"clean foods"

ilovemybuggy
ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
I've been seeing a lot of posts throughout the forums talking about 'clean foods' ... is there a list somewhere that would tell me what these foods are- and are not. I want to make sure i'm eating the right things.
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Replies

  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    clean foods are a myth. calories in and calories out is what counts to lose weight.

    Twinkie Diet: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    just my two cents.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    As little processed foods as possible...REAL foods, organic when possible, grass fed beef and butter, real fruits and veggies. I'm slowly working toward it myself. I'm spending less and less time in the middle aisles in the supermarket and spending most of my time around the perimeter where the "real" food is now lol
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    the whole clean vs dirty thing is kind of bogus.

    you can eat foods that aren't "clean" and still achieve your goals. the main thing is hitting your daily macro goals, consistently.
    I was my leanest at a time when i drank beer and ate wings often.
    It's about the overall numbers, not "clean" or "unclean" food sources.

    That being said, try to eat unprocessed foods. They usually have more micronutrients and not as much garbage in them.
    I try to stick to foods that have ingredients I can pronounce.
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
    clean foods are a myth. calories in and calories out is what counts to lose weight.

    Twinkie Diet: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    just my two cents.

    Ohhhh, thank you guys!!
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
    As little processed foods as possible...REAL foods, organic when possible, grass fed beef and butter, real fruits and veggies. I'm slowly working toward it myself. I'm spending less and less time in the middle aisles in the supermarket and spending most of my time around the perimeter where the "real" food is now lol

    That's what i've been trying to do, too!! I am just new to this dieting thing- so i'm trying to eat as best as I can.
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
    the whole clean vs dirty thing is kind of bogus.

    you can eat foods that aren't "clean" and still achieve your goals. the main thing is hitting your daily macro goals, consistently.
    I was my leanest at a time when i drank beer and ate wings often.
    It's about the overall numbers, not "clean" or "unclean" food sources.

    That being said, try to eat unprocessed foods. They usually have more micronutrients and not as much garbage in them.
    I try to stick to foods that have ingredients I can pronounce.

    Thanks!! I'll be trying to do the same.
  • mikeyboy
    mikeyboy Posts: 1,057 Member
    I saw it stated as food without preservitives or chemicals. For me it's food that doesn't end up on my clothes! :laugh:
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    There are a lot of opinions on what consitutes a "clean food" but for me, clean means at the very least that it is not processed and in it's natural state. If you really want to get technical you could add that the food is in it's natural state but also organically grown, etc. Meat would be organic, cage free, hormone free and so on. Foods that are premade should have as few ingredients as possible (no fillers, preservatives, white/refined flour or sugar, etc). Although I don't currently eat 100% clean, I do like Tosca Reno's books as well as Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michael's. They both talk about the benefits of eating clean and identifying ingredients to watch out for.
  • 916lude
    916lude Posts: 305
    I compare it as boxed/canned to unboxed/uncanned or processed vs unprocessed. Things high in sodium and prepackaged I consider to not be clean. Fresh veggies/fruits and meats I consider to be clean

    Some examples:

    So rice cooked in a pot or your rice cooker is cleaner than rice a roni from the box

    Creating a mushroom sauce out of fresh mushrooms to top on your chicken breast would be cleaner than putting a can of mushroom soup on some frozen chicken nuggets.

    If you gotta pull it out of the box, pull off the wrapper or just puncture where the potatoes are and microwave to cook it, probably not so clean.

    HTH
  • WendyFitMomCHANGED
    WendyFitMomCHANGED Posts: 311 Member

    This looks about right. I posted a blog last week that has tons of links to clean eating websites with lots of helpful hints:

    I'm a clean eater too. Feel free to add me to your friend list if you need more support. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/WendyFitMom/view/how-i-m-becoming-a-clean-lean-momma-pics-week-27-update-296731
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    I do like the list you posted, OP.

    Whole foods are the way to go. You can have your processed snacks here and there, but overall you want fresh foods.
  • Try www.thegraciouspantry.com She's got LOADS of tips, recipes, etc -- ALL clean!

    Clean eating is basically giving up processed stuff, refined stuff, etc. Getting back to things in their natural state. Give that site a look, I bet it will help you!
  • sarahkatara
    sarahkatara Posts: 826 Member
    not a myth.

    thegraciouspantry.com.

    she got me started and has awesome recipes and ideas.
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
    There are a lot of opinions on what consitutes a "clean food" but for me, clean means at the very least that it is not processed and in it's natural state. If you really want to get technical you could add that the food is in it's natural state but also organically grown, etc. Meat would be organic, cage free, hormone free and so on. Foods that are premade should have as few ingredients as possible (no fillers, preservatives, white/refined flour or sugar, etc). Although I don't currently eat 100% clean, I do like Tosca Reno's books as well as Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michael's. They both talk about the benefits of eating clean and identifying ingredients to watch out for.

    I was JUST looking online for that book yesterday- but I kind of wanted to get a glimpse into it before I bought it!!!

