Clean Eating Vs....

skfj5

What exactly IS clean eating, and how does it differ from being vegetarian or vegan or being completely raw? I know vegetarian is meatless, and vegan is no animal products...period. "Raw" (I thought) was eating foods only in their natural, unaltered state (no cooking, preserving, ect.), which means no meat...but isn't necessarily vegan. I was under the impression that "Clean Eating" was eating foods that are organic and/or un-processed or minimally processed (as in the case with, saw, Greek yogurt).

But I was told today that I am not "clean eating" when I eat bread (or anything I bake)...even though the bread I eat is made from scratch with organic ingredients, including the fact that I grind my own organic wheat AND including unfiltered honey that I buy locally.

So please...I really am trying to change the way my family eats, and with cost considerations of feeding 7 people, I try to buy no processed food or only minimally processed food and as much organic as my budget allows. I don't even buy organic "snacks"...I try and keep just fruits and veggies around. But I AM a cook and a baker, and when I cook, I use whole ingredients...including real, organic butter and cream...rather than substitutes like margarine or nonfat soy milk.

Does that mean I'm not eating clean?

3dogsrunning

There is no one definition of clean eating. It can mean very different things to different people. That's one of the problems.

3dogsrunning

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

Bdbdb13

I had always thought that eating clean meant eating unprocessed .

verptwerp

Wow, this topic can be filled with landmines :explode:

Everyone has his/her own opinion ..... in MY opinion, you are doing a phenomenal job ..... and your family is very lucky !

impyimpyaj

Yeah, everybody has a different opinion on this. Many people don't consider grains to be "clean" because they have to be processed somewhat in order to be edible (so flour would be considered a processed food). Others don't.

Pretty much my advice is to do what's working for your family. It sounds like you're really making a big effort to be conscious and responsible about what you feed to your family, and that's AWESOME. If you're getting haters on here, delete them. It's not worth the stress.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

What exactly IS clean eating, and how does it differ from being vegetarian or vegan or being completely raw? I know vegetarian is meatless, and vegan is no animal products...period. "Raw" (I thought) was eating foods only in their natural, unaltered state (no cooking, preserving, ect.), which means no meat...but isn't necessarily vegan. I was under the impression that "Clean Eating" was eating foods that are organic and/or un-processed or minimally processed (as in the case with, saw, Greek yogurt).

But I was told today that I am not "clean eating" when I eat bread (or anything I bake)...even though the bread I eat is made from scratch with organic ingredients, including the fact that I grind my own organic wheat AND including unfiltered honey that I buy locally.

So please...I really am trying to change the way my family eats, and with cost considerations of feeding 7 people, I try to buy no processed food or only minimally processed food and as much organic as my budget allows. I don't even buy organic "snacks"...I try and keep just fruits and veggies around. But I AM a cook and a baker, and when I cook, I use whole ingredients...including real, organic butter and cream...rather than substitutes like margarine or nonfat soy milk.

Does that mean I'm not eating clean?

Clean eating is eating food that is as close to its natural state as possible and does include meats. Meats should be from local, grass fed or pastured sources and such. Same with eggs and raw dairy.

It is about ditching the processed (boxed, frozen, packaged foods) for preparing fresh foods at home.


And YES, you can be RAW and eat meat. Raw beef is really, really good.

chloeraesmommy

i agree! ur doing a great job!

cheesy_blasters

I also think of clean eating as trying to support sustainable agriculture/local farmers/respecting where your food comes from, no matter what you choose to eat.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

I also think of clean eating as trying to support sustainable agriculture/local farmers/respecting where your food comes from, no matter what you choose to eat.

Exactly!!

Locavore is where its at.

skfj5

Okay...thanks. I feel better...my gut says to just keep doing what I'm doing and it'll get perfected with time. Maybe it doesn't have an official "label"...and that's okay.

cheesy_blasters

Okay...thanks. I feel better...my gut says to just keep doing what I'm doing and it'll get perfected with time. Maybe it doesn't have an official "label"...and that's okay.

Sometimes I think that trying to define how you eat/what you should eat just makes everything more complicated. I think if what you're doing makes you feel good, keep doing it. Maybe try to keep improving it over the years. But I know when I start trying to fit my diet into boxes, I just end up stressed and worrying about whether this is ok or this isn't ok. I'm trying to stop this right now and it's very difficult. I keep wanting rules and boxes.

I obviously had an eating disorder when I was younger so it's been something I think about/struggle with.

momtokgo

It varies from person to person. I've seen people who say they "eat clean" when their diaries are full of granola bars and other processed items.

Its really up to you how far you want to take it. I think you are doing a great job, don't worry about what others say about how "clean" you are. Just keep doing what you are doing.