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What is clean eating?
diannethegeek
Posts: 14,776 Member
in Debate Club
Well, I might as well do something with this list and the new debate forums seems as good a place as any for it.
Once upon a time, I was under the belief that clean eating had a simple definition. It was cooking from scratch using as simple ingredients as possible.
MFP has disillusioned me of that idea.
Here on MFP I've seen clean eating defined in a few different ways. These are all answers given by users when asked what clean eating is. Some of them have been formatted to fit the list better, but many of them are copy/pasted directly from their original posts. Be sure to read to the end, where things really start to diverge.
I like to note that under some of those definitions, Fritos are a clean food (only 3 ingredients). Under some of them, eggs and pistachios are not.
So what is clean eating? And is it a useful descriptor at all?
Since there's been some confusion on other threads, I want to note that this is on the Nutrition Debate board. So it's going to be, you know, a debate. Bring your opinions. Bring your dictionaries. Bring your studies. But if you don't want people to respond to your posts with questions or rebuttals, this might not be the board for you.
Once upon a time, I was under the belief that clean eating had a simple definition. It was cooking from scratch using as simple ingredients as possible.
MFP has disillusioned me of that idea.
Here on MFP I've seen clean eating defined in a few different ways. These are all answers given by users when asked what clean eating is. Some of them have been formatted to fit the list better, but many of them are copy/pasted directly from their original posts. Be sure to read to the end, where things really start to diverge.
- Nothing but minimally processed foods.
- Absolutely no processed foods.
- Shop only the outside of the grocery store.
- Nothing out of a box, jar, or can.
- Only food that's not in a box or hermetically sealed bag, or from e.g. McDonald's.
- No take-out or junk food at all.
- Nothing at all with a barcode.
- Nothing with more than 5 ingredients.
- Nothing with more than 4 ingredients.
- Nothing with more than 3 ingredients.
- Nothing with more than 1 ingredient.
- No added preservatives.
- No added chemicals.
- No chemicals, preservatives, etc. at all.
- No ingredients that you can't pronounce.
- No ingredients that sound like they came out of a chemistry book.
- Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
- Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
- Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
- If it grows or had a mother, it is ok to eat it.
- Don't eat products that have a longer shelf life than you do.
- Eat "food" and not "food-like substances."
- No added sugar.
- No added refined sugar.
- Swap white sugar for brown.
- No "white" foods.
- Nothing but lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
- Nothing but lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
- A plant-based whole food diet.
- Eat foods as close to their natural state as POSSIBLE, and little to no processed food.
- Only meat from grass-fed animals and free-range chickens.
- Only pesticide-free foods.
- Nothing that causes your body bloat or inflammation.
- No trigger foods, nothing from fast food chains, nothing in the junk food aisles, and no high gmo foods.
- No red meat, no sweets, no pasta, no alcohol, no bread, no soda, nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.
- Eat a plant based diet consisting of whole plant foods.
- No bad carbs and processed foods.
- Anything that makes a better choice.
- Not cheating on whatever diet you are on.
- Any food that doesn't make it difficult to hit your macro/micro targets.
- Clean eating means eating optimally.
I like to note that under some of those definitions, Fritos are a clean food (only 3 ingredients). Under some of them, eggs and pistachios are not.
So what is clean eating? And is it a useful descriptor at all?
Since there's been some confusion on other threads, I want to note that this is on the Nutrition Debate board. So it's going to be, you know, a debate. Bring your opinions. Bring your dictionaries. Bring your studies. But if you don't want people to respond to your posts with questions or rebuttals, this might not be the board for you.
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No such thing.0
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I think my favorite definition is:Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
It just relies on so much anti-intellectualism and weird fear mongering that I can't get past it.16 -
diannethegeek wrote: »I think my favorite definition is:Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
It just relies on so much anti-intellectualism and weird fear mongering that I can't get past it.
Samesies. The "it contains no ingredients I can't pronounce" argument is my personal favorite variation on it. I'm just happy I'm married to an English major who can tell me how to pronounce things so I can eat them.
In re: the actual topic, I think it's quite obviously a good idea to center one's diet around whole, nutrient (macro and micro) dense foods.
Where I (obviously to anyone who knows my posting history) disagree with most self-proclaimed "clean eaters" is that there's a big and unsubtle difference between "centering" one's diet around such foods, but allowing for variance vs requiring the diet to be exclusively those foods (thus creating "good/clean/allowable" foods and "bad/unclean/avoid at all costs" foods.)8 -
When I was a young man about town "clean eating" meant trying to base your diet around food which was as minimally processed and / or as close to its natural state as possible - apples rather than apple sauce.
