What is clean eating? In a nutshell.

princesschikee
princesschikee Posts: 138
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
Eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

Eliminates refined sugar
Cooks healthy meals
Packs healthy meals
Makes healthy choices when dining out
Drinks a lot of water
Eats 5-6 small meals per day
Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
Always eats breakfast

Replies

  • DeannaOnline
    DeannaOnline Posts: 33 Member
    A good quote I once read in the book "food rules"

    "if someone handed it to you through the window of your car, it's not food!"
  • loseit4good52
    loseit4good52 Posts: 127
    I love this..you have inspired me to really watch what I eat! thanks!:smile:
  • mandypizzle
    mandypizzle Posts: 633 Member
    <3 Clean eating! Thank you for sharing!
  • skinimin
    skinimin Posts: 252 Member
    A good quote I once read in the book "food rules"

    "if someone handed it to you through the window of your car, it's not food!"

    HAHA love and so true! But as much as I love this I still love double cheeseburgers.
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
    Thanks for sharing.
  • Jenn728
    Jenn728 Posts: 683 Member
    This helpful information! Thanks!

    And I'm glad to know I follow most of those rules :bigsmile: The only thing I'm not sure about it the sugar but I'm working on it.
  • imagineaballoon
    imagineaballoon Posts: 44
    Just out of curiosity, why would someone who eats clean do 5-6 small meals a day, as opposed to say, 3 moderate meals with several snacks throughout the day?

    I practice mainly clean eating (not 100% but mostly) and I just don't have it in me to eat frequent small meals. So I do snacks between each main meal and watch my portion sizes. I just never have understood what meal frequency had to do with clean eating.
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
    A pretty good rule of thumb is to think of shopping only on the perimeters of the grocery store, not in the aisles.
  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
    Eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

    A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

    Eliminates refined sugar
    Cooks healthy meals
    Packs healthy meals
    Makes healthy choices when dining out
    Drinks a lot of water
    Eats 5-6 small meals per day
    Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
    Always eats breakfast

    LIKE
    I also read this somewhere
    "If it didnt have a momma or grow on the earth.. DONT eat it"
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    Would be a pretty clean eater, but never going to give up wine. :)
  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
    Eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

    A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

    Eliminates refined sugar
    Cooks healthy meals
    Packs healthy meals
    Makes healthy choices when dining out
    Drinks a lot of water
    Eats 5-6 small meals per day
    Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
    Always eats breakfast

    What are "healthy" meals/choices exactly?
  • sophiajackson99
    sophiajackson99 Posts: 90
    The idea of clean eating has helped to focus my food choices immensely. I want to put healthy, nutritious foods in my body that feed the cells, not just my taste buds.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • MissJennaBelle
    MissJennaBelle Posts: 175
    I'm definately not a person that eats clean :noway: :indifferent: :frown:

    NOT REALLY - Eliminates refined sugar
    LIKE TO THINK SO - Cooks healthy meals
    LIKE TO THINK SO - Packs healthy meals
    TRY TO - Makes healthy choices when dining out
    TRY TO - Drinks a lot of water
    NOPE, MY DAY WONT ALLOW - Eats 5-6 small meals per day
    DEFINATELY NOT LOL - Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
    95% OF THE TIME IF HUNGRY - Always eats breakfast
  • MissJennaBelle
    MissJennaBelle Posts: 175
    Would be a pretty clean eater, but never going to give up wine. :)

    *LIKE*
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    Another important principle in clean eating is that you must COOK. You cannot eat clean by unzipping packages, microwaving, or just adding water. My diet is pretty clean, but imperfect. I continue to have a cheeseburger weakness and as a baker, I am not anti-refined sugar or all purpose flour. I simply limit their use. But as a general practice, I make what I eat, down to the taco seasoning, the chicken stock, and the salad dressing. But I am far from a zealot. I don’t bake my own bread, can my own tomatoes, or make my own mayonnaise. There are limits to all resources, including my time and energy.

    I do find, however, that especially when I am on target with eating my fruits and vegetables in meals, that I am amply full for hours. Eating 5-6 meals a day simply doesn’t work for me (particularly because it doubles the number of times I would have to think about preparing and eating food, and I already spend enough of my day doing that).
  • kimmiebear70
    kimmiebear70 Posts: 384 Member
    A good quote I once read in the book "food rules"

    "if someone handed it to you through the window of your car, it's not food!"

