Can someone please explain "Clean Eating"

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