What is Clean eating?

Christie0428
Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
in Food and Nutrition
SO I just saw a post about a "clean" recipe with ingredients that I wouldn't think of as clean, but I am no expert... I would think it is whole foods with no chemicals... I read a lot of people on here saying that they eat clean and the foods don't seem that "clean" to me so I may just be misunderstanding. I am interested in hearing from others who know more about it ....

What is the official word on "Clean eating" Is wheat ok? Dairy? organic? Grass-fed, pastured meats? Whats the deal, I am curious.
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Replies

  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
    Yes I'm curious what others have to say on this... I know what I consider clean eating, but I don't think it's the same as what others do, because like you said I see posts for recipes that say they are "clean" but call for ingredients, that I don't consider clean.
  • jchenks
    jchenks Posts: 164 Member
    I haven't done too much research into the official meaning of "Clean Eating" but to me its food with 1 ingredient and no chemicals

    So chicken is chicken
    beef is well beef
    Tomato is a tomato and so on and so forthe

    Whereas cereal, frozen foods, packaged foods etc is a combination of ingredients we cannot pronounce.

    Now i've made crackers. Which store bought is a complete no-no but i made my crackers from whole ingredients. Which still makes it food that is clean.

    I'm not sure if I explained that well or not :S
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    We have been making almost everything from scratch at home. That is quite clean.
  • mylittletribe
    mylittletribe Posts: 84
    I call what I'm doing, "clean". Simple, FRESH foods, homemade from REAL ingredients, nothing processed, etc.
    www.thegraciouspantry.com is a GREAT clean eating recipe blog that I came across on pinterest,

    Hope this helps :)
  • Christie0428
    Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
    I haven't done too much research into the official meaning of "Clean Eating" but to me its food with 1 ingredient and no chemicals

    So chicken is chicken
    beef is well beef
    Tomato is a tomato and so on and so forthe

    Whereas cereal, frozen foods, packaged foods etc is a combination of ingredients we cannot pronounce.

    Now i've made crackers. Which store bought is a complete no-no but i made my crackers from whole ingredients. Which still makes it food that is clean.

    I'm not sure if I explained that well or not :S

    i think you explained it well, that is what I would have thought too ... all ingredients that are whole foods, no chemicals or ingredients that you can't pronounce...
  • jcurrie17
    jcurrie17 Posts: 36 Member
    My interpretation of clean eating is avoiding overly processed foods. I try to follow a 5 ingredient max and I want to be able to pronounce those ingredients too. If i wouldnt cook with it in my kitchen then i dont want it. It's lots of whole fruits and veggies and whole grains.
  • Christie0428
    Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
    We have been making almost everything from scratch at home. That is quite clean.

    We do too, 99% of what we eat we make from whole ingredients
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    CLEAN EATING is indulging in the finest booze and pizza you can find..
  • Christie0428
    Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
    so is wheat flour, pasta, bread considered clean? Dairy - only full fat or any? raw?
  • mylittletribe
    mylittletribe Posts: 84
    If I have to use flour, I use whole wheat. Dairy, nonfat only.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    It's like there needs to be an official levels of clean. With the ultimate top being only eating raw food. Bottom being McDonalds!
  • Christie0428
    Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
    It's like there needs to be an official levels of clean. With the ultimate top being only eating raw food. Bottom being McDonalds!

    McDOnalds is below the bottom - YUCK! no actual food is used int he manufacturing process
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    Washing all the fruits and veggies before you eat them.
  • andreae13
    andreae13 Posts: 239 Member
    I agree with the others. Clean eating to me is nothing processed, make from scratch. Just a diet of healthy, fresh food like chicken breasts, veggies, fruit, whole grains, low/fat-free dairy, eggs...stuff like that. As my trainer says, if it doesn't come from the ground, from an animal, or off a tree...don't eat it.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    My opinions on this topic can be seen here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/822501-halp-my-sandwich-isn-t-clean
  • drchimpanzee
    drchimpanzee Posts: 892 Member
    Dip your food in bleach before you eat it!!! Pretty friggin' clean!!!
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
    It's an obnoxious term that means eating whole, unprocessed, real foods only.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    It's an obnoxious term that means eating whole, unprocessed, real foods only.

