What do you mean by clean eating?

splayford
splayford Posts: 32 Member
edited November 21 in Social Groups
Hi all, I've been trying to clean eat since the new year and love it, I feel better in myself and lost weight as well. But what is your meaning of clean eating? Mine is fresh veg and fruit, full fat milk and meat etc nothing that has been made to make you feel it's better for you, the fat in milk and meat is fat our body needs not the processed stuff we get when we buy so called good for you food which has extra stuff in it to make it taste good, anyway I'm going on.

Replies

  • accidentalpancake
    accidentalpancake Posts: 484 Member
    splayford wrote: »
    Hi all, I've been trying to clean eat since the new year and love it, I feel better in myself and lost weight as well. But what is your meaning of clean eating? Mine is fresh veg and fruit, full fat milk and meat etc nothing that has been made to make you feel it's better for you, the fat in milk and meat is fat our body needs not the processed stuff we get when we buy so called good for you food which has extra stuff in it to make it taste good, anyway I'm going on.

    Sounds like a solid definition to me.
  • LuanaBean
    LuanaBean Posts: 50 Member
    I would also add that clean eating involves as few processed foods as possible. Of course "diet" foods (- low fat, lite, etc.) are extremely processed and not considered clean. I recommend Michael Pollan's book "Food Rules." It's a very small book that explains exactly what clean eating is.
  • thisnursewillbehot
    thisnursewillbehot Posts: 45 Member
    Nothing processed. Nothing with an ingredients list whenever possible. Organic when possible. Local when possible. Meat (what little we eat) is no hormones, grass fed, organic if possible, and local (so we know the source). Oh, and no GMO's. Yea, I'm a bit extreme, but I don't preach to others. Unless they ask. Then I tell. Otherwise they don't know and they aren't "afraid" to have me over or eat with me.

    I've read a lot and watched quite a bit, but I haven't read "Food Rules." Just ordered it from Amazon. Thanks!
  • losergood2011
    losergood2011 Posts: 172 Member
    Minimize processed - if I say zero then I set myself up as todays world is full of it. If it grows or moves - eat it.
  • NK1112
    NK1112 Posts: 781 Member
    For me, clean eating means less processed, packaged, convenience, and restaurant foods and more home-cooked meals. It's also about using the best quality ingredients I can find, afford.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    For me it means nothing processed and locally grown fresh fruits/veggies and only what is in season. Lean meats have to be hormone free and organic. Nothing from a box or a bag. Of course my clean eating is about 90% because I choose to eat some of the items that I really enjoy now and then :smile: I also enjoy eating my vegetables raw vs. cooked. Not sure if that has anything to do with clean eating or not.
  • thisnursewillbehot
    thisnursewillbehot Posts: 45 Member
    Minimize processed - if I say zero then I set myself up as todays world is full of it. If it grows or moves - eat it.

    Ok, I edit myself.... minimally processed. NOTHING processed when possible, but realistically.... minimally.
  • fallenintegra
    fallenintegra Posts: 3 Member
    I pretty much agree with you guys. I've been on a similar diet, or at least I am trying my hardest to stay on a clean diet. We just really don't need all the extra sugars and salt that excessively thrown into the normal everyday supermarket package. I actually make a rule for myself. I make sure that I buy as fresh as possible. This is somewhat annoying since I have to go to the supermarket every two days. However, I've been doing this for almost a year now and it no longer bothers me.

    I have noticed a huge difference in this lifestyle (which now it has become). Just like most of you guys, I feel 10 times better, less fatigue, and just more aware of the life around me.

    To stay completely clean, it does seem like organic would be the way to go. I even do this myself.

    cushman, I agree, fresh veggies and fruit is the way to go. I like your eat what's local and in season. This is an interesting topic, some call it being a 'locavore'. It stands behind the theory that eating what is in your environment will benefit you most. Most veggies take in more vitamin D, for instance, when they are farther north, because there is limited sun. So if one eats local they may get what's actually needed for their bodies in tune with the local environment and ecosystem that one resides.
  • Furbuster
    Furbuster Posts: 254 Member
    Likewise - eat as naturally as I can with the odd hormonal splurge on Doritos/veggie sausages etc. Eating like my Granny used to feed me :)
  • LuanaBean
    LuanaBean Posts: 50 Member
    One of the best things about clean eating is experimenting with foods I'd never tried before and finding new ways to prepare food. I enjoy cooking so for me every day is an adventure in my kitchen science lab.
  • MyWhole30Journey
    MyWhole30Journey Posts: 175 Member
    Living Foods! Nothing processed. If you look at the ingredients label and wouldn't be able to find the ingredient in your pantry it's not worth eating. Meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, grains are all an important part of clean eating.
  • accidentalpancake
    accidentalpancake Posts: 484 Member
    Living Foods! Nothing processed. If you look at the ingredients label and wouldn't be able to find the ingredient in your pantry it's not worth eating. Meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, grains are all an important part of clean eating.

