What is Clean eating?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

create your own definition

There are always going to be fine lines. People on here say whole grains and wheat, veggies, lean meat, etc.

FOR me though - I don't eat any whole grains or wheat flour but I have plenty of fresh vegetables, lean meats, anything non-processed, fruits, healthy fats like avocado and almonds.

There is no right answer to this, but I've seen some good explanations here. MY definition of "clean eating" would be whole, unprocessed foods in their natural state. That said, I eat "clean" probably 85% of the time. Most of what I cook/prepare myself, I would consider "clean", but I do eat out and at other people's homes occasionally, so in those situations, I try to stick to the simple stuff.

To the OP:

What is the official word on "Clean eating"?---> as you can see from the posts, there is no one official word. It means different things to different people. Most people think of it as eating foods that are less processed, made from ingredients without the use of additives and preservatives. I generally try to choose foods that are not processed over ones that are.

Is wheat ok? For some people, yes. For others, no. Many people do just fine with wheat. Others have gluten sensitivities which result in chronic inflammation and bloating, or outright intolerance which is an autoimmune disorder and can trigger other autoimmune disorders. You can get tested, or you can try eliminating it for a month to see what effect it has on you. I generally try to avoid wheat because its usually used in foods that are triggers for me to overeat. I try to replace the cals I might get from breads, cereals, cakes, cookies etc with cals from veggies.

Dairy? Some people are lactose-intolerant. Some people find that dairy causes skin issues. Some people don't like the growth hormones used in non-organic milks. Some people don't like the idea that humans are drinking something intended for another species. Some people have no issues at all with dairy. Some people only consume raw dairy. I LOVE CHEESE and cream, so I choose to keep dairy in my diet. I choose not to buy raw, because I have little kids and I don't believe the benefits outweigh the risks for them.

organic? Most would consider organic a good thing. I choose organic when I can, especially for the dirty dozen. I prefer to support local organic farms, so I try to buy local organic.

Grass-fed, pastured meats? Yes, these are great. Grass-fed beef has a better fatty acid profile and generally just tastes better. Pastured chickens are AWESOME... they have great flavor and texture. Pastured eggs taste great and are "perkier" than conventional eggs... the yolk is bright and stands up high. Pastured pork is hard to find, but also great when you can get it. Ultimately, meat from pastured animals means that the animals generally were treated more humanely in life and when they were butchered.

I think it depends on who you ask. I think there are two version of "clean eating". 1) eating healthy foods (wheat products instead of white, raw almonds instead of salty nuts, rice cakes instead of chips, etc. and 2) totally unprocessed raw foods, sauces completely homemade or with only a few ingredients, etc.

So i think clean eating for you should be whatever you consider it to be(obviously aside from junk!) For example, I started the whole30 this week and not thinking about it, I used prego spaghetti sauce for spaghetti squash. Not really following the whole30 so I decided this week to either make sauces or NONE at all! Some people would have still considered spaghetti squash with sauce clean eating though.

Washing all the fruits and veggies before you eat them.

Washing in 1 part vinegar (apple cider or white) to 3 parts water - just water will not wash away the chemicals/wax. I just fill a bowl and dip my veggies/fruit in then rinse with water and dry.