Thoughts on "Clean Eating"

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  • Larissantaylor
    Larissantaylor Posts: 3 Member
    I realized I was relying a lot on snacks like prepackaged peanut butter crackers and granola bars, so I decided to start meal prepping and doing a "clean-ish" diet. I know that for me, completely giving up things like pastas and breads would be impossible and lead to burn out, so instead I'm trying healthier versions of foods I love. For example, I had taco night and used turkey instead of beef, whole grain tortillas, and Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream. Tonight I'm giving vegan macaroni and cheese a try (I'm a little scared about that one!) And I'm making sure I up my intake of vegetables and instead of reaching for a bag of potato chips at my desk at work, I made baked apple chips and I'm about to try making banana crisps. Of course, I still enjoy the occasional 8,000 calorie chocolate lava cake from time to time, but I'm realizing as I learn to make healthier decisions and focus on eating the rainbow every day, I feel a lot better. That's what I think of when I think of clean eating. It's finding ways to cut back on things you know are not that good for you, while still enjoying the process of cooking and eating. :)
  • kdav88
    kdav88 Posts: 44 Member
    J72FIT wrote: »
    I don't see it as being defensive. It just doesn't make any sense...

    Eh, do I think it makes sense to label foods explicitly good or bad? Not really, however there's no argument that some foods are more nutritious/better for you physically (chocolate is good for everyone's mental health!) than others. I think that with that understanding, people could participate in the discussion of what OP asked for a bit more fruitfully.

    I don't subscribe to the clean eating philosophy the way some do (although everyone's entitled to their opinion), but I think the gist of what OP was getting at could be worth an interesting discussion without vilifying the terminology. *shrug* Just my two cents.
  • kdav88
    kdav88 Posts: 44 Member
    Larissantaylor wrote: »
    I realized I was relying a lot on snacks like prepackaged peanut butter crackers and granola bars, so I decided to start meal prepping and doing a "clean-ish" diet. I know that for me, completely giving up things like pastas and breads would be impossible and lead to burn out, so instead I'm trying healthier versions of foods I love. For example, I had taco night and used turkey instead of beef, whole grain tortillas, and Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream. Tonight I'm giving vegan macaroni and cheese a try (I'm a little scared about that one!) And I'm making sure I up my intake of vegetables and instead of reaching for a bag of potato chips at my desk at work, I made baked apple chips and I'm about to try making banana crisps. Of course, I still enjoy the occasional 8,000 calorie chocolate lava cake from time to time, but I'm realizing as I learn to make healthier decisions and focus on eating the rainbow every day, I feel a lot better. That's what I think of when I think of clean eating. It's finding ways to cut back on things you know are not that good for you, while still enjoying the process of cooking and eating. :)

    Very much with you on this! You just feel better when your body is properly fueled with nutritious foods and the right macro balance, which definitely doesn't mean never eating anything less nutritious but extra delicious...!
  • CrittaHipHop
    CrittaHipHop Posts: 17 Member
    Indeed! it seems as if I left out "clean eating" this would be a more positive thread...pretty ridiculous if you ask me.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    CrittaHipHop wrote: »
    Basic rules are, if you cant pronounce a name of an ingredient you cant eat it. If there is an ingredient that you couldnt find on a regular grocery store shelf, you cant eat it. Anything that is processed, you cant eat.

    Could you open your diary?

    I'm interested as to which foods you feel you can eat.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    You do realize almost everything is processed right?
  • CrittaHipHop
    CrittaHipHop Posts: 17 Member
    edited July 2016
    [edited by MFP mod]

    cityruss wrote: »
    CrittaHipHop wrote: »
    Basic rules are, if you cant pronounce a name of an ingredient you cant eat it. If there is an ingredient that you couldnt find on a regular grocery store shelf, you cant eat it. Anything that is processed, you cant eat.

    Could you open your diary?

    I'm interested as to which foods you feel you can eat.

    No thanks. I am pretty much done explaining. I can tell you no matter what, I have results. Whether its specifically from "clean eating" :smile: I dont know and I really dont care. I have results. So for now I will believe what I want and the rest of you can shove your negativity.

