Moderation vs Clean Eating

sherbear702 wrote: »

I feel like clean sweets is an oxymoron. Those two words don't belong in the same sentence together. What is a clean sweet?

Easy one. Honey.

Moderation. For sure. It keeps me from binge eating and I've learned how much I can eat of foods I love. Cookies, candy, pizza, fried chicken.... *drools*

So effing sick of seeing the term "clean eating."

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Macros is short for macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fat.

Thank you!!!!!

Merkavar wrote: »

ashleycde wrote: »

Sure! DIY-eaters unite! I'll start making t-shirts.

Shouldn't your members of diy eaters make their own shirts, do it themselves

Good catch. Hah, hah.

On topic - I totally fail at understanding, caring about or doing clean eating. I don't want to miss out on the dirty stuff that is mentioned here on MFP. For instance, I'd never heard of Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato until I saw it in a post. So I googled it and found a store locator and lo and behold learned that a gas station quick shop 15 miles from my house sells it! I've since found many uses for those empty plastic jars.

blukitten wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

blukitten wrote: »

Also let me clarify that a bit- I wasn't saying that low carb eating is "clean" eating. I was saying that I eat clean and part of that includes eating low carb maybe I should have included no processed carbs.... idk,, but again I think it can and is on an individual basis as @lemurcat12 says- we can have our own inclusions for what "clean" means to us

See, I just don't get the whole "clean" thing.

I could very well say that I eat clean too. I will try to play the lofty "name your way of eating game". I am basically a whole-foods vegetarian. Most of the time, the food I eat comes from the outer grocery store aisles, with just a few ingredients coming from the inner aisles like dried beans, nut butters, and canned tomatoes. I supplement my intake with quality protein bars and shakes. Every few months or so, I eat something that might be defined as a treat when I get the urge.

Yet, I just... eat what I like. So this is why I don't get the whole idea of labeling your diet "clean" or "dirty" or... anything, really.

I've tried to have this discussion with someone else before, and they didn't understand why I was asking, so maybe I'll get somewhere with you.

What does it mean to you when you say to yourself that you eat "clean"? Is it a big change from how you ate before, or are you, like me, simply eating food you like? Why are you choosing that word to describe your food choices? I'm not asking this in antagonizing way, I'm genuinely curious.

I appreciate the effort to explain (even if it wasn't an answer to my own question), but I do have a follow up or two.

I understand and I just do like you but I try to eat whole foods for reasons I think we covered in another forum- lol and because it is what my doc/nutritionist gave me that I could eat for my conditions.......

I think what mamapeach and I were saying is that we too eat mostly whole foods for our own reasons (mine is just that I'm into that, it's always been how I enjoy eating, perhaps because I like to cook and find focusing on local stuff and stuff I can make or grow myself a good way to get excited about food and exercise my need to be pedantic, probably). But despite that neither of us feels compelled to call ourselves "clean eaters"--which is a term I actively dislike. In that most "clean eaters" seem to deviate from whatever they define as "clean eating" as often as I do, the question is why do you call yourself that? What's the appeal?

I don't really understand the reason for labeling it either- I just say its clean because I try not to have processed stuff in it, eat for my med conditions, etc.

But YOU are the one labeling it, that's the question. Why do you think the way you eat is some special "clean" way that means it should be distinguished from how mamapeach or I or others here eat?

Like there are things I do that most people probably don't, but I don't think my diet deserves a special name because of it. It's just how I eat based on what I like and what I think is healthy and supports my personal goals.

I don't think it really matters what or if you "label" your eating- I am no different from the way you eat- from the outsides of the store with a few inclusions from the insides- dry beans, nut butters- except that I have to limit my carbs every day.

Then why do you label it? It seems to me that it's the "clean eaters" claiming that they are the only ones who care about nutrition or wanting to share "clean" recipes (as if ordinary recipes were not) or the like that are creating this weird dichotomy.

It is a very big change from how I ate before- it wasn't necessarily unclean or "dirty" I don't think any food is "bad" or "dirty". But it did include a lot of processed foods from the inside aisle and a lot of "junk" food.

I suspect this may have something to do with it. I never ate lots of processed food. I got fat eating lots of high calorie foods, but it wasn't really packaged stuff, since I was a food snob when I got fat (more of one than now, probably). I think with some exceptions a lot of the "clean eating" stuff is from people for whom not eating mostly highly processed, non nutrient dense foods is something of a change and so they assume that most everyone else who doesn't actively self-define as "clean" eats mostly fast food or Twinkies or whatever? It's one of the only explanations that comes to mind. Like it's hard to comprehend that lots of people who just think we eat normal diets or just try to eat healthy or with moderation in fact eat in ways that you think are extremely unusual or demanding? I don't know, but that's my current theory.

I cant say why EVERYONE labels their way of eating as "clean" I can only say what I think it is and why I say it. There is no purpose to it- and no reason for it. It is a personal preference.

A personal preference to label yourself as a "clean eater"?

I do know though that some people label themselves as "clean" eaters because they buy only organic, nothing extra like gmo's, pesticides, etc. - so that is what it means to them.

Yes, this is why it's confusing, as you can see.

But again- I think it means something different to everyone- as it can. Just like moderation can. I would not say eating a whole pizza is moderation- but someone else might- and that is fine. Whatever works for them.

But if we all just use words to mean whatever with no effort to communicate using common terms, how will we ever understand each other?

If someone asks me what I think moderation means, I explain, and I think my definition is a good general one, NOT just what it means to me. People can disagree on my usage, of course, and we could argue about it, but that's different than me saying "well, to me moderation means eating only blue foods, and that's what I do."

I'd be happy to drop the term "moderation" anyway, as I don't really think of myself as eating according to a particular label. It's the need of people to claim a non-descriptive label that I find interesting.

I would say that something like vegetarian or vegan or pescetarian with clearly defined meanings are truly descriptive--if someone was coming to my house for dinner and said she was a vegetarian, I'd be able to cook in a way sensitive to that. If someone said she was low carb, same, or even paleo, same (assuming they actually followed paleo). If someone said she was a "clean eater," I'd have no clue.

I really try to eat clean but sometimes I just can't help myself

berlynnwall wrote: »

I am more successful with moderation, although I do try to eat a lot of healthy foods too. I find that if I cut out all junk food (for lack of a better term) I cannot sustain it, and I end up binging and screwing up all my previous hard work. It's better for me if I go ahead and eat pizza or candy every now and then, and just watch my overall calorie intake.

This works best for me too. Lets face it, when I have a sweet tooth, fruit is just NOT going to cut it. Same with my other cravings. I try to eat as clean as I personally possibly can stand, but some things, there is just no substitutions for.

MrCoolGrim wrote: »

Don't you still have to eat in moderation if your trying to eat clean?

How Clean Eating Made Me Fat but ice Cream And Subway Got Me Lean - interesting take on this whole subject right there.