    Edit: Master your metabolism, that is.
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
    I compare it as boxed/canned to unboxed/uncanned or processed vs unprocessed. Things high in sodium and prepackaged I consider to not be clean. Fresh veggies/fruits and meats I consider to be clean

    Some examples:

    So rice cooked in a pot or your rice cooker is cleaner than rice a roni from the box

    Creating a mushroom sauce out of fresh mushrooms to top on your chicken breast would be cleaner than putting a can of mushroom soup on some frozen chicken nuggets.

    If you gotta pull it out of the box, pull off the wrapper or just puncture where the potatoes are and microwave to cook it, probably not so clean.

    HTH

    Great, thanks!!
  • AJ_Pete
    AJ_Pete Posts: 863 Member
    I eat fairly clean. I use the below link as a guide AND ONLY a guide because I still eat pizza and chocolate. It is basically anything that can be grown; lean meats, veggies, etc. And I feel much better without the processed foods.

    http://www.decidetostayfit.com/michis-ladder.pdf
  • dp1228
    dp1228 Posts: 439 Member
    clean foods are a myth. calories in and calories out is what counts to lose weight.

    Twinkie Diet: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    just my two cents.

    smh. there's major difference between eating to lose weight and eating to lose weight AND be healthy.
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
    Try www.thegraciouspantry.com She's got LOADS of tips, recipes, etc -- ALL clean!

    Clean eating is basically giving up processed stuff, refined stuff, etc. Getting back to things in their natural state. Give that site a look, I bet it will help you!

    AWESOME, thank you!!

    I think my biggest problem is going to be that i'm so used to the added flavor that processed foods have- that i'm going to be struggling with things being too bland. If that makes sense.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    You want to be getting "the most bang for your buck" nutritionally. While weight loss/maintenence are primarily a result of calories in/calories out, you still want to be getting proper nutrition so that your body can perform at optimum efficiency. Fresh/raw fruits/veggies, lean meats/fish, whole grains (with as little processing as possible), etc... Stay away from most boxed/canned/bagged items, fast food, and processed drinks and juices. There are varying degrees of "clean eating", but I have found that a moderate, common sense approach works best for me, as anything too complicated or extreme is too hard for me to stick to.
  • These clean foods are what really define your body. If you eat 1200 calories of processed food your body will get smaller but still have that "skinny fat" look. If you eat 1200 calories of clean, whole foods you will have more defined look, with any of this you should be doing exercise including weights.

    7365937.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools
  • stonerdude
    stonerdude Posts: 103
    Use google to find lists of omega 3 foods and load up, then find omega 6 foods and cut way down!

    Most Americans eat a diet at 40-1 6's to 3's and it should be 5-1 Omega 6's cause inflammation and disrupted communication

    between cells and 3's do the opposite!
  • I don't really eat clean to lose, I do it because of the gross things they put in food. It really is amazing to read up on it. I try to stick with two rules,
    1. If it don't have a mother, come from the ground or tree I try to stay away.
    2. The more it has in it the worse it is for you. Or if you can't say it, you should not eat it.

    I do eat stuff that is not good for you but not ofter. Google the grossest things they put in food. That will lead you to where you need to go. Good luck!:smile:
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    The second post here: it's not a myth. Calories in does not equal calories out.

    I've done a "clean" diet for food allergies for the past month and lost 17 lbs from it, without cutting calories anywhere. I was eating my maintenance number of calories with only a bit of walking to and from work. If calories in and calories out equalled weight loss, why did I lose 17 lbs.

    On top of that: This weekend I started eating some of my old, regular diet. The first time I ate something pre-packaged and frozen.

    I gained 2 lbs over 3 days, again, eating the same number of calories.

    So if you think "clean foods" is a myth, then explain that to me.

    To answer the OP: IMO, "clean foods" are anything that don't come out of a box, can, plastic bag, etc. If its raw, and you're making your food from scratch, it's clean.

    For a comparison: Home made cranberry sports drink vs a bottle coca cola. What do you think is "clean"?
  • These clean foods are what really define your body. If you eat 1200 calories of processed food your body will get smaller but still have that "skinny fat" look. If you eat 1200 calories of clean, whole foods you will have more defined look, with any of this you should be doing exercise including weights.

    7365937.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    clean foods are a myth. calories in and calories out is what counts to lose weight.

    Twinkie Diet: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    just my two cents.

    smh. there's major difference between eating to lose weight and eating to lose weight AND be healthy.

    Losing weight is still losing weight! The BMI doesn't measure if you are healthy or not, it just go by your weight.
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    Clean foods are not a myth... they are simply foods that are less/not processed and therefore healthier.

    Whether or not they assist in weight loss..well, that is debatable.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    clean foods are a myth. calories in and calories out is what counts to lose weight.

    Twinkie Diet: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    just my two cents.

    smh. there's major difference between eating to lose weight and eating to lose weight AND be healthy.

    Losing weight is still losing weight!

    You're right! I could go for a month without eating a thing! I'm sure I'll lose a lot of weight doing that! Who cares if it isn't healthy, and that I'll gain it all back as soon as I put an apple in my mouth...

    (sarcasm here)
  • NeedANewFocus
    NeedANewFocus Posts: 898 Member
    that's an awesome list. thanks for sharing this!