I Need "Clean Eating" Advice

Tigg_er

I'm going to sound old here, but back in the day before the interwebs allowed anyone and everyone to voice their opinions and create countless definitions for what used to be a commonly understood term "clean eating" was basically eating whole foods. Fruit, veggies, meats, eggs, dairy & avoiding junk food & processed garbage. The end.

Well I am old and that sounds exactly right.

katevarner

I'm going to sound old here, but back in the day before the interwebs allowed anyone and everyone to voice their opinions and create countless definitions for what used to be a commonly understood term "clean eating" was basically eating whole foods. Fruit, veggies, meats, eggs, dairy & avoiding junk food & processed garbage. The end.

Well I am old and that sounds exactly right.

Ditto. It's up to you, but the fewer ingredients the better. Shop the outside of the grocery store, or better yet, go to the Farmer's Market or join a CSA in your area. A lot of people are afraid of dairy, so that may be why you are seeing so much Almond milk, but most cow's milk is processed less than almond milk. If you aren't personally dairy intolerant, cow's milk is fine. Cheese can be clean, but again, the less processed the better, and the fewer ingredients the better. It's hard to be perfect, but get it right most of the time and you will be fine. It's about health, tho, not just weight loss. If you eat too much, you will have a hard time losing, even if your diet is clean.

PikaKnight

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822501-halp-my-sandwich-isn-t-clean

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://body-improvements.com/2013/05/24/undiet-your-diet/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-myth-of-good-and-bad-foods-by-eric-helms-588801

ndj1979

Ok so I want to start trying to eat clean (or much closer to it). I've been experimenting with clean recipes and buying a lot more clean groceries but I want to start getting a bit more strict about it. I have some questions that might sound stupid but please be nice lol Im just starting out and learning. So I've been doing some reading and here are my questions:

A lot of reading suggests raw almonds rather than just almonds. When you go to a regular grocery store and just buy almonds, those are not raw, huh? Where do I get raw almonds and what is the difference as far as taste and nutrition goes?

Is milk considered clean because so far on the lists that I have read they only list unsweetened almond milk but not regular milk?

What protien products are considered clean?

Can anyone send me a link to a good list of clean foods?

Suggestions for a clean cookbook?

Cheese is clean or not clean?

Any other tips?

Thank you so much everyone.

so many questions ..

this is why I just eat what I want, hit my macros, and stay in a deficit, at maintenance, or surplus….

who wants to confuse themselves with what is clean and what is not clean…
OP just eat in a deficit and you will lose weight…

is there any reason that you want to eat clean?

cwsreddy

I'm going to sound old here, but back in the day before the interwebs allowed anyone and everyone to voice their opinions and create countless definitions for what used to be a commonly understood term "clean eating" was basically eating whole foods. Fruit, veggies, meats, eggs, dairy & avoiding junk food & processed garbage. The end.

Well I am old and that sounds exactly right.

Ditto. It's up to you, but the fewer ingredients the better. Shop the outside of the grocery store, or better yet, go to the Farmer's Market or join a CSA in your area. A lot of people are afraid of dairy, so that may be why you are seeing so much Almond milk, but most cow's milk is processed less than almond milk. If you aren't personally dairy intolerant, cow's milk is fine. Cheese can be clean, but again, the less processed the better, and the fewer ingredients the better. It's hard to be perfect, but get it right most of the time and you will be fine. It's about health, tho, not just weight loss. If you eat too much, you will have a hard time losing, even if your diet is clean.

CSAs are the greatest thing in the world

bradXdale

There are no "clean" or "dirty" foods.

Avoid chemically processed & bio-engineered foods.

I literally hate the term "clean eating".

Tanya949

I'm going to sound old here, but back in the day before the interwebs allowed anyone and everyone to voice their opinions and create countless definitions for what used to be a commonly understood term "clean eating" was basically eating whole foods. Fruit, veggies, meats, eggs, dairy & avoiding junk food & processed garbage. The end.

I eat clean.. I do this ^^^^

RockWarrior84

IMO the more you can cook or make at home the better the food is. But as long a you are able to stay within your macros and still be able to be at your goal calories you should be good.

Clean eating means different things to different people and you will get so many different answers.

DamePiglet

My advice to you is that you decide for yourself what is "clean" and not clean.
For one thing, you're the only person that knows what foods you like and what your nutrition goals are. You're also the only one who knows what kind of resources are available to you.

There are probably as many definitions of "clean" as there are people who choose that eating style.

I suggest that you figure out what you value and make your own way.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

My advice to you is that you decide for yourself what is "clean" and not clean.
For one thing, you're the only person that knows what foods you like and what your nutrition goals are. You're also the only one who knows what kind of resources are available to you.

There are probably as many definitions of "clean" as there are people who choose that eating style.

I suggest that you figure out what you value and make your own way.

This is good advice.

cwsreddy

My advice to you is that you decide for yourself what is "clean" and not clean.
For one thing, you're the only person that knows what foods you like and what your nutrition goals are. You're also the only one who knows what kind of resources are available to you.

There are probably as many definitions of "clean" as there are people who choose that eating style.

I suggest that you figure out what you value and make your own way.

This is good advice.

agreed.

sprocketism

The greatest subject ever! Plant Strong...

Clean eating can be learned watching "Forks Over Knives" and "Hungry For Change" , both on Netflix. They also have websites.

Animal proteins are not clean (yes, cheese is an animal protein along with eggs, milk, etc.). Oils are also horrible for your health.


I've never been this healthy in my life. I also have a ton of fun making gourmet plant strong recpies.

iheartcycling

Clean eating is a broad description - I would interpret it as eating whole foods, avoiding heavily processed ones (especially fast-food, additive filled types).

Whey protein is a heavily processed ingredient. Most whey is from GMO sources (most cows eat genetically modified corn in this country) and is then is extracted from milk/dairy with chemicals to make it more concentrated. It is typically then spray dried to make the powder you can buy in stores. You can find some hexane-free extracted proteins which means that they were concentrated with steam/mechanical methods. All that being said, I use "Designer" brand whey on a daily basis to build muscle after working out. I try to stay all-natural, but think processed foods in moderation will not kill me.

Raw almonds are different than blanched or roasted almonds as they are simply cleaned and packaged. Raw almonds are more unstable (fat can oxidize and cause rancidity) than blanched or roasted versions. I recommend storing them in your fridge or freezer. The type of almond you are looking for should be on the label (FDA requirement).

psuLemon

Come on guys, lets try not to turn this into another sugar thread. It's ok to ask questions but lets focus on hellping the OP and not violating the below rule. Thanks.

2. No Hi-Jacking, Trolling, or Flame-baiting

Please stay on-topic in an existing thread, and post new threads in the appropriate forum. Taking a thread off-topic is considered hi-jacking. Please either contribute politely and constructively to a topic, or move on without posting. This includes posts that encourage the drama in a topic to escalate, or posts intended to incite an uproar from the community.

Serah87

I just. Eat. The. Foods. And stay within my macros.

Michelle9055

Read this article "Why “Clean Eating” is a Myth": http://evidencemag.com/clean-eating/