    HAHA love and so true! But as much as I love this I still love double cheeseburgers.
    Love it!
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

    A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

    Eliminates refined sugar - Try but not always successful (I've gotten a whole lot better, though). And I try to stay away from fake sugars but sometimes doesn't happen.
    Cooks healthy meals - Do my best but occasionally give in to boxed food or pizza, my weakness.
    Packs healthy meals - Do my best - keep a lot of healthy snacks at my desk and try to have a salad for lunch.
    Makes healthy choices when dining out - Don't eat out much. When the plans are there I usually plan on eating what I want but I don't STUFF myself anymore.
    Drinks a lot of water - YES
    Eats 5-6 small meals per day -YES (almost all the time)
    Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it) - Never was much of a drinker
    Always eats breakfast - For the first time in my life YES and I love the difference in my day
  • smilebhappy
    smilebhappy Posts: 811 Member
    Thanks for sharing! :smile:
    Something I am going to have to start doing...better!

    Would be a pretty clean eater, but never going to give up wine. :)

    *LIKE*

    True that! Love my occasional glass of wine :bigsmile:
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    I basically do all of that :) Haven't really had any alcohol for... a year and a half or something like that and feel all the better for it :)
  • sherrisluzinit4good
    sherrisluzinit4good Posts: 50 Member
    If it is in reference to Biblical eating - the "clean" food list is in the book of Leviticus Ch. 11 I've read "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin. Very good read. Also, I like to stay as close to natural as possible. All very good comments here... :flowerforyou:
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    If it is in reference to Biblical eating - the "clean" food list is in the book of Leviticus Ch. 11 I've read "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin. Very good read. Also, I like to stay as close to natural as possible. All very good comments here... :flowerforyou:

    Hell, jesus turned water into wine, so what's with the hate? :)
  • Mountain_woman
    Mountain_woman Posts: 229 Member
    Bump. Thanks
  • princesschikee
    princesschikee Posts: 138
    The reason for 5-6 meals is:

    By eating 5 to 6 small meals per day, you will increase your energy levels, accelerate muscle growth, and speed up your metabolism without storing fat. In fact, frequent eating will actually allow you to eat up to 50% more calories without storing an ounce of it as fat.

    Eating 5 meals a day will boost your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories all day long.

    In fact, by eating super-clean, high protein foods at each of your 5 meals, you will find that your metabolism goes into overdrive, becoming extremely efficient at burning off calories.

    Frequent eating revs up your metabolism due to the thermic effect of food. This is because the breakdown and absorption of food itself requires a substantial number of calories.

    You will also find it easier to build and maintain muscle.

    You will feel 10x better by eating smaller, more frequent meals. Your energy level will soar and your hunger cravings will be destroyed. This is because eating 5(for women) to 6(for men) meals per day helps maintain a balanced blood sugar level, preventing hunger attacks.
  • imagineaballoon
    imagineaballoon Posts: 44
    The reason for 5-6 meals is:

    By eating 5 to 6 small meals per day, you will increase your energy levels, accelerate muscle growth, and speed up your metabolism without storing fat. In fact, frequent eating will actually allow you to eat up to 50% more calories without storing an ounce of it as fat.

    Eating 5 meals a day will boost your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories all day long.

    In fact, by eating super-clean, high protein foods at each of your 5 meals, you will find that your metabolism goes into overdrive, becoming extremely efficient at burning off calories.

    Frequent eating revs up your metabolism due to the thermic effect of food. This is because the breakdown and absorption of food itself requires a substantial number of calories.

    You will also find it easier to build and maintain muscle.

    You will feel 10x better by eating smaller, more frequent meals. Your energy level will soar and your hunger cravings will be destroyed. This is because eating 5(for women) to 6(for men) meals per day helps maintain a balanced blood sugar level, preventing hunger attacks.

    That's very helpful, thank you! I have gone from a person who ate two large meals a day (lunch and dinner) to one who eats smaller meals 3x a day with snacks in between, and feel it has made a TREMENDOUS difference, just to my overall well-being. I don't know if I'll get to a place where I do 5-6 actual small meals a day, but I guess I'm on the right track. :)
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