HALP! My sandwich isn't CLEAN!
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I'm not even finished reading and I'm inlove with this post already.There's an additional issue with the idea of clean eating and it extends beyond clean vs dirty itself, and that's the idea that people are bucketing their food into good and bad instead of looking at the diet as a whole. Diets can be nutrient deficient. They can contain too much of something or too little of something and that excess or shortage could make the diet itself in need of improvement. But an individual food item is only a small portion of that entire diet and as such, you can't conclusively say that a given food item is detrimental without viewing the entire diet and considering how that food item contributes to it.0 -
Great!!!
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Most excellent post!! Unfortunately, the people that NEED this post will most likely never make their way here. :sad face:0
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I thought this was going to be about the 3 second rule after you dropped your sandwich on the floor. It is not like you could wash it, the bread gets soggy. Add sarcasm smiley.
Good post.0 -
Yes, I learned this the hard way after washing my bagels last month...:drinker:I thought this was going to be about the 3 second rule after you dropped your sandwich on the floor. It is not like you could wash it, the bread gets soggy. Add sarcasm smiley.
Good post.0 -
I though clean foods where the ones that are narcotic free.1
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I am one of those MFP people who believe clean eating makes a difference (more specifically cutting out sugar – fruit included, which has up until now given me great results), so I feel a bit of a fool reading your posts. That beens aid, what you say makes total sense. It seems there is a lot I have to think about, put into practice and most importantly trust in something I haven’t done before. I’m at the stage where my weight no longer bothers me but there are still major improvements I want to make in my shape, so I’m open to doing what needs to be done in order to get to my end result. Thanks for all the info, joining your group has my head spinning, but in a good way.0
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I am one of those MFP people who believe clean eating makes a difference (more specifically cutting out sugar – fruit included, which has up until now given me great results), so I feel a bit of a fool reading your posts. That beens aid, what you say makes total sense. It seems there is a lot I have to think about, put into practice and most importantly trust in something I haven’t done before. I’m at the stage where my weight no longer bothers me but there are still major improvements I want to make in my shape, so I’m open to doing what needs to be done in order to get to my end result. Thanks for all the info, joining your group has my head spinning, but in a good way.
There's nothing wrong with making an effort to consume a diet composed of whole and nutrient dense foods, so in practice you probably don't really need to change anything. But I do stand by the assertions in the post, and you'll notice a theme from Sara and myself (and a few other contributors) and that is the idea that you don't need to eliminate enjoyable foods from your diet as long as you're able to maintain nutrient sufficiency, performance, and proper calorie intake.1 -
Thanks, SS. As usual, your posts and linked articles help validate my approach to diet, fitness, and overall well-being - keep it simple, all things in moderation, and use common sense.0
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I am one of those MFP people who believe clean eating makes a difference (more specifically cutting out sugar – fruit included, which has up until now given me great results), so I feel a bit of a fool reading your posts. That beens aid, what you say makes total sense. It seems there is a lot I have to think about, put into practice and most importantly trust in something I haven’t done before. I’m at the stage where my weight no longer bothers me but there are still major improvements I want to make in my shape, so I’m open to doing what needs to be done in order to get to my end result. Thanks for all the info, joining your group has my head spinning, but in a good way.
There's nothing wrong with making an effort to consume a diet composed of whole and nutrient dense foods, so in practice you probably don't really need to change anything. But I do stand by the assertions in the post, and you'll notice a theme from Sara and myself (and a few other contributors) and that is the idea that you don't need to eliminate enjoyable foods from your diet as long as you're able to maintain nutrient sufficiency, performance, and proper calorie intake.
To expand a little also with my 2c, it is really a case that you do not *need* to remove/limit certain food groups but you may *want* to, especially if it helps adherence and, as long as you are getting a balanced diet, there is nothing wrong with that. Many people have a much better adherence by avoiding certain foods like candy as it can be triggering to them and then cause adherence issues. If this is the case, it makes sense to avoid or limit that food. The only reason I see to eliminate a food group is for personal reasons (veg*ns), medical issues, or if it helps adherence to the diet as a whole. However, on the flip side, eliminating something for your diet can cause adherence issues as some people end up bingeing on what they have eliminated.0 -
Eat what you want. Clean, dirty, or anywhere in between. Just be mindful of the overall nutrient goals.0
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First time reading this post..But I will credit this change in mindset as the biggest factor in my recent success in maintaining a diet without binge eating.0
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Adding a quote from Eric Helms that is relevant, and because SideSteel has a man crush on him:
The Myth of “Good” and “Bad” Foods
I think one of the most pervasive, and possibly detrimental mind sets is that of seeing foods as either “good” or “bad”. This is a rather seductive way of looking at foods because it is simplistic. Look at a food, identify it as friend or foe, and then go with the “good” option not the “bad” option and you’ll be healthy, fit, lean and sexy! It’s that easy! But of course, that’s not the case.
