Clean Eating

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  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Recent pages of this thread are a perfect example of why clean eating is such a hot button topic here.

    People who don't believe in clean eating are apparently:

    "haters"
    "feeling guilty knowing they should make better food choices"
    "half of what we eat is disgusting"
    "not going to be healthy for very long"

    And then on the flip side you have the anti-clean eating fear mongering:

    I personally think this kind of claim should NOT be supported on MFP because it is not true, for a certain part of the population it can be potentially dangerous (precursor to Orthorexia Nervosa) and it can needlessly sabotage diet adherence.
  • buffbbb
    buffbbb Posts: 1
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    I just started MFP a week ago, but I like to think I already know quite a bit from previous searching.

    Clean eating, to me, is eating throughout the course of the day and hitting your macros. I might eat a chocolate bar, but I'm making healthier choices throughout the day so when I look at my macros, I am in fact eating "clean", and not just bulking up on ****.

    If I was on the other hand to only eat chocolate bars all day long, I would be eating "dirty", because there's no way I would get enough protein, I would consume way too much sugar etc..

    So to me, you can't hit your macros eating only junk. You can't hit them just eating wholegrain rice all day long either. Therefore if you hit them, I would consider that to be "clean".
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    It is related to the absurd claim by many "clean eaters" that eating clean is more significant than calories or essential to losing weight or that Americans are fat because we all eat hidden sugar in Lunchables or the like. Nonsense. People are fat because they eat more than they burn. They should know what they are eating and if they don't that's on them, but eating clean is not some magic pill that prevents obesity. Yet the way a lot of clean eaters talk you'd think that Lean Cuisines (which I don't like, but work for some) are enormously fattening, while a homemade roasted chicken with potatoes can't make you fat.

    Well, except for all the clean eaters who hate "white foods" and would blame the potatoes despite the fact that they are much more fattening when cooked in chicken fat from the supposedly clean (maybe? depends who you ask) chicken. Or perhaps the answer is to eschew the whole chicken and eat the much more processed skinless, boneless breasts! (Certainly not my answer, for the record, some things are worth additional calories.)

    (Someone upthread said that clean eaters use herbs and spices--nice to know that's been co-opted and is no longer simply normal cooking--unlike processed foods that use salt and fat. I'm pretty sure gourmet cooking involves plenty of salt and butter in the cooking process too, but somehow that's now just icky processed stuff.)

    Wow - those clean eaters sure sound like an uptight, overly-judgmental group of folks. They probably just need to learn to relax, and not take everything so personally...

    pot meet kettle
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
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    If you can wade through the negative, you will find awesome support here! If clean eating (whatever you believe that to be) is how you wish to achieve your goals, go for it!! for some reason clean eating is like a taboo word on these forums...I brought my opinion in on clean eating a year ago and I'm not going there again. lol!!!

    I will say this: be open to learning (even it is not what you believe is the right answer)

    Congrats on your journey, feel free to add me, I am supportive. :smile:
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    Recent pages of this thread are a perfect example of why clean eating is such a hot button topic here.

    People who don't believe in clean eating are apparently:

    "haters"
    "feeling guilty knowing they should make better food choices"
    "half of what we eat is disgusting"
    "not going to be healthy for very long"

    And then on the flip side you have the anti-clean eating fear mongering:

    I personally think this kind of claim should NOT be supported on MFP because it is not true, for a certain part of the population it can be potentially dangerous (precursor to Orthorexia Nervosa) and it can needlessly sabotage diet adherence.

    Is offering another viewpoint "fear mongering" now?

    I'd say telling people they "wont be healthy for long (from eating added sugars and sodium)" (which is what I was responding too) is far more "fear mongering" (and outright false) than me listing a couple (real) potential pitfalls of clean eating (and clearly saying "potentially")

    EDIT: Add "a-holes" to the list of things clean eaters call people who don't agree with them
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Options
    Recent pages of this thread are a perfect example of why clean eating is such a hot button topic here.

