What do people mean by 'eating clean'?

jellybaby84

do you mean eating only low calorie foods? eating only natural foods? eating only raw foods?

What does it mean for you and how far do you take it?

Personally I rely heavily on processed foods (at least I assume they're processed - mini rice cakes, mini light cheeses, cold meat, ice lollies, fat free yogurts etc) because I like being able to judge what I'm eating on packet size and listed calories. I don't cook (ok, I rarely cook and when I do it would only be a potato or some tuna steak)
I also won't eat things mixed together which rules out most traditional meals.

But I do keep to under 1000 calories per day and I would rarely choose a single food item that totalled more than 150 calories. I keep well under my carb, fat and sodium levels. I go over on sugar but that's largely because I eat a lot of fruit. I do worry about the fruit but only because this site makes me, I've never considered it as unhealthy before and am wary of cutting out something I feel safe-ish eating.

I don't like the thought that I am eating 'dirty' but worry that I'm a long way from 'clean'.

So, clean eaters, what is your definition of eating cleanly?

SabrinaG1986

eating whole foods, from scratch. No processed junk. That's what clean eating is to me anyways. natural foods.

Chairless

Using food to literally bore yourself to death.

As far as i can tell.

jkincaid0202

Bump.

I'm interested in this topic as well.

Acg67

eating clean means something different to everyone

read this:

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/


oh and personally i think you should up your cals, under 1k a day is not very good unless you are extremely petite

bry_all01

eating clean to me means less processed food, more lean cuts of meats (if you eat meat), less fat. Oh, and just my opinion, but you shold be eating at least 1200 calories a day...

TDGee

eating clean to me means less processed food, more lean cuts of meats (if you eat meat), less fat. Oh, and just my opinion, but you shold be eating at least 1200 calories a day...

^^^^ and shower. regularly. Seriously, the smell builds up!

ninerbuff

The consensus is usually no processed foods. Whole foods prepped by themselves with little to no additives (salt). I've ate clean many times to get ready for competitions. Then when comp is over it's pizza and beer.

maureendonahue

A trainer explained it to me this way: if it came straight from the ground/tree or had a face/beak, it is "clean". Anything else is processed.

bry_all01

eating clean to me means less processed food, more lean cuts of meats (if you eat meat), less fat. Oh, and just my opinion, but you shold be eating at least 1200 calories a day...

^^^^ and shower. regularly. Seriously, the smell builds up!

and spray it all with Windex before putting it in your mouth.

epj78

To me, eating clean is no processed foods. So, all homemade from scratch cooking, no processed white stuff (i.e. white flour, sugar, etc).

I use Tosca Reno's books as reference. I do lose more weight - significantly - when I eat clean.

anubis609

Scrub then shave or wax.

Cynthiafaron

If it is a food in it's natural state , then eat it - inotherwords if it is picked from the ground ,a tree, bush , or caught from the sea - eat it !

sarahrosemun

Don't worry about the 1000 calories, my doctor recommended that to me, says there are significant benefits to going under the 1200 calories nutritionists recommend.

mamashatzie

To me it is avoiding processed foods as much as possible. Things like canned soup, seasoning mixes (not herbs and spices- those are fine), and boxed dinners, that have chemicals and preservatives added to make them look nicer and stay good longer.

I grew up using Campbell's Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup as a recipe base. Used it in vegetables, soups, stews, meats, and more. Do you have any idea how much crap is in that? Preservatives, nitrates, sodium, and general junk. And how does a cream soup get to be fat free anyway? Another example is ranch dressing mix, which has MSG and preservatives. I learned to make my own so I can have homemade ranch dip for my veggies.

It has been challenging, finding substitutes for all the processed crap I grew up using. And, it's hard to add calories to my meal because previously I was using an artificially fat free version. But my body will be so much healthier without all that crap, and I do believe that people who eat clean will be healthier, weigh less, and live longer overall. It's better to fill your body with the real thing than with a stripped-down, chemical-laden, artificially calorie reduced product any day.

123456654321

aunt_hbomb

Eating clean is eating natural foods, nothing that is processed.

I try to eat as clean as possible, but for me its impossible to completely clean.

jellybaby84

hmmm, so you need to be prepared to cook to do it then? That's me out, I don't get how people have the time for that much preparation.

I like the ground/face/beak definition. But to me, red meat is far more concerning that a pot of sugar free jelly for example. I wouldn't touch beef or duck but will eat fat free yogurt and babybel light cheeses without worrying. Maybe, if I ever get to a weight I'm happy with (unlikely!) I'll consider clean eating for a long term future but it sounds like a lot of effort!