Now? Don't have a clue. It seems to have multiple definitions and applications to the extent the term is probably not that much use.2 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »I think my favorite definition is:Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
It just relies on so much anti-intellectualism and weird fear mongering that I can't get past it.
Samesies. The "it contains no ingredients I can't pronounce" argument is my personal favorite variation on it. I'm just happy I'm married to an English major who can tell me how to pronounce things so I can eat them.
In re: the actual topic, I think it's quite obviously a good idea to center one's diet around whole, nutrient (macro and micro) dense foods.
Where I (obviously to anyone who knows my posting history) disagree with most self-proclaimed "clean eaters" is that there's a big and unsubtle difference between "centering" one's diet around such foods, but allowing for variance vs requiring the diet to be exclusively those foods (thus creating "good/clean/allowable" foods and "bad/unclean/avoid at all costs" foods.)
Agreed. I don't understand this need to label everything in life. I blame social media. However can I hashtag if I don't have a name for everything I do?!?!
#driftingthroughlifetryingtofigureouthashtagswhentheydontlinktoanything3 -
I think it's a really interesting debate, and just sad that in other areas of the forum it often turns into mud slinging. I do think it means different things to different people, and there seems to be a huge spectrum from the totally benign to complete extremism. If I were to say that I want to "clean up my diet" or words to that effect, I think what I mean, in my mind, is things like eating foods of good nutritional value, cooking from scratch, that kind of thing.
I was surprised to see some of the things on the list such as food that comes in a box or has a bar code. I had some really nice supermarket bought fish the other day. It came in a box and had a barcode, but for me that did not make it any less fishy.
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I was surprised to see some of the things on the list such as food that comes in a box or has a bar code. I had some really nice supermarket bought fish the other day. It came in a box and had a barcode, but for me that did not make it any less fishy.
Yeah, my standard response to those is this:
Clean...or not clean?
To date, I've never gotten an answer from someone using that definition.5 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »I was surprised to see some of the things on the list such as food that comes in a box or has a bar code. I had some really nice supermarket bought fish the other day. It came in a box and had a barcode, but for me that did not make it any less fishy.
Yeah, my standard response to those is this:
Clean...or not clean?
To date, I've never gotten an answer from someone using that definition.
The clean eating debate tends to gather a lot of "you kow what I mean" answers. Clean eating seems to be a lot like porn in that way. You can't define it, but you know it when you see it (and different people see it in different things, as well).2 -
It's a generic label. Just like 'diet' or 'healthy'. So people will have different definitions based on their own beliefs and preferences. For me, personally, I most prefer 'A plant-based whole food diet' off the list though not entirely whole-food lol. I think for most, 'clean eating' would mean eating in a way that is closest to what you know makes you feel and perform your best.1
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Bump0
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I bought into "clean eating" too, for a short while, I admit that. Turns out I just like eating a variety of nutritious foods and cooking much of it myself. Labeling soon gets fuzzy when it comes to food, what exactly is natural, whole, processed, real, or healthy food? "Clean" adds even more fuel to the good food/bad food, food is delicious, pleasure is sinful, tasty food is bad mindset, with its shadow "unclean".
I would like to add
- anything with more than three syllables,
- if it comes from a plant eat it, if it was made by plant, don’t
- and the one with your grandmother not recognizing it as food.0 -
The chocolate and sodas are on the outside isle of the grocery store for me, so I'm totally down with that definition.1
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diannethegeek wrote: »..So what is clean eating? And is it a useful descriptor at all?...
It's a basically meaningless term/label. Too subjective to create a definition which most (or even many) would agree upon, and overly influenced by woo and old wives' tales about what's "clean" and what isn't. Also, too many people fail to consider context and dosage when evaluating foods/food groups, which just further muddies the waters (as evidenced in the "there is such a thing as 'bad' foods" thread from a month or so ago).0 -
stevencloser wrote: »The chocolate and sodas are on the outside isle of the grocery store for me, so I'm totally down with that definition.
So is the beer & liquor at mine!0 -
To me, it means foods that are not processed, that you can take directly from nature and eat or drink with 0 to minimal preparation.1
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I always thought clean eating was: Take a food or group of foods, and for arbitrary reasons that you have convinced yourself are not actually arbitrary, exclude that food or group of foods from your diet.2
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juggernaut1974 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »The chocolate and sodas are on the outside isle of the grocery store for me, so I'm totally down with that definition.
So is the beer & liquor at mine!
