Can someone please explain "Clean Eating"

CeleryStalker

"clean eating" for me is whole foods, the less processed, the better. whether or not there is any science behind if it's better for you or whatever, i don't know, but i do know that once i cut out ingredients that i can't pronounce or recognize as an actual item of food, i started feeling much better, more energy, less illness in general. this applies to my kids as well. *knocks on wood* cold and flu season don't seem to hit our family as bad as it did before we started eating real food.

for me, it also means shopping locally, from local farmer's markets. while it might be inconvenient to not get strawberries in the dead of winter, the strawberries in the produce dept of the grocery store over winter were flavorless and gross anyways. rather than looking at what's not available at different times of year, i've learned to appreciate what IS in season, and the variety i find at our state farmer's market never leaves me wishing for more.

additionally, it means knowing your meat producer. i am on a first name basis with the people who raise my beef, chicken, and pork, as well as those who supply me fresh-caught fish off our coast. i know the animals i'm eating were pasture raised and not fed a diet of GMO corn and other nonsense they weren't designed to digest, and not pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. i've literally 'met' my bacon and watched it frolic in the pasture where it's being raised. there's something to be said about the satisfaction that comes from dining upon an animal you know was raised humanely, and let me tell ya, chicken that isn't mass-processed and injected with saline is so incredibly delicious, it's hardly recognizable when compared to the big name chickens.

removing highly processed/refined items from my lifestyle has also eliminated my cravings for junk food, which is something i battled for quite a long time. i do believe i was a food addict of sorts, and eliminating the trigger foods from my plate resulted in not even having the desire for them.

it's not for everyone, but it's definitely a lifestyle i enjoy and intend to keep around for the remainder of my life. :flowerforyou:

_KitKat_

Oh snap.

Maybe you should educate me with some links to peer-reviewed scientific articles that show a benefit to eating organic and that "antibiotics and hormones in many foods" are harmful.

Not to play devils advocate, and I do not personally avoid these foods, but saying antibiotics in our meat has no effects is incorrect. here is an article in the Huffington post concerning the CDC [url] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/antibiotic-resistance-in-meat-cdc_n_3953938.html [/url]
Over use of antibiotics can cause resistance in bacteria...basic evolution. As for Hormones, I haven't seen the data but have you seen the teens now a days and there are reports of girls hitting puberty at a much younger age. My oldest daughter is 5' 6" and 118lbs with a c-cup...she is 13 and looks like I did when I graduated ( except she is taller).

Levesque_7

Yes, eating clean is when you take a shower before eating. Also I think some people say you need to wash your fruits/veggies before eating them, or else it isn't ''clean eating''

This is awesome^^ LMAO

RunBrew

Ahh....I love it when people set 'minimally processed' and 'closer to nature' restrictions on food.

So you don't eat any bread. 'cause even if I grew my own wheat and milled it myself, it'd be still pretty highly processed. Unless, you know, you have a baguette tree out back.
What about hamburger? I could kill and butcher the cow myself, but I'd have to process the meat to get ground beef. Hmm, guess I'm stuck with steaks if I wanna eat clean.
You must not eat pasta, or cheese, or milk for these same reasons. Or yogurt. They undergo quite a few processes to get created.

Rice and beans? Because they have to be processed to get to you in a shelf-stable form.

Even all-natural honey goes through processing.


Bottom line: if you feel you need to 'eat cleanly', start by choosing foods that don't come pre-made and frozen in cardboard, wrapped in plastic. Gather the basic ingredients and make it yourself. Many frozen foods have lots of ingredients that increase taste (MSG), or make it more shelf-stable. Maybe you feel those are substances you don't want in your body. Maybe you don't care.

Stop with the 'processed' madness.

PatriNina

bcattoes

Ahh....I love it when people set 'minimally processed' and 'closer to nature' restrictions on food.

So you don't eat any bread. 'cause even if I grew my own wheat and milled it myself, it'd be still pretty highly processed. Unless, you know, you have a baguette tree out back.
What about hamburger? I could kill and butcher the cow myself, but I'd have to process the meat to get ground beef. Hmm, guess I'm stuck with steaks if I wanna eat clean.
You must not eat pasta, or cheese, or milk for these same reasons. Or yogurt. They undergo quite a few processes to get created.

