Clean eating
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I don't know if this qualifies, but I buy as few processed foods as possible. I make peanut butter, bread, have learned how to cook my meals at home, simply because it's all so fun. When I go to a potluck, I reach for homemade instead fast food. Note this has nothing to do with weight loss and is preference only. I still eat out, and once in awhile and indulge in fast food once in a blue moon.angelb1983 wrote: »Looking for advice from those that "eat clean". I want to start this by saying I know that it does not help with weight loss...I am wanting to do it merely for health reasons and to gain a desire for healthier foods. Anyway, to those who clean eat...what does that mean to you? What do you do when you are running around and don't have time to go home and make something. How do you prevent eating out? Do you find that clean eating has reduced your desire to eat less healthy foods, or do you always crave those? What are some breakfast ideas? I can't stand oatmeal because of the texture, but other options would be awesome! And one more question, what are some foods that you always keep in the refrigerator? Would love to look at your diary for ideas...Going from a diet that is 90% processed to 90% clean will have its challenges, I am sure.
For me, type of food is all about balance and nutrition, and calories in/out is about weight loss.0 -
I eat the old fashioned oatmeal all the time, but have recently introduced steel cut oats. So good!njitaliana wrote: »Try steel cut oats. The texture is better. And Google a recipe for baked oatmeal. It is good. I have a lot of crustless quiche for breakfast. I bake 2 and have a slice each morning along with fruit.
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Paleolithic man had no access to a tortilla press and wok0 -
I agree with the above poster that a better term is "whole foods." So basically making your meals as simple as possible using few ingredients and making sure they are fresh and not from a package.
I agree that "cooking from whole foods" is more accurate and less insulting than "eating clean" and reasonably descriptive of how I try to eat, although I still go out and eat some premade or packaged items (dried pasta, canned beans, yogurt, as discussed above).
I don't agree that using few ingredients is meaningful to health at all. I usually do cook with relatively few ingredients (although I may use lots of herbs and spices), because I work and am usually trying to cook pretty quickly, but I love to experiment with cooking and when I have time I might do something more elaborate like a tagine with many ingredients and I don't see why that would be less healthy. Indeed, since I started back on my weight loss plan I'm more likely to add lots of additional ingredients (more veggies) to my meat sauce, but I'd argue that makes it more healthy, not less.
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Dave198lbs wrote: »There will be much grade-school-style mocking and many people bragging about what non-healthy food they eat, which is somehow supposed to make you feel worse, lol. But good for you!
Lean, white meat. Fresh fruits and veggies. Low or no fat dairy. Whole grain breads.
http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/
actually low no fat dairy is not considered clean. Full fat yogurt and milk is fantastic.Dark meat (chicken thighs) are tasty as all get out, especially baked or BBQ'd with skin intact.
Good illustration of how the "clean" terminology means nothing.
IMO, red meat is perfectly "clean" -- it's usually less processed than boneless, skinless chicken breast, after all. And fat has been skimmed off milk for ages, it's not a process that requires, well, much more processing than simply bottling and pasturizing milk (another issue), and I personally think low fat dairy is a healthy source of protein without too many additional calories. (I eat full fat dairy too--I like all kinds of dairy. Some claim no dairy is "clean," however.)0 -
You don't have to avoid going out completely- get a salad! If it's Mexican, get fajitas and avoid the tortillas. If Chinese, go for lean meat and veggies- Kung Pao is my favorite, and I avoid the rice.
Why are the rice and tortillas "clean" and not the rest of the food?
Just another demonstration that there's no agreement on what "clean" means.
Personally, I disagree with those who would argue that restaurant food is "unclean." I go to restaurants where I suspect the food is higher calorie than what I prepare at home, but I don't think they use ingredients that are lower quality. I wouldn't go there if I did.
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SonicDeathMonkey80 wrote: »
Paleolithic man had no access to a tortilla press and wok
Paleolithic man had no access to the vast majority of our modern foods. He also had to go out and hunt and forage for everything he ate. And then he died in his 30s.