One of the problems with this mindset is that it fits perfectly into the behavioral paradigm that leads to obesity in the first place; the all or nothing mindset. One thing I find to be a commonality among folks who struggle with weight gain and permanent weight loss, is that they lose the middle ground. They bounce between being “on the diet” and falling off the band wagon and lapsing into cycles of overeating. We have no problem losing weight, we have trouble keeping the weight off. We crash diet and lose 20-30lbs in a few months, and then it all comes back on when we can’t maintain the crash diet approach.
All or nothing Black and white mindsets ignore the concepts of magnitude and frequency which are all important when it comes to long term change. Of course 1g of sugar eaten every 2 weeks will not have the same effect as 100g of sugar eaten daily, but we love to label sugar as “bad”. Even water consumed in massive excess can lead to hyponatremia and death. Sugar is not good or bad, and neither is water, they just are what they are and without attention to magnitude or frequency, labels like “good” or “bad” are misleading.
We tend to be overly reductionist in our approach to nutrition. Originally, we believed fat was the singular cause of the obesity epidemic. When the low fat craze had no impact on preventing the worsening of the obesity epidemic, we went the way of the low carb craze, and folks started consuming fat with abandon. When this didn’t turn the trend of waist expansion around, we decided that it’s not just fat or carbs, the causes are specific types of carbs and fat; specifically sugar, high fructose corn syrup and trans fat are the culprits!
The need to blame singular nutrients highlights the all or nothing, black or white attitude that is in and of itself one of the roots of unhealthy eating behavior and consequently obesity. Again, it comes down to seeking balance. The concept of balance in nutrition is inclusive of the concepts of magnitude and frequency that are needed for long term lifestyle change. Balance recognizes that it is not the small piece of chocolate that you had that wasn’t on your diet plan that was the problem, it was the carton of ice cream you had afterward!
The meal plan foods are “good”, and a piece of chocolate is “bad” and once you’d crossed over from “good” to “bad”, you said: “Screw it! I already blew it, I might as well just have cookie dough ice cream until I puke!” That is the all too common result of the all or nothing mindset in action. On the other hand, a balanced approach realizes that a small piece of chocolate is only ~100 calories, and will make a minuscule difference in terms of weight loss over time. In fact, a balanced meal plan might even allow for a daily range of calories, so that the following day could be reduced by 100 calories. Even more shockingly, a balanced meal plan might even include a piece of chocolate (blasphemy I know)!
There are truly VERY few foods that are actively bad for you. Most of the foods that we identify as “bad”, are simply low or devoid of micro-nutrients, minerals, fiber and other things like phytochemicals and protein that can be beneficial for you. These foods only become a problem when they occur frequently and with enough magnitude (frequency and magnitude!) to replace a significant enough portion of your diet that you become deficient in beneficial nutrients.
Once our nutrient needs are met, we don’t get extra credit for eating more nutritious food! It’s not as though we have a health food critic living in our esophagus that has a control box that he switches from “get leaner and healthier” to “get fatter and unhealthier” every time he spots “good” or “bad” food. Thus, a healthy diet should be inclusionary vs. exclusionary; focused around including healthy foods, not excluding “unhealthy” foods. Meet your nutrient needs, and feel free to eat things that you may have traditionally seen as “bad” in moderation; so that you are still meeting your allotted caloric intake for your weight loss goals. Don’t make the mistake of looking at foods as “good” or “bad!” Good diets can include “bad” foods and bad diets can include “good” foods. Don’t get too caught up with what you have for lunch, because it is not a singular choice that will determine the success of your health and fitness goals, it is the balanced lifestyle you commit to long term!0 -
Excellent post you guys. So much common sense that seems absent in so many forums. This is one of the only forums I can stand to because of great posts like this. Oh, and in our house if the sandwich drops and the dog hasn't gotten it, it's clean,0
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THis is really helpful!! THank you for this post!0
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i'm sorry!!!! i know this is old but i just have to bump it. must keep to reread periodically. good articles and info!!0
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This is a great article! Thank you:)0
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Moral of the story – look at the nutritional quality of your overall diet rather than each individual piece of food on its own.
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I HAVE ADHERENCE ISSUES!!!!!!!!!! Just cant seem to have 1 Oreo
the WHOLE box or nothin!!!!!!!!!!! this article 0
