People are sooooo unsupportive of clean eating!

It's because they are jealous... and they are afraid of what you are thinking about what their eating!

I've been doing a lot of research on clean eating and I'm trying to adapt it into my meals. It does help that most of the people at my work are really good eaters.

Your not the only one out there. My inlaws are like that. All of them are obese and quickly to say something when they see me eating my portion sized meals. They say girl you need to eat!! Your getting anarexic on us?? What you don't like our food? I feel like so NO! I want to be able to see my feet till the day I die. It also doesn't help that they have candy laying around everywhere. I mean everywhere in the house. Even at the bedsides...My fiance is not very supportive either. He has been shoveling candy down his face sense he woke up this morning. He does't care though he just lost 20lbs and is only 5 lbs from his goal weight....sooo annoying!! I am happy that he lost the lbs but Im like come on now put down the resses peanut butter cups. Just hang in there and think of what your body will look like and what theres is going to look like. Hey they are going to need someone when they can't walk around right??

Let ummmm hate on ya!! I've been personally having a terrible week overall but have moved mine and my boyfriends lifestyle to clean eating... and my body LOVES IT! My boyfriend even at first would add extra sauces and extra portions, but lately even he has said how much better he feels and energetic and his body seems to be working more effeciently too....

It's very hard to feel like you have to justify eating right to the people who you thought would be more supporters than haters! But this takes an intense focus at times and others around can take that as a change of mind set... DUH! THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THIS!!

what is "clean eating"? is something specific, like all natural foods, or just eating better in general? im curious b/c i think i might like to do that, but i dont know exactly what it is.

I think the major problem people have with eating clean is that it is incredibly far removed from the way that society portrays food and eating.

Unfortunately, convenience and packaged processed food is considered normal and anything that is in it's natural state is considered boring, uninteresting and bland unless it is combined with some kind of processed sauce or product.

This mentality is crazy... there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating clean and think that people should strive to eat as cleanly as possible even if they do eat the occasional processed food.

People criticise things that are not normal to them as a defence mechanism, this is why you are getting all this backlash. The reality is that eating choices are personal so why should you feel guilty for doing what you want with your body?

For now I just suggest grinning and bearing it, but if you are being critised to a level that is no longer acceptable, I would tell them. I am having the same problem so I can completely relate to how difficult the situation is.

We went to my mother-in-laws house the friday after pancake day, and she was making pancakes. She asked if I wanted one, to which I said 'no thank you, I am not eating that kind of thing'. She was like 'why, there is nothing in them. So why aren't you eating. Sorry I didn't make Weight Watchers food.'

I tried to explain, I am NOT on Weight Watchers, but I don't want to eat food that has no nutritional value and are essentially fat. She said she didn't understand, and finally my other half stepped in and said, 'Mom, of course they are not good for you, they are made of flour, eggs and milk and cooked in loads of oil! Then he just said if Ash wants to eat them she will, but if she doesn't she won't.'

Thank goodness, he backed me up but I shouldn't need to explain myself because I don't want a pancake! Ridiculous... needless to say since I keep getting told that I was 'going to be invited for dinner, but decided not too because they couldn't guarantee the caloric intake of my food'.

I just smile and say, 'that's okay I am a good cook, no worries!'

At this rate, I might not be receiving a card at xmas!

Hi friend : )
I think they only do this because they are so incredibly insecure about their own choices they want you to be right down there with them so they are not the only ones. My husband has a big polish family and we have been together for 10 years and like you I have always tried to maintain a healthy outlook and more often than not make the right choices. And they are constantly offering me fattening foods and actually have cried and asked me how could I deny what they have cooked for me and so on. I don't care, I will bluntly say over and over, YES I HAVE HAD ENOUGH, NO I AM NOT EATING LARD, I'M SORRY I DONT LIKE DUMPLINGS. BALH BLAH BLAH.

Sometimes I get really angry and my dad always makes smart remarks.. what diet are you on today. And if I do decided to try one of his famous cookies he is all up in my face about how I am failing whatever I am trying to do. He thinks it is all or nothing.

I dont know what to do either.. I just try to go on with my life, teach them healthy choices and try to show them that I am teaching my daughter how to live healthy. I hope they will realize one day how important healthy eating is.. but until then... to each their own, but I also wish they would keep their mouths shut.