Also, "clean" does not mean "Paleo." Although there is no consensus on what it does mean, there is at least a consensus that Paleo and clean are two different dietary concepts.
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Popcorn
Seriously a thread with clean eating in the title gets them very very excited. Define what you mean by clean eating and probably dont mention clean eating.
I go for more own cooking, fruit and veg, lean protein, complex carbs. Thats enough for me. I will also have processed food no probs. Its a better and healthier balance than what I had before.
Choose what you wnat its your diet not theirs.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I agree with the above poster that a better term is "whole foods." So basically making your meals as simple as possible using few ingredients and making sure they are fresh and not from a package.
I agree that "cooking from whole foods" is more accurate and less insulting than "eating clean" and reasonably descriptive of how I try to eat, although I still go out and eat some premade or packaged items (dried pasta, canned beans, yogurt, as discussed above).
I don't agree that using few ingredients is meaningful to health at all. I usually do cook with relatively few ingredients (although I may use lots of herbs and spices), because I work and am usually trying to cook pretty quickly, but I love to experiment with cooking and when I have time I might do something more elaborate like a tagine with many ingredients and I don't see why that would be less healthy. Indeed, since I started back on my weight loss plan I'm more likely to add lots of additional ingredients (more veggies) to my meat sauce, but I'd argue that makes it more healthy, not less.
Yep...I don't add a bunch of needless crap to what I cook, but I do not limit the ingredients by some arbitrary number. It takes what it takes.
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I say don't cut everything out at once, you'll drive yourself crazy. Just remember portion is key. If you cut everything out, you're going to end up binging.
take little steps such as:
no more soda or anything other then water
always have fruit and veggies on hand
premake your meals for the week (I make salads every sunday for lunch during the week)
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angelb1983 wrote: »lemurcat, this is why I get so confused. It is all the rules associated with differing viewpoints on what "clean" or "whole" is. I can't see myself giving up every processed food if yogurt is even considered processed. My goal, I suppose, is to eat less boxed foods, less out to eat, and more foods that actually have a nutritional value. I guess I am not sure if that is "clean" or "whole" after all.
I would say that your goal is to eat more from whole foods. I think that's a perfectly sensible goal, one that is consistent with how I too like to eat, even though I hate the term "clean" for food, and even though I don't think that all processed foods are bad or unhealthy. I include in my diet various processed foods that I think are healthy or help me meet my nutrition goals (and also some I just like, like ice cream and fancy chocolate). I also include in my diet (sparingly) various homemade treats that I love, as a special treat on holidays or for some other dinner party, like the apple crisp I'll probably make on Thanksgiving. I don't think those are somehow more consistent with a weight loss plan than a store bought treat (although I am partial to homemade for personal reasons). They are also relatively calorie dense for the amount of nutritional benefits. But I think a diet (in the sense of foods that we eat) that wouldn't allow them ever would be, well, not one I'm interested in.
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I do clean eating and have lost on average 4pounds every month.
For me clean eating is no processed food, no fizzy drinks, eating brown instead of white. Eating lots of veg (being a vegeatarian helps!)Having a balanced meal of fat carb n protein
Breakfast - eggs any variety, toast with cashew butter, smoothie (spinach, kale, apple banana pear)
Eating out is good too, but just save it for the cheat day0 -
Ao the repeated "I wash my hands" and todays "drano" comments on the other thread weren't adolescent? ok.lemurcat12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »clean eating threads usually turn into mocking, adolescent, train wrecks where folks become obtuse for "fun".
I disagree. People dislike being told that they don't care about health or eat "unclean" foods just because they don't share certain debateable (at best) premises, like that grains are bad or that all processed foods are bad or (most weird) that oatmeal and store-bought yogurt aren't really processed.
Why can't people share ideas about healthy eating more broadly instead of insisting that they exchange ideas only with those who self-identify as "clean" or join groups of people who self-identify as "clean" or "paleo," and the like.