    People who don't believe in clean eating are apparently:

    "haters"
    "feeling guilty knowing they should make better food choices"
    "half of what we eat is disgusting"
    "not going to be healthy for very long"

    And then on the flip side you have the anti-clean eating fear mongering:

    I personally think this kind of claim should NOT be supported on MFP because it is not true, for a certain part of the population it can be potentially dangerous (precursor to Orthorexia Nervosa) and it can needlessly sabotage diet adherence.

    Is offering another viewpoint "fear mongering" now?

    I'd say telling people they "wont be healthy for long (from eating added sugars and sodium)" (which is what I was responding too) is far more "fear mongering" than me listing a couple potential pitfalls of clean eating (and clearly saying "potentially")

    I agree, which is why I do not tell people they will not be healthy for long, if they eat junk food. But I also do not assume that someone wishing to eat healthier foods will lead to the proposed condition of Orthorexia Nervosa.

    IMO someone inclined to suffer from ON is inclined to suffer from some other compulsive disorder if not ON.

    Clean eating doesn't cause mental health issue - it may turn into a crutch for people with pre-excising mental health issue, but it is not the cause.
  • misskelly427
    misskelly427 Posts: 28 Member
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    I'm still here!
    I've been reading all of the posts and I have come to one conclusion... You all are passionate, and that's never a bad thing!

    I will say that today I woke up feeling less icky. Hopefully that has to do with the way I have been eating the past couple days. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe its mind over matter. Maybe it's just me trying to be hopeful. But either way, thats going to be my reward for today and keep me on track for the day.

    Whether you agree with this "clean eating" topic or not, I appreciate all of your comments and all the entertaining debate. It's pretty cool to know that you can just put up a quick post here, and get a vast amount of information and opinions.

    We should ALL at least agree on that, right?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    I just started MFP a week ago, but I like to think I already know quite a bit from previous searching.

    Clean eating, to me, is eating throughout the course of the day and hitting your macros. I might eat a chocolate bar, but I'm making healthier choices throughout the day so when I look at my macros, I am in fact eating "clean", and not just bulking up on ****.

    If I was on the other hand to only eat chocolate bars all day long, I would be eating "dirty", because there's no way I would get enough protein, I would consume way too much sugar etc..

    So to me, you can't hit your macros eating only junk. You can't hit them just eating wholegrain rice all day long either. Therefore if you hit them, I would consider that to be "clean".

    you!!! I like you.

    You basically just described moderation and in all honesty, it doesn't get any cleaner than that.
  • moomooatrice
    moomooatrice Posts: 14 Member
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    Good luck. It is a great program. If you are doing CLEAN EATING and calorie counting that is a lot of change at once. If you decide to buy some pre-packaged food - be kind to yourself.

    I read another MFP who said, "IF YOU BITE IT, WRITE IT". That is great advise. Be diligent about logging everything and get a really good idea of what goes into your mouth.
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    Recent pages of this thread are a perfect example of why clean eating is such a hot button topic here.

    People who don't believe in clean eating are apparently:

    "haters"
    "feeling guilty knowing they should make better food choices"
    "half of what we eat is disgusting"
    "not going to be healthy for very long"

    And then on the flip side you have the anti-clean eating fear mongering:

    I personally think this kind of claim should NOT be supported on MFP because it is not true, for a certain part of the population it can be potentially dangerous (precursor to Orthorexia Nervosa) and it can needlessly sabotage diet adherence.

    Is offering another viewpoint "fear mongering" now?

    I'd say telling people they "wont be healthy for long (from eating added sugars and sodium)" (which is what I was responding too) is far more "fear mongering" than me listing a couple potential pitfalls of clean eating (and clearly saying "potentially")

    I agree, which is why I do not tell people they will not be healthy for long, if they eat junk food. But I also do not assume that someone wishing to eat healthier foods will lead to the proposed condition of Orthorexia Nervosa.

    IMO someone inclined to suffer from ON is inclined to suffer from some other compulsive disorder if not ON.

    Clean eating doesn't cause mental health issue - it may turn into a crutch for people with pre-excising mental health issue, but it is not the cause.