Rice and beans? Because they have to be processed to get to you in a shelf-stable form.

Even all-natural honey goes through processing.


Bottom line: if you feel you need to 'eat cleanly', start by choosing foods that don't come pre-made and frozen in cardboard, wrapped in plastic. Gather the basic ingredients and make it yourself. Many frozen foods have lots of ingredients that increase taste (MSG), or make it more shelf-stable. Maybe you feel those are substances you don't want in your body. Maybe you don't care.

Stop with the 'processed' madness.

Chill dude. She just asked for a definition of the term.

CeleryStalker

I honestly enjoy eating this way, just as some folks honestly enjoy eating Little Debbie snacks or what have you. What gets old is when people argue over the semantics of what 'clean' is, or what 'processed' is. Truth is, everyone has their own level of what is acceptable, and unless we're buying their groceries, there's no reason to get in an uproar over anything, yet that usually does tend to happen unfortunately.

I'm sure there are some clean eaters out there that don't eat bread unless they milled the grain themselves, etc. That's hardcore. For me and my family, we eat as close to nature as possible, with minimal additives. Olive oil and butter? You betcha! What is the ingredients of butter? Cream and salt, if you use salted butter. That, to me, is minimally processed. Olive oil, same thing. Coconut oil? Heh, we don't use that as food, but we've got a jar of it for...other reasons

Cereal? No. Oatmeal? Yes. Pasta, rarely. Rice, every day, paired up with a lean protein and a healthy fat.

So, sure, there are hardcore folks out there that eat stuff that's super duper minimally processed. It's not for me. I feel good about the items in my cabinets and fridge, and I'd be proud to open my door to any nutritionist, doctor, or similar professional, and not feel guilty, embarrassed, or ashamed of what they might find. As long as they didn't find my coconut oil. LOL

Unless, you know, you have a baguette tree out back.

That'd be so awesome. Or a potato roll tree, even better. LOL

Bottom line: if you feel you need to 'eat cleanly', start by choosing foods that don't come pre-made and frozen in cardboard, wrapped in plastic. Gather the basic ingredients and make it yourself.

LOVE THIS! This is where I began, and it's finally at the point that it's second nature. The kids don't expect to see store bought junk in the cabinets, and look forward to my weekly batch of whatever, which is usually some sort of whole wheat cookie *gasp* A clean eater making cookies?!?!?! LOL Again, it's a matter of personal preference. I'd much rather give my kids some cookies I made with pasture-raised butter, whole wheat flour, palm sugar, free range eggs than grab a box of cookies off the shelf laden with chemicals and preservatives. They've learned to respect the home baked goods as well, ie: they really enjoy them, but know that once they are gone, they are gone for the week until it's baking day again, so they regulate and rather than ask for more cookies, they grab an apple or persimmon instead.

chickennugger13

To me it means as little processed food as possible.
Fruits and vegetables, nuts, brown rice, etc.

Mr_Knight

i know the animals i'm eating were pasture raised and not fed a diet of GMO corn and other nonsense they weren't designed to digest, and not pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.

Here's the thing - and I say this as one of those people doing the raising of free-range animals (I "grow" bacon so good our friends have renamed October to "The Aporkalypse") - pasture raised animals are a strictly human invention.

Cows are not natural - wild buffalo are natural. Pigs are not natural - wild boar is natural. This becomes evident when you look at the nutritional content of the resultant meat - cow/pig is completely different from bison/boar. There are two principal reasons for this, one being selective breeding (i.e., cows are, effectively, a human invention, slow-motion GMO, if you like) and the other comes from lifestyle - animals were never meant to be in an enclosed pasture protected from predators, and their physiology (i.e., their "meat") changes as a result.

Something like milk is even worse - it doesn't matter how GMO or hormone-free your supplier is, the reality is that a cow in a permanent state of lactation is leading a completely unnatural life. And this, too, shows up in the nutritional profile - the milk of a naturally-lactating cow is completely different than that of Bessy "I've been pumping for 2 years" Belle from down the road.