I do not concede that someone who self-defines as say "paleo," cares more about health that someone who doesn't. They might just have different ideas about what's healthy. For example, I think it would be healthier for me to eat more beans than I do, whereas someone who self-defines as "paleo" claims that I should give up beans for health and someone against processed foods ought to (for consistency) point out that they are processed (even though I could easily grow them in my garden and dry them myself).
One can debate whether it's useful/healthy to include something processed like protein powder, but usually people don't include it because they are uninterested in health. That's why these discussions drive me crazy. The subtext is only people who self-define as "clean" eaters are concerned about healthy eating or worth discussing nutrition with.
I think lots of people have great conversations here. But certain words like "clean" lead folks to go silly.
There's no subtext, there's just my suggestion that folks can ask questions without wading through the "five second rule", and "my dishes are clean" crap that these threads usually devolve into.
Oh, and the "you're smug" comments. Those are always entertaining.0 -
angelb1983 wrote: »lemurcat, this is why I get so confused. It is all the rules associated with differing viewpoints on what "clean" or "whole" is. I can't see myself giving up every processed food if yogurt is even considered processed. My goal, I suppose, is to eat less boxed foods, less out to eat, and more foods that actually have a nutritional value. I guess I am not sure if that is "clean" or "whole" after all.
That's just it: you make decisions about what is healthy to you. I eat wallaby organic yogurt. Some folks eat yogurt and feel fine about that.
I don't think rules. Ihink: is it nutrient dense, is it one of the better options, does it limit added sugars and unnecessary HFCS and does it taste good.
OP: I sent you a PM.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »You don't have to avoid going out completely- get a salad! If it's Mexican, get fajitas and avoid the tortillas. If Chinese, go for lean meat and veggies- Kung Pao is my favorite, and I avoid the rice.
Why are the rice and tortillas "clean" and not the rest of the food?
Just another demonstration that there's no agreement on what "clean" means.
Personally, I disagree with those who would argue that restaurant food is "unclean." I go to restaurants where I suspect the food is higher calorie than what I prepare at home, but I don't think they use ingredients that are lower quality. I wouldn't go there if I did.
Though I illustrated some of the whole food stuff in my post above, which I enjoy concocting for pure pleasure, I agree that no food is "unclean". Food is food.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »angelb1983 wrote: »lemurcat, this is why I get so confused. It is all the rules associated with differing viewpoints on what "clean" or "whole" is. I can't see myself giving up every processed food if yogurt is even considered processed. My goal, I suppose, is to eat less boxed foods, less out to eat, and more foods that actually have a nutritional value. I guess I am not sure if that is "clean" or "whole" after all.
That's just it: you make decisions about what is healthy to you. I eat wallaby organic yogurt. Some folks eat yogurt and feel fine about that.
I don't think rules. Ihink: is it nutrient dense, is it one of the better options, does it limit added sugars and unnecessary HFCS and does it taste good.
OP: I sent you a PM.
All great. I don't see what it has to do with "clean" eating. Again, many people have similar interests re nutrition without proclaiming themselves "clean" eaters or deciding--as we see in countless threads--that they only want to share information with other "clean" eaters. There is often no actual difference in how "clean" and non "clean" eaters eat, so why?
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Clean eating = non processed foods, non bleached foods. Foods that don't have ingredients you can't pronounce.0
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I'm not really sure what clean eating is, or why there is the marketing hype around it. But.
I try to base 80% or so of my food on stuff I make from whole vegetables, animals I have met before purchasing them for slaughter, etc. I even grow some of my own soft skinned vegetables to reduce instances of utilization of industrially grown/gathered food. Personal choice and I have the opportunity to grow a lot of nice stuff.
The remaining 20%? I live near a couple good pubs. They try to buy locally as much as possible because it allows them to increase avg revenue by 10-20%.