    I'd add that the vast majority shouldn't even have a label.
  • shareegreenwood
    shareegreenwood Posts: 2 Member
    I truly enjoy eating clean. I try to think of clean eating as eating foods (most food) in their most natural state. Trying to eliminate processed foods and cooking vegetables because we all know that vegetables can lose nutritional value when we cook them. And as far as meats are concerned, I try to only eat lean meats..... fish, boneless chicken breasts, turkey chops and if I'm craving tacos I prepare it with ground turkey as opposed to ground beef. My chicken, turkey chops and fish are usually cooked on a grill and if I'm craving "greasy foods" I prepare the fish, chicken or turkey chops in extra virgin olive oil.
  • Anj3lita
    Anj3lita Posts: 11 Member
    This is exactly what I've been doing for the last week.
  • hanansj
    hanansj Posts: 6 Member
    Nothing processed and that includes over pasteurized food like Milk, butter, juices, nuts and cheese. This also means that you source most of your food and make sure that meats are not just organic, but are also pastured. Make most things from scratch including fresh butter, nut butters, stocks, yogurt to include grinding wheat. You would be surprised how even whole wheat flour or butter is highly processed.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,708 Member
    I am a bit confused. Quite a few people claim they eat nothing from a box or bag and I wonder how that is possible? I mean do you all buy your beans, rice, garbanzos, whole grains, whole flour.....how ? How do you get it home, if not in a box, or bag ? Do you just fill your pockets with it ?
    I also eat nothing that let's say is a mix like corn bread made from Jiffy mix ( that comes in a box ). I buy 100% natural corn meal from locally grown corn, but it still comes in a 500gr box, or a 1 kilo bag.
  • Furbuster
    Furbuster Posts: 254 Member
    Ang108 wrote: »
    I am a bit confused. Quite a few people claim they eat nothing from a box or bag and I wonder how that is possible? I mean do you all buy your beans, rice, garbanzos, whole grains, whole flour.....how ? How do you get it home, if not in a box, or bag ? Do you just fill your pockets with it ?
    I also eat nothing that let's say is a mix like corn bread made from Jiffy mix ( that comes in a box ). I buy 100% natural corn meal from locally grown corn, but it still comes in a 500gr box, or a 1 kilo bag.

    It ain't that hard to understand really.... I know what he/she means....

  • GreenHeather2014
    GreenHeather2014 Posts: 74 Member
    When I say that I don't eat anything from a box/bag, I mean to say I purchase no prepackaged foods, with a few things being the exception, like soy milk. Everything comes from the produce isles, meat counters, or bulk bins. Items from bulk bins are (usually) placed in reusable containers to get them home. Rice, legumes, flours, etc., all come from the bulk bins where I shop.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,708 Member
    edited August 2015
    Well, I am a non-native speaker of English and when someone says that they buy nothing in a bag or box, it obviously does not mean the same to me. We have no bulk bins in super markets ( the law wants to avoid that people can touch the stuff with unclean hands and this way contaminate the food ) and even if I buy bulk items ( like legumes or pulses ) in a neighborhood market, they have to be packed by law in a new clean bag. I bought lentils yesterday in the supermarket and they all came in a sealed 1 kilo bag and the Barilla pasta I bought came in a 500gr box . The bag said in the ingredient list : " rice " and the pasta listed " durum wheat and water " , which is what I was looking for.
  • rushmama5
    rushmama5 Posts: 49 Member
    Ang108 wrote: »
    I am a bit confused. Quite a few people claim they eat nothing from a box or bag and I wonder how that is possible? I mean do you all buy your beans, rice, garbanzos, whole grains, whole flour.....how ? How do you get it home, if not in a box, or bag ? Do you just fill your pockets with it ?
    I also eat nothing that let's say is a mix like corn bread made from Jiffy mix ( that comes in a box ). I buy 100% natural corn meal from locally grown corn, but it still comes in a 500gr box, or a 1 kilo bag.
    Hi, so I'm no longer vegan but doing a ketogenic diet. I feel the healthiest on it and the weight sort of just drops off. I wasn't on MFP for a while but was losing three pounds a week comfortably with just walking. I've looked at some of the keto diaries and would suggest to people to make sure their eating vibrant colors and organic fats from cows if they do dairy. Fat is where toxins hang out and your liver will turn it to fat rather than burn it if its got chemicals. google "obesegyns"
  • rushmama5
    rushmama5 Posts: 49 Member
    Ang108 wrote: »
    Well, I am a non-native speaker of English and when someone says that they buy nothing in a bag or box, it obviously does not mean the same to me. We have no bulk bins in super markets ( the law wants to avoid that people can touch the stuff with unclean hands and this way contaminate the food ) and even if I buy bulk items ( like legumes or pulses ) in a neighborhood market, they have to be packed by law in a new clean bag. I bought lentils yesterday in the supermarket and they all came in a sealed 1 kilo bag and the Barilla pasta I bought came in a 500gr box . The bag said in the ingredient list : " rice " and the pasta listed " durum wheat and water " , which is what I was looking for.
    OMG pasta and legumes and rice! recipe for fat! I guess I thought this was going to be more of a Paleo group. Clean eaters often eat organic meats, eggs, dairy, and no gluten for sure, many do no legumes or grain at all.
  • rorobonobo
    rorobonobo Posts: 12 Member
    This thread is awesome, thanks for posting it. I've started eating a lot better over the last few weeks but clean eating is what I want. I'm starting from today - nothing processed! Tonight, steak and veggies :D