Again, I couldn't care less what people eat. Those are personal choices, and we all have the right/obligation to make them for ourselves. I do, however, have a big problem with the notion of "clean" vs unclean food, as I have yet to see a coherent definition.

jillianbeeee

I like this websites definition. http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/the-clean-eating-diet-whats-it-all-about.html#b
this is really hard to do! I am trying to eat clean but its a slow process and unfortuantly is not going as good as I want it to lol. My old standbys like special k crisps and protein shakes from GNC, don't qualify lol. Try to make dinner only clean but its not easy. Hats off to those that can actually do it!

thekyleo

Ask Jeeves

winner for the search engine reference. Otherwise I would refer her to Metacrawler

heatherota

Clean eating means eating foods that are made from whole foods - basically unprocessed and preferably organic.

It is unfortunate that so many people responding to this question have to be snarky and mean. No need for that.

jonnythan

Oh, for heavens sake people, stop making such a fuss!

Clean eating generally means eating whole foods---avoiding processed foods, or at least trying for minimally processed ones.

In that same vein, it often means trying for organic or natural food, to avoid the antibiotics, hormones and pesticides in many foods. And carrying it one step further, it can mean generally avoiding processed foods that are "junk" foods, low in nutrition, such as sugar, refined flour (most breads, for example).

So it generally means focusing on things that have no influence on weight and health instead of things that do.

Got it.

Try doing some research instead of digging further into your ideological ignorance and you might actually learn something.

Oh snap.

Maybe you should educate me with some links to peer-reviewed scientific articles that show a benefit to eating organic and that "antibiotics and hormones in many foods" are harmful.

It's interesting that a few here ask others for "peer-reviewed scientific articles" to corroborate their positions (normally, an understandable request).

It's also worth noting that these are often the same individuals who post anecdotal (and unverifiable) info about their own health, in order to support their lifestyle choices.

Both have their place. However, there are two significantly different kinds of anecdotal information.

The first kind of anecdotal information is data. It looks like this: "From January to August of 2013, I ate all manner of food including fast food, candy, ice cream, etc., while focusing on nutrient intake instead of labeling individual foods. During that time I lost 16 lbs of fat mass and 0.4 lbs of lean mass. Since my previous blood panel in 2011, my LDL is down 36 mg/dL; HDL up 9; triglycerides down 17; total cholesterol down 30. My main lifts have increased by about 40% across the board."

The second kind is psychological. It looks like this: "I feel great and my skin is wonderful!"

The first kind is a valuable tool that complements peer-reviewed scientific data. The second kind isn't worth much.

contingencyplan

Clean eating can mean different things to different people. The way I interpret it is that you're free to eat whatever the hell you want as long as you make it from scratch from fresh, unprocessed ingredients. And short of baking my own breads and allowing myself my Doritos fix, I've had a lot of success doing that.

SezxyStef

Oh snap.

Maybe you should educate me with some links to peer-reviewed scientific articles that show a benefit to eating organic and that "antibiotics and hormones in many foods" are harmful.

Not to play devils advocate, and I do not personally avoid these foods, but saying antibiotics in our meat has no effects is incorrect. here is an article in the Huffington post concerning the CDC [url] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/antibiotic-resistance-in-meat-cdc_n_3953938.html [/url]
Over use of antibiotics can cause resistance in bacteria...basic evolution. As for Hormones, I haven't seen the data but have you seen the teens now a days and there are reports of girls hitting puberty at a much younger age. My oldest daughter is 5' 6" and 118lbs with a c-cup...she is 13 and looks like I did when I graduated ( except she is taller).

Not sure Huffington post is a good source to site.

As for your Daughter I am now 41 and looked like an 18 year old when I was 9 (almost 10 when I hit puberty) so 30 years ago my mother was poor and trust me we didn't have "processed foods" we only ate "good" food...perhaps nutrition plays a part in our early development now not hormones etc in our food.

calliekitten9

I have a friend who just started Whole 30 and although I applaud his efforts....I am not a fan of elimination diets...I much prefer allowing myself anything...but in moderation.