Is there a difference in nutritional value? Naw, probably not. Most of it is feel goods, and I like having a collection of pictures of the animals that have inhabited my freezer. It's not going to change your life.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Ao the repeated "I wash my hands" and todays "drano" comments on the other thread weren't adolescent? ok.lemurcat12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »clean eating threads usually turn into mocking, adolescent, train wrecks where folks become obtuse for "fun".
I disagree. People dislike being told that they don't care about health or eat "unclean" foods just because they don't share certain debateable (at best) premises, like that grains are bad or that all processed foods are bad or (most weird) that oatmeal and store-bought yogurt aren't really processed.
Why can't people share ideas about healthy eating more broadly instead of insisting that they exchange ideas only with those who self-identify as "clean" or join groups of people who self-identify as "clean" or "paleo," and the like.
I do not concede that someone who self-defines as say "paleo," cares more about health that someone who doesn't. They might just have different ideas about what's healthy. For example, I think it would be healthier for me to eat more beans than I do, whereas someone who self-defines as "paleo" claims that I should give up beans for health and someone against processed foods ought to (for consistency) point out that they are processed (even though I could easily grow them in my garden and dry them myself).
One can debate whether it's useful/healthy to include something processed like protein powder, but usually people don't include it because they are uninterested in health. That's why these discussions drive me crazy. The subtext is only people who self-define as "clean" eaters are concerned about healthy eating or worth discussing nutrition with.
This doesn't respond to my questions/arguments, though. It just says that others are bad too. IMO, "clean"--which means that all else is "unclean" or "dirty"--is divisive and rude terminology that is not only unnecessary but doesn't even clearly convey anything the poster is trying to convey. Like I've said before, I don't assume that everyone who uses it intends to be rude--I'm sure it's easy to pick up--but once you know others perceive it that way and that it's not understood as meaning anything that really sheds light on how you eat, why insist on the term? It has to be because the insult or divisiveness is intended, IMO. But I'm open to an alternative explanation, which has yet to be offered.
And that's also why I take the usual bad "jokes" about washing food differently than you do. I was trying to think of an analogy and hit upon one that might be more inflammatory, I don't know, but it seemed to help explain my perspective. I've been walking along and asked if I'm "born again." As with "clean eating," I'd argue that there's no settled definition of what "born again" means. In fact, IMO, it means baptized (which I am), but I know from past experience and common sense that if someone asks me that it means something more to them, often sharing in a particular experience and also often held to be exclusively the possession of certain segments of Christianity that I would not be considered a member of. So am I or not? Would it be rude to say yes because I personally reject the exclusive claim on the term by some? I don't think so. (Although being me I'm more likely to walk away or ask what they mean by that specifically, depending on mood.) I see this as what people who joke about washing their food are doing--they are rejecting the claim that their food, because "processed" or whatever, is unclean. In that exchange, they aren't the ones doing the insulting, then. The people you want to defend are. And I continue to not understand that.I think lots of people have great conversations here. But certain words like "clean" lead folks to go silly.
Probably true; I'm probably one of them. But if this is so, why cling so hard to the term? For what is it good except to claim that your standards are higher than those of other people, that your ideas about health and how to achieve them aren't simply one of many, to be discussed reasonably, but the only "clean" way to be?Oh, and the "you're smug" comments. Those are always entertaining.
Eh, lots of people around here are smug, but I don't see how one can post "I eat clean" without being smug. The "I don't eat processed food" one drives me crazy even more, since invariably people who say that do. Which is fine, of course, but why claim that you don't then?
I'm annoyed by this because while I don't see the point of excluding healthy processed foods (as I define what's healthy, of course), I do like discussing nutrition and how eating different ways affects people and cooking from whole foods and eating seasonally and all that. And yet consistently I get told that the only people who really truly care about health and who are worth exchanging ideas with are self-proclaimed "clean" eaters--a status that, again, I think relies on terminology that is inherently rude and, besides, almost no one here could really claim to be without hypocrisy based on the most common definition (no processed food).