    IMO, a rigid focus on calorie counting can also lead to an eating disorder but you don't see many here bringing that up only that clean eating will lead to ON. I would hazard a guess that there are a high number of members on MFP and similar sites abusing the calorie tracking tool to support an ED.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    But I also do not assume that someone wishing to eat healthier foods will lead to the proposed condition of Orthorexia Nervosa.

    IMO someone inclined to suffer from ON is inclined to suffer from some other compulsive disorder if not ON.

    Clean eating doesn't cause mental health issue - it may turn into a crutch for people with pre-excising mental health issue, but it is not the cause.

    I don't assume clean eating will lead to ON either.

    But considering that ON specifically revolves around an extreme or excessive preoccupation with avoiding foods perceived to be unhealthy, I think it is quite apropos to mention in a thread about clean eating. Especially considering some of the extreme views I have been responding too (not your views btw but others)
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Options
    Recent pages of this thread are a perfect example of why clean eating is such a hot button topic here.

    People who don't believe in clean eating are apparently:

    "haters"
    "feeling guilty knowing they should make better food choices"
    "half of what we eat is disgusting"
    "not going to be healthy for very long"

    And then on the flip side you have the anti-clean eating fear mongering:

    I personally think this kind of claim should NOT be supported on MFP because it is not true, for a certain part of the population it can be potentially dangerous (precursor to Orthorexia Nervosa) and it can needlessly sabotage diet adherence.

    Is offering another viewpoint "fear mongering" now?

    I'd say telling people they "wont be healthy for long (from eating added sugars and sodium)" (which is what I was responding too) is far more "fear mongering" than me listing a couple potential pitfalls of clean eating (and clearly saying "potentially")

    I agree, which is why I do not tell people they will not be healthy for long, if they eat junk food. But I also do not assume that someone wishing to eat healthier foods will lead to the proposed condition of Orthorexia Nervosa.

    IMO someone inclined to suffer from ON is inclined to suffer from some other compulsive disorder if not ON.

    Clean eating doesn't cause mental health issue - it may turn into a crutch for people with pre-excising mental health issue, but it is not the cause.

    IMO, a rigid focus on calorie counting can also lead to an eating disorder but you don't see many here bringing that up only that clean eating will lead to ON. I would hazard a guess that there are a high number of members on MFP and similar sites abusing the calorie tracking tool to support an ED.

    I would agree with you. I have recently seen threads about taking food scales to a restaurant.

    Mentally if you are that way inclined, then that's how you are.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    IMO, a rigid focus on calorie counting can also lead to an eating disorder but you don't see many here bringing that up only that clean eating will lead to ON. I would hazard a guess that there are a high number of members on MFP and similar sites abusing the calorie tracking tool to support an ED.

    Yes it can and I am sure you are right. Not sure what that has to do with the current conversation, or how it conflicts anything I have said.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    Sorry if there are members here who are offended by the term "clean eating". I obviously did not coin this term. Nor do I think anyone eats "dirty".

    Some are offended because they are hangry or feeling guilty knowing they should make healthier food choices but aren't. Don't let it get to you. There is nothing wrong with making the best food choices for your body. Ignore the haters :flowerforyou:

    I am not hangry...nor am I hungry...and I assure you that I am not feeling guilty.

    I have also never been offended because someone has chosen to eat differently than what I choose to.

    Simply because I have a different opinion and believe that there is room for food that is maybe what you would not consider "clean" also does not mean that I do not try to eat food that is healthy for my body.

    I suppose that if anything bothers me...it is judgments such as you have made...assuming that we are hangry, offended and stuffing our bodies with only foods that have had numerous additives added and we are doing it 24 hours a day.

    I truly hope that accomplish what you desire from your food choices. Let me assure you though that your choices do not make me feel guilty about mine. I made my choices based on what I want to accomplish.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    IMO, a rigid focus on calorie counting can also lead to an eating disorder but you don't see many here bringing that up only that clean eating will lead to ON. I would hazard a guess that there are a high number of members on MFP and similar sites abusing the calorie tracking tool to support an ED.