I find it interesting that people are saying they lose more weight by only eating clean foods - do you know why you find this? I lose weight if I restrict calories and do exercise - it doesn't matter whether those calories are made up of a tonne of lettuce or 1 bar of chocolate. I guess everybody's different.

And yes, I'm very short adn quite petite so I'm not eating too little, don't worry.

jes1978

ha ha! like the dieting with a sense of humour. Just joined.

AggieCass09

A trainer explained it to me this way: if it came straight from the ground/tree or had a face/beak, it is "clean". Anything else is processed.

this

AggieCass09

hmmm, so you need to be prepared to cook to do it then? That's me out, I don't get how people have the time for that much preparation.

I like the ground/face/beak definition. But to me, red meat is far more concerning that a pot of sugar free jelly for example. I wouldn't touch beef or duck but will eat fat free yogurt and babybel light cheeses without worrying. Maybe, if I ever get to a weight I'm happy with (unlikely!) I'll consider clean eating for a long term future but it sounds like a lot of effort!

I find it interesting that people are saying they lose more weight by only eating clean foods - do you know why you find this? I lose weight if I restrict calories and do exercise - it doesn't matter whether those calories are made up of a tonne of lettuce or 1 bar of chocolate. I guess everybody's different.

And yes, I'm very short adn quite petite so I'm not eating too little, don't worry.

it does matter WHAT you eat not just HOW much. Most processed foods contain hormones, fake sugars, chemicals, etc...all things that are foreign to your body and alter your metabolism. Even high fructose corn syrup which is in so many foods is metabolized differently than table sugar. Over time, this will affect your weight.

cre8freedom

Eating Clean: http://www.eatcleandiet.com/

Basically it is about eating non-processed foods but also following a diet that you can stick to all your life and that has many health benefits. 1000 calories a day is not enough for your body to function properly and I think that if you are eating less than 1000 calories a day then you could have some serious health issues in the future - check with your doctor!

Over-processed foods or foods that have lots of chemicals are also not good for you. When you read the ingredient label what do you see? If there are ingredients in there that you can't pronounce then how can they really be good for you?

Do you know why companies use a lot of those chemicals instead of real food? Because it is cheaper for them to manufacture the product - not because it is better for us.

Overall to me Eating clean is about eating what is best for my body and relying on Mother Nature not scientists!

lil_missfit

Bump

123456654321

...Wait, this thread isn't a joke?

pinkbride2011

Eating clean for me is staying away from heavily processed foods and especially foods with synthetic ingredients (chemicals). I buy local, fresh and organic foods as much as possible. I make sure things like cheese, pasta, soups have no more than 5 ingredients and that none of those ingredients is anything other than a food (no chemicals). Some have even called my diet the "real food" diet. Here is a great blog about it. www.100daysofrealfood.com

Of course there is the occassional slip, but it is not a part of my regular diet/routine.

At first, it seems daunting and time consuming, but as you get better you learn about freezing, portions and short cuts. If you watch movies like Food Inc, you may not feel so good about eating prepackaged/processed foods regularly.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your journey.

LisaMarieee

My definition of eating clean is consuming no processed food.

AveryWays

Eating clean means anything that wasn't processed in a plant but picked from the earth in its raw form. I tell my kids there's no such thing as a bread, cake, muffin and pasta tree. :grumble: There's no Oreo Cookie tree either! :laugh:

Here's a tip I read somewhere:
Whenever you see the words "FAT-FREE" or "LOW-FAT", Think of the words "CHEMICAL S*** STORM!"

pope369

I have heard of people following a kosher diet to eat "clean", but there's plenty of processed food that's labeled kosher.

MzMiller1215

Scrub then shave or wax.

LOL!!:laugh:

OnMyWeigh

Another example is ranch dressing mix, which has MSG and preservatives. I learned to make my own so I can have homemade ranch dip for my veggies.

Would love your recipe for ranch mix!

ninerbuff

it does matter WHAT you eat not just HOW much. Most processed foods contain hormones, fake sugars, chemicals, etc...all things that are foreign to your body and alter your metabolism. Even high fructose corn syrup which is in so many foods is metabolized differently than table sugar. Over time, this will affect your weight.

You'd need to find clinical evidence to support that. If you got in all your essentials and balanced macronutrients, and you ate processed foods in controlled portions, your weight can stay stable. I've done it for more than 20 years this way.