If people want to get past the stupid debate about the name, why insist on using the name that obviously annoys many people (not just me)? It again seems intentionally provocative or insulting.
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PSlosing29 wrote: »Clean eating = non processed foods, non bleached foods. Foods that don't have ingredients you can't pronounce.
#facepalmchat0 -
PSlosing29 wrote: »Clean eating = non processed foods, non bleached foods. Foods that don't have ingredients you can't pronounce.
What do you mean by "processed" foods? Cashews are processed, as they would be poisonous if we ate them raw. Cooking is processing. Many of the foods I purchase in packages are cooked with no preservatives or additives. For example, I have a can of pumpkin puree that has the following ingredient list: Pumpkin.
Grains are pretty much always processed, so are you pro grain or against? I buy organic Campari tomatoes on the vine...in a 2 pound plastic package from a warehouse club. Clean or not?
I buy organic garlic pre-peeled and minced in a jar with not additives or preservatives. Clean or not?
It's just not as simple as saying "non processed foods." That means a lot of different things to different people.0 -
PSlosing29 wrote: »Clean eating = non processed foods, non bleached foods. Foods that don't have ingredients you can't pronounce.
What's in an apple ?
Haha good point - or rather what's been done to the apple!?
I've been playing around with trying to eat "clean" / organic / wholefoods - and have found it very hard not to mention expensive!
I buy organic when I can and try not to eat any processed food, stick to whole grains etc..
and try to stay well away from food with a long list of ingredients that I can't pronounce.
Living like this all the time every day is something that I'm working on and when I have won the lottery it might be a bit easier to afford
But I think having something that isn't organic / whole etc .. once in a while is OK - especially considering the diets that most of us used to have!
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What clean eating means to me: I avoid processed foods, if the list of ingredients contain things I can't pronounce or I have to look it up I generally don't eat it. For the most part 90% of what we eat is made at home from scratch, but I have the time to do this. When I buy meat I buy organic, as I don't like the idea of added hormones. We don't drink cows milk (two of my kids are lactose intolerant and two have milk protein allergies) instead I buy the unsweetened almond milk. The most processed stuff we have in the house are things like ketchup, salad dressing, etc. For the most part my fridge is filled with fruits, vegetables, yogurts, cheeses, lean meats and fish. My pantry is full of baking stuff (so I have things on hand for baking breads, crackers, pasta), rice, beans, canned veggies, oats, nuts, dried fruits.
We rarely go out to eat, for a few reasons. There are 7 of us and dinner out can get very expensive very quickly. In general I have found that I can usually make it better and cheaper at home. If we do go out I usually stick to a grilled fish or chicken (that is NOT cooked in a sauce) or a salad (with dressing on the side). The only times that we usually have fast food is when we are on a road trip (or like the other day when I had to help hubby work on his car that broke down at his office, we had subway for lunch and a chicken salad bowl thing from taco bell for dinner). We try to stick to the "better" fast food places on road trips, though that doesn't always happen. I never buy hamburgers at fast food restaurants (my stomach doesn't tolerate them) instead I will order a grilled chicken sandwich with mayo on the side or a salad (if they have them) with dressing on the side. I personally have found that I don't crave junk food, and most of the time if I do eat some my stomach lets me know it doesn't like it.
My suggestion is to start making small changes as those become routine start adding more changes.0 -
PSlosing29 wrote: »Clean eating = non processed foods, non bleached foods. Foods that don't have ingredients you can't pronounce.
What's in an apple ?
Haha good point - or rather what's been done to the apple!?
No, I'm pretty sure the poster meant literally, what's in an apple.
