Clean eating?

It just means eating raw whole fresh foods instead of boxed processed chemical laden ones

Protein powder is not really part of clean eating. But it's nearly impossible to eat 100% clean. .I choose to use protein powder. I also choose to eat mostly organic, that is a personal choices based on my beliefs about food, nutrition and health. there are others who eat clean, but not organic. If you get boxed food less ingredients is better. You'd look for ingredients that are natural and real foods. ie.. no chemicals or additives. You have to decide how clean you want to eat. Some people don't eat anything that isn't whole, fresh and raw. Some people eat organic meat as well. I try to avoid food with additives, added sugar and added salt. Plus I just plain don't like sugar and salt laden foods. Which means I have to buy fresh stuff as salt is a preservative.

Basically it's don't buy the premade fried rice.. buy the ingredients and make it yourself.

I don't eat 100% clean or 100% organic. probably 90% for both. It's all about your and what your beliefs about food and nutrition is and what your goals are.

I agree that it's open to interpretation. I keep as close to clean as possible 5 days a week but as a vegetarian, it gets a little hairy. Here's a sample of what I eat:

-larabar
-smoothie with spinach, kale, collard greens, fruit, protein powder and coconut oil
-sweet potato, plain greek yogurt, salad with oil & veggies
-almonds, fruit
-ezekiel bread, egg, cheese, veggie
-fruit

Arguments could be made for the bread and the cheese but to me, this works.

Eating "clean" is sheer nonsense and a waste of time.

The principles of "clean" eating are generally as follows:

High in-
protein
unsaturated fats
fiber
micronutrients

Low in-
saturated fat
cholesterol
sugar
carbohydrates in general
lower glycemic index

I will break down why this means absolutely NOTHING.

High in-
PROTEIN- protein won't make you lose weight, it will aid in muscular recover, and other damaged cellular recovery, there are 4 calories per gram of protein
UNSATURATED FATS- these are generally the "healthy" fats, due to having more double carbon bonds, so your body can break it down easier. Regardless, there are still 9 calories per gram of fat
FIBER- Fiber is probably one of the most overlooked nutrients today. It does such more for maintaining blood glucose levels, and insulin sensitivity. More fiber is not better, for your average person, 30-60 grams of fiber a day is plenty (let me stress this, more is NOT better)
micronutrients- Also pretty important to get plenty of micronutrients into your diet, although you can get almost all of your micronutrients in 1 sitting, so you don't have to eat "clean" all day to get them.


Low in:
SATURATED FATS- saturated fats often take a lot of blame for being extremely unhealthy. There was a study done and the conclusion said for people with moderately active life styles, there is nearly no difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, in terms of cholesterol, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health
CHOLESTEROL- Most cholesterol is created in the pancreas
SUGAR- Sugar is tricky, while yes, you do want to watch sugar, if you have proper amounts of fiber, sugar won't really be an issue for insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels (there was a study done with a high fiber, high sugar diet and it had no increased risks of developing pre-diabetes)
CARBOHYDRATES IN GENERAL- Same rules as protein, 4 calories per gram. Carbs are our main source of fuel. Eating carbs won't make you fat, weather its complex or simple. Carbohydrates also help prevent excess levels of cortisol after resistance training
LOWER GLYCEMIC INDEX- The GI was a study done to see how much of a raise there was in blood glucose levels after eating certain foods. Almost all foods that are high on the GI are high in sugar, low in fiber, or just low in fiber in general. Also dietary fat does help regulate blood glucose levels as well, so foods generally high in fat are low on the GI as well.


My basic parameters for a well rounded healthy diet would be.

-Hit your overall macros
-Get in 3 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables, minimum
-Get in plenty of micronutrients (you should be fine getting them from your fruits and vegetables)
-Do NOT limit what foods you eat, this will only cause eating disorders.
-Protein sources should be as good as possible (high in essential amino acids, low in non essential AA)
-Try to avoid trans fat (its not going to kill you if you have it on occasion)
-Make sure to get in plenty of fiber, 30-60 grams per day


I will provide links to the studies I referred to if requested