingredient list now. I have to comment on that chips ahoy list. How many times was sugar listed in all different ways, lol

Notreadytoquit

I have always been somewhat of a food militant. Food is my best medicine.

CLEAN Everything washed with organic food wash. Many people touch food before it ends up in the kitchen. Training in Horticulture included animal husbandry as well as food production. When I started to really use cleaning products I was shocked at how filthy organic food was. Yikes!!

Organic whenever possible. Never from Mexico or South America. Only organic coffee.

We like to eat homegrown as much as possible ... asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce, radishes, beets, peas, kale and cole crops, beans, cucumbers, limited tomatoes, all types of peppers, raspberries & blueberries, pears, apples, persimmon ...Our home raised quail eggs are a superfood staple high in HDL the good cholesterol.

My husband buys meat products from a good butcher, my son & I prefer venison & wild game birds as long as they are cooked at 160 degrees for a minimum of 3 minutes to kill unwanted organisms & parasites.

Chinese Chestnuts are our primary superfood crop. Last year we harvested 60#'s nut meat. Freeze 1/2 whole and grind rest really fine like flour or bread crumbs. We save and freeze the stock, too. Didn't find that in database.

I'm hard pressed to find foods I don't like, but like most above avoid all processed foods unless organic. Fast food in a pinch or occasional splurge. My priority is to reach my daily quota of fiber which forces me to eat lots of vegetables and some fruit.

Homemade bread from organic ingredients mostly in winter. Am embracing gluten free.

Zone diet taught me portion control. Anti-inflammatory diet helped me eliminate sugar, severely reduce gluten and eliminate dairy for 3 months - enough to jump start my immune system when I was really ill.

sofigarcia737

I enjoyed reading all the different views on clean eating. To me, it means making the best possible choices without driving myself insane. For example today's meals are:
Bkfast--light and fit dannon greek yogurt (80 cal), 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1tbs flaxseeds, 1 scoop of protein, 1 oz of peanuts (bec i was really hungry and love the sweet/salt of it
Lunch--grilled chicken breast (5oz) 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of brocoli
Dinner--will be grilled salmon (5oz), sweet potatoe and asparagus,
Snack--sliced cucumbers with vinegar (i LOVE vinegar)

I try to eat low carb, moderate protein and fat--I find it keeps me satisfied more than any other WOE.

During the week I pretty much eat like this and during the weekends I relax and eat pretty much what I feel like eating. I try to buy organic when I can, but it tends to be too much for my budget.

I also excericse 3-5 times a week. I have lost following this method before and I'm hoping I will be able to do the same.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU

Fat2_Fit

Clean eating to me means eating only whole, natural foods. Such as rice, oats, beans, nuts, fish, meat, fruits and veggies. I try to stay away from things that are "man made". Bread, cookies, cakes. flour products, most canned, boxed or bagged goods. I'm not perfect but that's my general guideline. If I get something prepackage I try to make sure the only thing in it is natural ingredients. Like salsa, it comes in a jar. It should only have tomatoes, onions, peppers, salt, vinegar and so on in it.

It's about the quality of food.
10 potato chips = 140 calories. You could just eat a whole medium potato! More calories for less nutrition and less filling? Why? F that!