Clean eating and protein powder

I consider it a sort of gray area. But FWIW, I recently switched to a "natural" kind, that uses stevia instead of artificial sweeteners. It tastes perfectly great, and gives me a little more peace of mind.

I've been eating clean for many years and have always wondered how protein powder can be clean. Most people who are clean eaters stay away from junk food/processed food. In my opinion, protein powder is so processed....how can it be clean? I use it, but have always had the thought in the back of my mind that it is highly processed. Can someone please explain to me how it can be an acceptable clean eat food?
Thanks for any opinions....

Please explain how it's dirty. Since I assume you're going to say it's processed, please explain why that's remotely bad in a diet that favors whole, micronutrient-dense foods.

I'd also ask for a definition of "clean eating".

Also being quoted makes me feel weird. Especially because the quote is a sarcastic response to someone else's "word to the wise". :laugh:

Too bad it's a brilliant quote and it's not going anywhere.

...Unless your wallet has something to say of the matter...

Garden of Life makes a Raw Protein powder- check it out!

I don't think it is. I would say protein powders are processed food. I do very occasionally have them in an emergency, but I generally avoid them.

Please answer my question, how is it clean? Clean to me means not processed.

Your question is based on a flawed premise.

Why is something processed inherently dirty? Are you defining dirty solely in regards to how it's made rather than what effect it has on our body and subsequent health?

I wasn't trying to start a debate or claim that I was a 100% clean eater. I don't think I could be as I eat Greek Yogurt (I think is processed) for its high protein content. I stay away from cheese as much as possible as I do believe that to be highly processed. Since I think cheese is processed, then protein powder to me is processed. Not that I won't use it, but I feel that cheese and protein powder in its final stage has been very man-made. There is nothing that is really from a natural state, if that makes sense. I understand that protein powder is supposed to be a good source of protein, but it seems that there is so much involved in the making of it and hate the fact that most of it is made with artificial sweeteners. Something else I have stopped using because that surely can't be a clean food. This is just my opinion. I really just wanted peoples opinion on whether or not they thought protein powder was clean.

That's all fair, but shouldn't your definition of clean vs. dirty be more based in regards to how our body handles those foods? There's nothing to suggest that processed food like protein powders or cheese is a remotely bad thing. Because of that, I'm curious as to why you still consider it to be dirty, or not clean, if it does not harm and can provide good nourishment in a diet. Just curious as to why you're defining clean and dirty by how things are made rather than how they affect our health.

Furthermore, you can find protein powders without added coloring or flavors or sweeteners.

There's never been a clear distinction of what makes a food "dirty" or what makes it "clean". Most people would agree that tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, and flour/bread are clean but put them together and throw it in the oven for pizza and suddenly you have a dirty food.

If you choose the degree of processing as the defining characteristic, as OP has, then whey protein powder is probably somewhere in the middle. It's barely processed, just like with cheeses, but with certain protein powders sweeteners ARE added. That's probably enough using OP's definition to make it a dirty food though it does seem like a fairly arbitrary classification. Milk = clean. Milk + a teaspoon of sugar = dirty? That doesn't make a lot of common sense.

Anyway, I think OP has her answer. As to what most people think, I can only speak for myself and say I've never considered whether or not protein supplements were clean/dirty. Just like I don't really consider whether or not tea/coffee, or multivitamins, or TUMS is clean/dirty.

Word to the wise, again, these two,,,,,,,, (be nice) people, like to argue anything that isn't USDA approved, is wrong. Don't worry about what they have to say on this or anyother subject.

Instead of actually reading and contributing to the forums, I see you've taken up the mantle of trolling. Please point out:

(1) Where in this thread I mentioned the USDA;
(2) Where in this thread I mentioned USDA approval;
(3) Where in this thread I argued that anything was wrong.

This is getting pathetic, freerange. I get it: you're a die-hard paleo fanatic and you don't like being proven wrong. That's fine. Let's at least confine your trolling to a single thread, shall we?

Or will you now follow me around these forums making baseless accusations and disparaging legitimate advice and answers?

There's never been a clear distinction of what makes a food "dirty" or what makes it "clean". Most people would agree that tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, and flour/bread are clean but put them together and throw it in the oven for pizza and suddenly you have a dirty food.

Fan of JCD Fitness by any chance?

I agree though. I think the whole "dirty" v "clean" distinction in many cases is arbitrary and a bit pointless.

In fat loss terms at least a better way of looking at it would be nutrient density.

I'm not sure what that is! (JCD Fitness).

I have seen the pizza example between clean and dirty foods a fair amount on fitness boards. I believe it originated from this original article from JCD Fitness which caused a bit of controversy and ridiculous flame wars when it was first blogged:

http://jcdfitness.com/2010/09/clean-eating-is-a-scam-and-why-you-should-abandon-it/

Nutrient density is a different animal, in my opinion, and probably not what most people think of or are referring to when they consider clean/dirty foods.

You're right that nutrient density is a different concept but more helpful to somebody who is just starting out on their fat loss journey than focusing on clean or dirty foods (largely because no one can come up with any clear definition of what they actually are!)

If you get people focusing on foods which give the most amount of nutrients for the least amount of calories then eating well and at a deficit becomes a lot easier....

Oh, gotcha! I'm not going to take credit for the pizza example, since I'm sure I read it somewhere long ago. I don't think it was at that site though but if it was the topic of flamewars it was probably copied and pasted elsewhere as well.

You could be right mate about the specific pizza example (although it is included in the article of course.)

However, the fallout from the article was widespread and in all honesty hilarious to watch. It's the kind of thing which eventually becomes folklore...

The article is very interesting though and certainly worth considering when weighing up what exactly the issues surrounding "clean" and "dirty" food are and how they relate to an individual's programme.

This is getting pathetic,

I know, right?