Ditto. The booze isle is on the perimeter of my supermarket too. As is the frozen food isle, which if you look at the frozen foods that are specifically targetted at children, are full of funky unpronouncables.
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juggernaut1974 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »The chocolate and sodas are on the outside isle of the grocery store for me, so I'm totally down with that definition.
So is the beer & liquor at mine!
The costco liquor is essentially the outermost aisle of the costco, that counts, right?0 -
2snakeswoman wrote: »To me, it means foods that are not processed, that you can take directly from nature and eat or drink with 0 to minimal preparation.
How would you define preparation?
Cooking time? Some other factor?0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »The chocolate and sodas are on the outside isle of the grocery store for me, so I'm totally down with that definition.
So is the beer & liquor at mine!
Lucky. We can't sell liquor and beer in grocery stores here in Kansas. My perimeter is bread and donuts. But I would miss out on tuna, canned beans, frozen veggies, and tons of other staples of my diet if I followed the perimeter rule.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
So.. I'm assuming any and all with commercials... so no fruits or veg with commercials.diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
Again with the fruits and veg included. The little Halos orange is a mascot of sorts. And goodbye Chiquita banana lady!
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When someone says clean eating I assume they mean eating foods that are, or are made from ingredients that are, close to their natural state without synthetic or many additives, unless they clarify otherwise. If the food has no natural state then it would not be clean*.
*not being clean does not make the food dirty or evil or bad or immoral.0 -
Now here's a question. I like fries.
I buy frozen, noname brand, packaged fries in a bag with barcode and everything. -> Definitely processed food, no doubt about it.
They only have 2 ingredients though: potatoes and sunflower oil. -> Nothing you can't pronounce and not exceeding the magical 4 ingredients.
Clean or not?
I'd bet you a tenner if we asked 100 clean eaters without each knowing what the others said, the answers would be split almost 50/50.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
So.. I'm assuming any and all with commercials... so no fruits or veg with commercials.diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
Again with the fruits and veg included. The little Halos orange is a mascot of sorts. And goodbye Chiquita banana lady!
Or eggs. Or Beef. Or Pork. anyone ever 30 in the US should remember "The incredible edible egg", "Beef; it's what's for dinner", and "Pork; the other white meat" ad campaigns that bombarded us.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
So.. I'm assuming any and all with commercials... so no fruits or veg with commercials.diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
Again with the fruits and veg included. The little Halos orange is a mascot of sorts. And goodbye Chiquita banana lady!
I just heard a commercial for fish. I'm glad that's out; I don't like fish.0 -
I never really thought of eating as being "clean" or not until I came on these forums. For me, the word I would always use would be "healthy". And this begs the question, is "healthy" and "clean" eating synonymous?0
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I always thought clean eating was: Take a food or group of foods, and for arbitrary reasons that you have convinced yourself are not actually arbitrary, exclude that food or group of foods from your diet.
Sounds pretty accurate. But make sure to include "...and feel that you are morally superior to others because you arbitrarily exclude <insert demonized foods/food groups here> from your diet".2 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
So.. I'm assuming any and all with commercials... so no fruits or veg with commercials.diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
Again with the fruits and veg included. The little Halos orange is a mascot of sorts. And goodbye Chiquita banana lady!
Or eggs. Or Beef. Or Pork. anyone ever 30 in the US should remember "The incredible edible egg", "Beef; it's what's for dinner", and "Pork; the other white meat" ad campaigns that bombarded us.
Except that pork is red meat. But you definitely have a point.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
So.. I'm assuming any and all with commercials... so no fruits or veg with commercials.diannethegeek wrote: »
[*] Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
Again with the fruits and veg included. The little Halos orange is a mascot of sorts. And goodbye Chiquita banana lady!
Or eggs. Or Beef. Or Pork. anyone ever 30 in the US should remember "The incredible edible egg", "Beef; it's what's for dinner", and "Pork; the other white meat" ad campaigns that bombarded us.
Or the California dairy commercials and pistachio commercials that are everywhere nowadays.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »Now here's a question. I like fries.
I buy frozen, noname brand, packaged fries in a bag with barcode and everything. -> Definitely processed food, no doubt about it.
They only have 2 ingredients though: potatoes and sunflower oil. -> Nothing you can't pronounce and not exceeding the magical 4 ingredients.
Clean or not?
I'd bet you a tenner if we asked 100 clean eaters without each knowing what the others said, the answers would be split almost 50/50.
I could see that. It rides a fine line with my familiarity with the term clean. I'd say it's not totally clean but it's cleaner than most packaged fries.0
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