What do you consider "Clean Eating" ?

TubbsMcGee

Eating natural foods, and being able to pronounce and know what all the ingredients in your foods are composed of.

Even better if you make your own foods without preservatives.

I like to also opt for organic foods as well due to the chemicals and pesticides found in conventional goods that can lead to health hazards.

jallen1955

To me it means, no processed foods, no dairy, no grain, no soy, no sugar, no booze

and heavily processed foods were first incorporated into the north american diet after WW11 and mainly in the 1960s...not that long ago

unless you are 6 :P

TubbsMcGee

For me it's eating 250 calories or under in each meal and having up to 3 snacks under 100 calories each.

that has nothing to do with clean eating. I call that starving.

That's about 900 calories, I call it healthy eating, especially considering my daily calorie goal is 1,200

Being that you're only 19 years old you should be eating about twice that. Healthy eating is ensuring your body has enough nutrition and energy to carry out it's vital functions, not restricting yourself heavily.

I'll up my calories once I lose enough weight.

And you will gain back most of the weight because you put your body into starvation mode, causing it to eat your muscle instead of fat and lower your metabolism.

What you need to understand is that you should not eat below your BMR. Those calories are needed to keep your body running. Think of them as the baseline or the minimum needed to survive. Anything above that is icing and you don't need it, but it is nice to have.

If your metabolism is depressed, which is what you are doing by starving yourself, it may not come back. Then you will not be able to eat more than what you are eating now without gaining weight. You are basically setting yourself up for yo-yo dieting. If you want more info, message me.

I know, but mfp says I should eat up to 1,200 calories a day to lose weight so 1,200 calories a day I shall eat.

What are you talking about?

This forum is for "clean eating."

That's not eating clean or healthy at all!

Siiiiiigh. It's hard to weed out the trolls these days.

treetop57

and heavily processed foods were first incorporated into the north american diet after WW11 and mainly in the 1960s...not that long ago

unless you are 6 :P

I'm 50. My grandmothers both lived about half their lives after WW II. Even if I accept your premise that the American diet had little processed food prior to WW II, "food my grandmother ate" doesn't equal "unprocessed" or "natural."

But I suppose I'm being too literal.

neanderthin

Ok, I have a question. I roasted some shrimp with a little EVOO, salt and pepper. Is that concidered "clean"? What about packaged sun dried tomatoes? Don't know if I could make those myself!

to me yes...adding good fats and seasonings is great...things like sun dried tomatoes, check the package and see if it has any type of preservative

there are different variations - but I would consider what you describe as clean...

The sun dried tomatoes have sulfates in it - its says its put in there to retain the color. Don't know much about sulfates..... I'm guessing that the tomatoes would turn brown otherwise.

sulfates is a preservative that can cause GI track issues. I would look for another brand of sun dried tomatoes.

Sulfates are found naturally in lots of foods, it's in the water we drink.

stormieweather

Well, my idea of "clean" is probably not as clean as it could be.

That said, for me it equals - nothing with artificial additives, preservatives, or enhancers. No colorings, GMO's, HFCS, MSG, nitrites, or chemicals. No hormones, no antibiotics, no pesticides - organic, if possible. Little to no added sugars of any kind.

It can be processed somewhat, as long as the above is still true.

pavlinm

I am thinking you might be anorexic because u have some very strict rules on what to eat and you seem to be avoiding most of the foods groups including meats, diary and carbs. You must weight around 47 kilos which is pretty low for someone your height and age

Damiilla

I think the people who say "Any food around in my grandmother's day" have no idea how long the American diet has included huge amounts of processed foods. Either that or they are really really old.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Bobby_Clerici

Clean eating is simple.
Eat lean meats, low fat dairy, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies.
If man makes it, do not eat it.
That's it. :drinker:

camiah

washing my fruits and vegetables before I eat them.

SuperSexyDork

If they didn't have it 100 years ago....it's clean!

^ This.

Anything that is not processed, including full fat dairy, home made breads, real butter, fresh eggs, free range chicken, grass fed beef, lots of fruits and veggies. No cereal.

The book "Nourishing Traditions" defines it for me. My great grandmother lived to 94 eating this way. For me though, the challenge is to eat smaller quantities and exercise enough to offset full-fat foods.

I just wanted to say that for some (like me) full fat isn't an option. I have a milk fat sensitivity and you don't want to see what happens when I have milk fat so I eat fat free so I can still enjoy eating dairy...

That being said, if you ever see ice cream in my diary, it might be best to avoid me physically for awhile, LMAO!

SuperSexyDork

When I say I'm "eating clean" I have to follow these rules. No oil, no dairy, fat free soy milk is ok, wheetbix are ok, light tuna in water is ok, vegetables are ok as long as they're steamed, no sugar, no carbohydrates except wheetbix, no bananas, no sauces that are oil basssed, no potatoes, no meat except light tuna, no nuts, no sweet potato and definately no processed food. Although I'll admit I do not think this is by any means the definition of clean eating.

why do you hate food so much?

If you read her profile, she's a recovering anorexic... most have this sort of relationship with food. My heart aches for her.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

What do you consider "Clean Eating" ??


Discussion among friends had us talking about what we considered what was clean eating and each had some different views.
I'm sure this has been discussed among the boards a few times in the past. So you 1000's + posters Be kind. Alot of new people on the boards now. Besides it could possibly be that what you considered clean then may have changed to gained knowledge on Nutrition.

Please try and keep it focused on the Discussion and not bash people on thier point of views. This is meant to help educate people not bash them.

Thanks

Seems that everyone's definition is different and mostly to sneak in foods that aren't exactly clean.

For me I follow a CLEAN LIFESTYLE, not just eating. When I started changing, I started changing a LOT.

Eating:
Fruits and vegetables that have to be washed, cleaned, cut, chopped, etc. (Fresh or frozen)
Raw Nuts
Fresh meats that have to be seasoned and cooked (preferably grass fed and pastured)
Raw Dairy (meaning straight from the cow)

Make home made mayonnaise, jellies, ketchup, salsa, salad dressings, marinades and other sauces, etc.

Other changes in my lifestyle.

Make home made deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, use coconut oil for shaving, use soap nuts and essential oils for laundry and make home made cleaning agents.