    I have already started feeling so much better just by cutting out soda, and fatty take away stuff. I still eat the odd fatty thing though. (we made korean sticky crunch chicken wings the other night, but nothing processed!)

    :)
  • Dakota106
    Dakota106 Posts: 30 Member
    Hi all! I just made a nice pot of veggie and bean soup and it smells delicious! Used celery,kale spinach,carrots,onions,zucchini and green beans. Lot's of veggies from the garden! Diane
  • amelialoveshersnacks
    amelialoveshersnacks Posts: 205 Member
    My understanding of clean eating is like eating how my grandparents ate.... Before science made a better tomato. So, non gmo, preferably organic fruit and veg, homemade preserves, grass fed beef, eggs from the chook pen, and shop food was gotten once a month. Then I googled clean eating and gluten is the devil and processed food his minions. All food has to be processed. I'm going to stick with my understanding.
  • lindas_eating_clean
    lindas_eating_clean Posts: 17 Member
    Then I googled clean eating and gluten is the devil and processed food his minions.

    Love this quote! LOL
    I consider myself a clean eater.... no processed foods, no wheat, no gmos..... I have never felt better!
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,708 Member
    rushmama5 wrote: »
    Ang108 wrote: »
    Well, I am a non-native speaker of English and when someone says that they buy nothing in a bag or box, it obviously does not mean the same to me. We have no bulk bins in super markets ( the law wants to avoid that people can touch the stuff with unclean hands and this way contaminate the food ) and even if I buy bulk items ( like legumes or pulses ) in a neighborhood market, they have to be packed by law in a new clean bag. I bought lentils yesterday in the supermarket and they all came in a sealed 1 kilo bag and the Barilla pasta I bought came in a 500gr box . The bag said in the ingredient list : " rice " and the pasta listed " durum wheat and water " , which is what I was looking for.
    OMG pasta and legumes and rice! recipe for fat! I guess I thought this was going to be more of a Paleo group. Clean eaters often eat organic meats, eggs, dairy, and no gluten for sure, many do no legumes or grain at all.

    I can't relate to " clean " eating, because I have no idea what it means. The same is true for what is called the Paleo diet. Coming from a " cook & eat at home " culture and having lived in similar countries all my life, I have eaten all my life home cooked, all natural, whole foods that are not industrially processed or altered. I do however eat things that are artesanally cured, salted, dried, fermented, ground etc.
    I have lost 65 plus pounds without avoiding carbs and have no problems with gluten. I do feel sorry for people who do, but would never make a blanket statement saying that pasta and legumes and rice are recipes for fat, because it is not true for everyone.
    I also understand that many " clean " eaters " eat organic meats, eggs, dairy, and no gluten for sure, many do no legumes or grain at all ".
    However other " clean " eaters eat other things and in my case it does not matter, because I have never claimed to be a " clean " eater, which for me would mean that I eat according to a philosophy where no one knows what it really means in the first place.
    I am a strong advocate for each individual finding their " program " and make it work for them, but really don't care for blanket statements very much.

    If you are looking for a Paleo group just do a search and I am certain you will find several...:o).
    Good Luck !

  • losergood2011
    losergood2011 Posts: 172 Member
    No I meant minimize processed. I do processed foods occasionally bread - some pasta - ice cream but I try to get the least processed options. Homemade if possible but be picky if not! Shrug 80/20 rule does apply because none of us are perfect! and I don't want to struggle with perfectionism.
  • VillageSmithy
    VillageSmithy Posts: 42 Member
    I like Dr. Robert Lustig's (author of "Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease") guidelines for eating clean. If the food is labeled with a nutrition facts panel, it probably isn't your best choice. Instead, use foods as they come off the tree, out of the ground, or off the animal.
  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
    REAL foods, not processed! Pretty much the perimeter of a grocery store :)
This discussion has been closed.