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aribeiro659 wrote: »What clean eating means to me: I avoid processed foods, if the list of ingredients contain things I can't pronounce or I have to look it up I generally don't eat it. For the most part 90% of what we eat is made at home from scratch, but I have the time to do this. When I buy meat I buy organic, as I don't like the idea of added hormones. We don't drink cows milk (two of my kids are lactose intolerant and two have milk protein allergies) instead I buy the unsweetened almond milk. The most processed stuff we have in the house are things like ketchup, salad dressing, etc. For the most part my fridge is filled with fruits, vegetables, yogurts, cheeses, lean meats and fish. My pantry is full of baking stuff (so I have things on hand for baking breads, crackers, pasta), rice, beans, canned veggies, oats, nuts, dried fruits.
We rarely go out to eat, for a few reasons. There are 7 of us and dinner out can get very expensive very quickly. In general I have found that I can usually make it better and cheaper at home. If we do go out I usually stick to a grilled fish or chicken (that is NOT cooked in a sauce) or a salad (with dressing on the side). The only times that we usually have fast food is when we are on a road trip (or like the other day when I had to help hubby work on his car that broke down at his office, we had subway for lunch and a chicken salad bowl thing from taco bell for dinner). We try to stick to the "better" fast food places on road trips, though that doesn't always happen. I never buy hamburgers at fast food restaurants (my stomach doesn't tolerate them) instead I will order a grilled chicken sandwich with mayo on the side or a salad (if they have them) with dressing on the side. I personally have found that I don't crave junk food, and most of the time if I do eat some my stomach lets me know it doesn't like it.
My suggestion is to start making small changes as those become routine start adding more changes.
OP- bolded is good advice for just about everything here in the MFP world of diet/fitness and for those seeking it, better health. This topic always brings those who must attack everything including the terminology out of the woodwork. If they aren't doing it then noone else should either. Get educated on the topics you are interested in at the library or with established authors who are not trying to sell you something. Take the advice given here on the forums with a big grain of clean, unprocessed salt. Good Luck.
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aribeiro659 wrote: »What clean eating means to me: I avoid processed foods, if the list of ingredients contain things I can't pronounce or I have to look it up I generally don't eat it. For the most part 90% of what we eat is made at home from scratch, but I have the time to do this. When I buy meat I buy organic, as I don't like the idea of added hormones. We don't drink cows milk (two of my kids are lactose intolerant and two have milk protein allergies) instead I buy the unsweetened almond milk. The most processed stuff we have in the house are things like ketchup, salad dressing, etc. For the most part my fridge is filled with fruits, vegetables, yogurts, cheeses, lean meats and fish. My pantry is full of baking stuff (so I have things on hand for baking breads, crackers, pasta), rice, beans, canned veggies, oats, nuts, dried fruits.
We rarely go out to eat, for a few reasons. There are 7 of us and dinner out can get very expensive very quickly. In general I have found that I can usually make it better and cheaper at home. If we do go out I usually stick to a grilled fish or chicken (that is NOT cooked in a sauce) or a salad (with dressing on the side). The only times that we usually have fast food is when we are on a road trip (or like the other day when I had to help hubby work on his car that broke down at his office, we had subway for lunch and a chicken salad bowl thing from taco bell for dinner). We try to stick to the "better" fast food places on road trips, though that doesn't always happen. I never buy hamburgers at fast food restaurants (my stomach doesn't tolerate them) instead I will order a grilled chicken sandwich with mayo on the side or a salad (if they have them) with dressing on the side. I personally have found that I don't crave junk food, and most of the time if I do eat some my stomach lets me know it doesn't like it.
My suggestion is to start making small changes as those become routine start adding more changes.
Again, this is the problem with "clean" eating discussions. About half of what you listed here would be considered "unclean" by most who follow the clean philosophy. So why label what you're doing as "clean" eating? A. It's not and B. it really does set people's teeth on edge with this false dichotomy of "clean" vs. "unclean" foods. The connotation of "clean" has a value judgement that "whole" or "healthy" just don't have.
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PSlosing29 wrote: »Clean eating = non processed foods, non bleached foods. Foods that don't have ingredients you can't pronounce.
No...
So if I can pronounce it and you can not does that mean it is clean for me and not for you?
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