    Does this include making a cake from scratch?

    ETA: with butter churned myself from our cows' milk, of course
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Even the people claiming to eat "clean" couldn't actually give you a definition because there isn't one. Most will tell you they don't eat processed foods. However, if you look in their diary you will see whey protein powder. So, to answer your question, there isn't a standard definition.
  • breeshabebe
    breeshabebe Posts: 580
    It's an obnoxious term that means eating whole, unprocessed, real foods only.

    Yes... that is whats obnoxious around here.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    For me and some of my other friends it is simply eating right (proportioned servings) with no junk food. This is to include as much fresh food as possible. No canned or packaged foods. This is our interpretation anyhow.
  • Scottg97
    Scottg97 Posts: 9
    Clean eating is a diet program based on the idea that the best way to eat is to abundantly enjoy whole foods -- that is, foods as close to their natural state and you can get them. This means eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins instead of pre-packaged, processed foods or fast food. Clean eating is also committed to replacing saturated fats with healthy fats.
  • carbnut
    carbnut Posts: 3 Member
    clean eating to me is anything that is a whole food. Nothing processed. some people dont eat wheat because it has to be processed in order to eat it i.e. pasta, bread. some people have stomach issues from dairy and wheat so they stay away.
    To me anything that is grown from nature and can cooked in its original form is clean. obviously grassfed meat is much healthier since it usually has no growth hormones in it as well as the stock is eating from the land like it is suppose to instead of slaughter houses feeding the stock grains which they arent intended to eat. so what happens, they get sick. then they are injected with antibiotics. blah. if you cant afford grassfed meat just eat as lean as you can.
    hope this helps.
  • breeshabebe
    breeshabebe Posts: 580
    so is wheat flour, pasta, bread considered clean? Dairy - only full fat or any? raw?

    Not sure about dairy- I know alot of people drink Almond milk...is that considered dairy? idk

    Most people think that they are eating "clean" by buying whole grain bread... but unless it is 100% whole grain, its not really whole grain.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    It's when I eat a bowl of ice cream and leave nothing left. Seriously, though, people take eating clean too literal to the point they cut out fats and carbs unnecessarily low. Of course, this impacts their caloric intake which results in them eating like birds.
  • dsmpunk
    dsmpunk Posts: 262 Member
    I'm glad I am not the only one annoyed by this term. It's far to ambiguous to have any real meaning as people tend to just apply what THEY consider "clean" to the word. Ergo pointless.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    It's when I eat a bowl of ice cream and leave nothing left. Seriously, though, people take eating clean too literal to the point they cut out fats and carbs unnecessarily low. Of course, this impacts their caloric intake which results in them eating like birds.

    Birdseed has more than 1 ingredient so unfortunately I just can't eat it.
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
    It's when I eat a bowl of ice cream and leave nothing left. Seriously, though, people take eating clean too literal to the point they cut out fats and carbs unnecessarily low. Of course, this impacts their caloric intake which results in them eating like birds.

    Birdseed has more than 1 ingredient so unfortunately I just can't eat it.

    And it gets stuck in your teeth. Nobody wants to see that.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    I haven't done too much research into the official meaning of "Clean Eating" but to me its food with 1 ingredient and no chemicals

    So chicken is chicken
    beef is well beef
    Tomato is a tomato and so on and so forthe

    Whereas cereal, frozen foods, packaged foods etc is a combination of ingredients we cannot pronounce.

    Now i've made crackers. Which store bought is a complete no-no but i made my crackers from whole ingredients. Which still makes it food that is clean.

    I'm not sure if I explained that well or not :S

    So triscuits and fritos are clean, then?
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    It's an obnoxious term that means eating whole, unprocessed, real foods only.

    Does this include making a cake from scratch?

    ETA: with butter churned myself from our cows' milk, of course

    Anyone care to answer this? It's a serious question!

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