Rawfoodsho

Probably not drinking 15 sodas a day and 2 boxes of pop tarts. Clean eating would entail eating whole foods in their natural form. Things that have been highly over-processed and don't expire for 20 years would be out. Clearly things have an effect on health, diabetics, tooth decay, liver failure, heart problems, bad blood circulation, ect.. Like just because you can fit soda into your deficit doesn't mean all that sugar is healthy for you in the long run, or coffee stains your teeth and is often paired with high trans fat creamers. Clearly fruits, vegetables, lean meats are generally better than donuts, cupcakes, pies and other junk foods, nutritionally wise, but if you eat 10 bananas that's still more calories than 2 donuts and still worse for your diet. I dont feel like eating tons of fast food is really going to enrich my life, most of it has too many calories for the portion size and I could make five times that much food at home. Some people eat whatever they want and live to be 90, some eat clean and get hit by a bus.

DamePiglet

I keep seeing it everywhere. I am trying to make a life style change that includes the gym (I love the gym), mostly lifting and strength training with some cardio and circuit thrown in. I am also trying to eat my proper calories (always under, trying to get my metabolism where it should be) and hit my macros.
I mean no judgement to anyone but for me to make a change it has to be in moderation and sustainable for life. 90% of my meals are home cooked, not because of a theory but because I love good food and I am a damn good cook. I use real butter and olive oil, and almost nothing that says low fat. I consider myself a relatively "clean" eater. I love fruit, veggies and whole foods. I am asking an honest question because without other health concerns (mother-in-law was diabetic...I understand her extreme dietary change) what does "clean eating" mean?
Also what is with the "what do you regret that you ate" threads? Life is too short for regrets, unless it makes me feel sick...then I will regret it lol.
I am hoping with lifting and maintaining my bodies caloric intake, I will have the results I want.
I mean no harm, just interested in opposing view points. Heck maybe my plan won't work and I will need a completely different diet plan. Hopefully not, depriving myself would not seem sustainable for the long term.

You've chosen how you want to eat. Go with that if it works for you. If eating a particular way isn't sustainable to you, but it is to others, so be it.

If you're interested in how someone eats, perhaps ask that person.

MFP is so diverse... Different goals, different ages, lifestyles, weights... On & on.
There's no real "one size fits all".
Too often, forum participants forget that.

FlaxMilk

Clean eating is pretty arbitrary, but like someone else said, it's more of a guide than a religion for most. It helps remind me to make healthy choices most of the time, which helps me fit my macros, which means I can make room for the foods that do very little for my health or nutrition except for taste enjoyment. I don't think of foods like soy creamer as "dirty", just as unimportant unless I am having a specific craving that I feel I have to satisfy. (I get plenty of fat, so for me, soy creamer is just a treat. For someone who doesn't get enough fat, it may help them hit their macros.) I don't really care how others define it for themselves, and I wouldn't tell others to "eat clean." I would tell others to make sure they calculate their calorie, protein, and fat needs and then eat in a way that helps them hit those targets. For me, that means minimizing (but not eliminating) things like breads and soy creamers most of the time. For others, that's also true. Some of us do better keeping the treats out of our daily lives. Others do much better having a bowl of ice cream every night. It really doesn't matter at the end of the day.

Clean eating for most is not sufficient to lose weight. There are a lot of calories in some commonly considered "clean" foods like nuts, seeds, and even fruits. I can easily eat a full day's worth of calories in fruits.

CeleryStalker

Both have their place. However, there are two significantly different kinds of anecdotal information.

The first kind of anecdotal information is data. It looks like this: "From January to August of 2013, I ate all manner of food including fast food, candy, ice cream, etc., while focusing on nutrient intake instead of labeling individual foods. During that time I lost 16 lbs of fat mass and 0.4 lbs of lean mass. Since my previous blood panel in 2011, my LDL is down 36 mg/dL; HDL up 9; triglycerides down 17; total cholesterol down 30. My main lifts have increased by about 40% across the board."

The second kind is psychological. It looks like this: "I feel great and my skin is wonderful!"

The first kind is a valuable tool that complements peer-reviewed scientific data. The second kind isn't worth much.

That's some interesting feedback. I've got a dr's appt this Friday as a follow up to blood work I had done at my annual physical two months prior (mean ol' cholesterol). I know 2 months isn't a very long time frame for comparison, but if anything interesting comes of the lab work, I'll make a post