One other thing I hate..... I hate that people bigger than me ( in size or weight ) always tell me that i'm tiny and need to eat more, i'm losing to much weight blah blah... I am 15lbs over a healthy weight and 28lbs over what I was on my wedding day.

Idk.. I could go on all day about this subject - I think this subject is what ultimately takes people away from their healthy eating.

Keep in mind that those of us who choose this lifestyle are making a rather classist lifestyle choice. We're agonizing over steel cut vs. rolled oats while a third of the world starves, and there are major food inequality issues here in the US. The psychology linked to food runs very, very deep. While I personally do as much at home as I can, I recognize the need to care via feeding and simply decline with a smile without offering an excuse or explanation. Don't make an issue out of it and usually people don't notice. If you expect them to be respectful of your food choices, then by all means return the favor. Don't tell them "there's nothing good in that" for heaven's sake! Remembering your health is important, but so is remembering your manners!

Well said. I am learning this as I go along. The other day the basket of white dinner rolls with warm butter was passed to me and when I didn't take one, I was asked why. I said 'because they are white'. That's when the 'pushing' ensued. If I had said something more socially acceptable like 'I don't want to get to full of bread, I'm saving room for dinner/dessert', it probably would of went over with no hassle. I'm going to try to start curbing my healthy comments and hoping that helps me avoid the retorts.

It's generally the ones that do nothing that don't like someone leaving the herd. It's easy to not challenge yourself, and thereby not challenge others.

Take it as a badge of honor. You'll gain friends that actually work towards bettering themselves.

It really is what you say in response that makes all of the difference. I find that a "No thanks, I'm good." is usually more than enough for most people and if they press it, then I just say, "Really, I'm good but thank you so much for offering." At least that way, they feel appreciated for the gesture of offering me their food and don't feel personally attacked for the food itself.

I've been eating clean for several years now and have learned that no one really likes the Food Police or what they perceive as being criticized for the types of foods they eat - even if you are really trying to be helpful. What I have learned is that if you discuss things in a more generic way, they are more acceptable and eventually, some may come around to adopting the same measures. For example, our office is very food-oriented and recipes are often shared. Many of the recipes aren't healthy of course, so I began to pass around recipes in which I substituted one or two healthy ingredients for one or two of the non-healthy ones. I simply said that I found this recipe that substituted this ingredient was supposed to be healthier, so I tried it an liked it and wanted to pass it along to find out what others thought. I would also bring up certain health facts about food and ingredients from time to time, always in an off-hand manner (and particularly not at a time when they were eating something similarly unhealthy related to what I was discussing!) and so it could be presented in a way that wasn't threatening to everyone. After a while, it just became more common to talk about things that would make a recipe healthier, etc. As a result, most - not all - but most of the folks in my small office group have become much more conscious about their food choices. One began researching on her own and decided to become a vegan, two have lost pretty significant amounts of weight and everyone now brings their own lunches to work. There are still a couple of folks who just don't get it and I admit, I just don't understand folks like that because the one guy who could really benefit from abandoning his poor diet is extremely overweight, always complaining of back pain (probably because of the big belly he is hauling around), is on blood pressure meds and just lost his younger brother due to heart attack! After all of this, that guy still has to have his daily fix of Cheetos and Pepsi.

So, what I have learned through my journey to clean eating is that people have to change of their own accord. You can try to help them decide to make better eating choices simply by refusing the bad food they offer in a non-personal way and you can try to slowly introduce people to healthier ideas by talking about healthier recipes and foods in a more open way (as in, not when they are eating that donut!). Some will come around to the idea on their own, which is best because then they are more likely to stick with it. Some will never come around to the idea - but at least they won't feel threatened by your choices and feel the need to 'fight back' negatively, if you go about it in a non-personal way.

Sorry this is so long-winded! I must also say that I am glad to find so many other clean eaters on MFP!

Edited because after reading what I wrote, it kind of sounds like I am purposely trying to 'convert' my office! I started my clean eating journey after my daughter's father died of a heart attack at the very young age of 38 - autopsy said his arteries were clogged. That is when I began reading up on how food affects your body and started learning how to change things - and naturally began passing the information along to folks that I care about the most.