    Yes it can and I am sure you are right. Not sure what that has to do with the current conversation, or how it conflicts anything I have said.

    I think they are just pointing out that clean eating is no more likely to lead to an ED than calorie counting - except that does not get mentioned, so they are maybe just balancing out the statement.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    To be fair - I would and have mentioned it if someone was going to the extreme with calorie counting (like carrying food scale around) - just like I responded to someone making extreme claims about clean eating (sodium and added sugars means you wont be healthy for long).
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    To be fair - I would and have mentioned it if someone was going to the extreme with calorie counting (like carrying food scale around) - just like I responded to someone making extreme claims about clean eating (sodium and added sugars means you wont be healthy for long).

    Fair enough!
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I would agree with you. I have recently seen threads about taking food scales to a restaurant.

    Mentally if you are that way inclined, then that's how you are.

    Taking scales to a restaurant seems completely ludicrous - however I can see how easy it is to get obsessive. There are certain times throughout the year when I do get completely obsessive and all I can think about is food and exercise. Thankfully I haven't gone so far as bringing scales to a restaurant, but I think that might even be because I wouldn't even entertain the idea of going to a restaurant during those times! Scary!
  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
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    Recent pages of this thread are a perfect example of why clean eating is such a hot button topic here.

    People who don't believe in clean eating are apparently:

    "haters"
    "feeling guilty knowing they should make better food choices"
    "half of what we eat is disgusting"
    "not going to be healthy for very long"

    And then on the flip side you have the anti-clean eating fear mongering:

    I personally think this kind of claim should NOT be supported on MFP because it is not true, for a certain part of the population it can be potentially dangerous (precursor to Orthorexia Nervosa) and it can needlessly sabotage diet adherence.

    Is offering another viewpoint "fear mongering" now?

    I'd say telling people they "wont be healthy for long (from eating added sugars and sodium)" (which is what I was responding too) is far more "fear mongering" than me listing a couple potential pitfalls of clean eating (and clearly saying "potentially")

    I agree, which is why I do not tell people they will not be healthy for long, if they eat junk food. But I also do not assume that someone wishing to eat healthier foods will lead to the proposed condition of Orthorexia Nervosa.

    IMO someone inclined to suffer from ON is inclined to suffer from some other compulsive disorder if not ON.

    Clean eating doesn't cause mental health issue - it may turn into a crutch for people with pre-excising mental health issue, but it is not the cause.

    IMO, a rigid focus on calorie counting can also lead to an eating disorder but you don't see many here bringing that up only that clean eating will lead to ON. I would hazard a guess that there are a high number of members on MFP and similar sites abusing the calorie tracking tool to support an ED.

    I would agree with you. I have recently seen threads about taking food scales to a restaurant.

    Mentally if you are that way inclined, then that's how you are.

    Food scales in the restaurant?

    At one point you should be getting pretty close to eyeballing it.

    I can easily grab 27-29 grams of Kraft Finely Shredded Cheese straight from the bag.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    I would agree with you. I have recently seen threads about taking food scales to a restaurant.

    Mentally if you are that way inclined, then that's how you are.

    Taking scales to a restaurant seems completely ludicrous - however I can see how easy it is to get obsessive. There are certain times throughout the year when I do get completely obsessive and all I can think about is food and exercise. Thankfully I haven't gone so far as bringing scales to a restaurant, but I think that might even be because I wouldn't even entertain the idea of going to a restaurant during those times! Scary!

    I too think that in our quest to get this right that there are those of us that can get obsessed and let it take over our lives.

    I am far from an OCD person and yet there are times that I have had to just stop myself. At times I have let those calories, weighing and measure along with the nutrient tracking consume my thoughts. When that occurs are the times that I struggle with just staying on track...it is also the times that I am more likely to binge.

    One day I went in to this pizza place to order my dirty pizza...they didn't have a nutrition guide...I thought I was going to have a melt down! I left and went somewhere that did have an available nutrition guide. I don't want to live the rest of my life that way so...I made myself go eat some place where I had not clue as to what I was eating. I found out I could survive eating without knowing exactly what was going in my mouth.

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