    To those that have tried to understand the principles of it, hope it works for you and good luck.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited July 2016
    Have fun eating only raw vegetables and fruits as they are the only things that meet all your rules
  • CrittaHipHop
    CrittaHipHop Posts: 17 Member
    Will do, thanks!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,008 Member
    edited July 2016
    CrittaHipHop wrote: »
    Indeed! it seems as if I left out "clean eating" this would be a more positive thread...pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

    The need to attach a name to the way you eat is pretty ridiculous. Actually I'll re-phrase, not ridiculous, I just don't understand it...
  • CrittaHipHop
    CrittaHipHop Posts: 17 Member
    If you don't understand, why the need to be negative? You criticize people for using a few words you dont understand and that is supposed to make them look stupid? Does the opposite from my stand point. But again you are entitled to your opinion.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,008 Member
    CrittaHipHop wrote: »
    If you don't understand, why the need to be negative? You criticize people for using a few words you dont understand and that is supposed to make them look stupid? Does the opposite from my stand point. But again you are entitled to your opinion.

    I actually feel bad for the people who fall for the hype, so much wasted time following a bunch of nonsense...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,008 Member
    And those would by my "thoughts" on clean eating...
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    CrittaHipHop wrote: »
    I have not researched any specific ingredient, and I wont. The idea of "clean eating" is what drew me to it. It opened my eyes to pay attention. Be aware and look at ingredients. And most importantly test my will power to stay determined. Its interesting turning down a day of golf and drinking or some dinner when I can just cook at home. Which in past has been tough.

    I also dont stick to all the strict or far fetched clean eating rules. I just follow the basic premise of it. Keeping it easy.

    If you're not researching the ingredient then how can you know what's ok for you to eat and what's not? If you chose a water flavoring that had Malitol in it as it's sweetener rather than Splenda, do you know what that does to most peoples bodies? Point is, the more you know, the better your awareness will be when choosing something. I agree with reading labels but definitely do research on iffy ingredients. Glad to see your at least reading the labels though!
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    edited July 2016
    CrittaHipHop wrote: »
    Good afternoon everyone,

    So im on my 22nd day of this 30 day clean eating challenge and I find it very good but difficult at the same time. It has really pointed out to me that there is not much clean food that's "quick".

    I did modify the rules just a touch as im addicted to sugar free jello and added a water flavor enhancer but outside of that I have stuck to the rules.

    Basic rules are, if you cant pronounce a name of an ingredient you cant eat it. If there is an ingredient that you couldnt find on a regular grocery store shelf, you cant eat it. Anything that is processed, you cant eat.

    Thoughts?

    So far im down 15 lbs in the 3 weeks. Because of my large intake of vegetables my calorie count is not reaching as high as some would like but im eating a ton. (Not sure if this is the point or not?)

    My thoughts, in no particular order:

    (1) Good for you. You're starting to pay attention to your diet. That can be a major step forward and one that needs to be applauded.
    (2) "Clean eating" isn't magic and it doesn't have a commonly accepted definition. That said, eating more vegetables, fruits, lean meats, eggs, dairy, real cheese, nuts, legumes, etc. and putting down the cupcakes, donuts, muffins, etc. is a great general rule of thumb to follow. Just don't get caught up into it too much. Leave room for a portion or two every day of something you truly enjoy. Don't make yourself miserable or think that cleaning up your diet will be the end all be all. You still need to create a calorie deficit.
    (3) Avoiding putting things in your body that you can't identify is an understandable decision, IF it causes you to research these additives on places like pubmed and listen to experts. It is not an excuse to say "I can't eat things I can't pronounce." That is a folksy way of appealing to ignorance. Instead, challenge yourself to learn.
  • CrittaHipHop
    CrittaHipHop Posts: 17 Member
    edited July 2016
    You misunderstand, I completely respect everyones opinions even if they are not the same as mine. But going through the responses the most of what I am reading is me using the term "clean eating" is my mistake. Its not necessarily the idea, its the fact I choose to use those words.

    And also the fact that I don't feel the need to research every ingredient in depth. I will use my own common sense (or in some opinions lack thereof) and do what I am going to do regardless. The fact that if you disagree but don't throw out a single ounce of help or anything, you took the time to respond just to disagree or give me a hard time. You are the ones who mean nothing to me. You couldnt just skip responding to a thread just because you had the chance to seem better than someone else for your own choices over theirs.

    I wont lose any sleep because the mean people on MFP didnt like my thread. But for all the people, who may be a little more sensitive than I, that will see this thread of attacks and ignorance (my own included) may possibly decide NOT to post and get some advice or help I hope you all are really as perfect as you try to sound.

    I am most definitely over this and good luck to everyone. I'm hoping there are those out here who didn't join just to criticize others. Anyone interested can message me. I'll be glad to talk to anyone about it.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,758 Member
    I think the op needs a twinkie.

    (I was just thinking about that guy who lost all that weight by eating mostly snack cakes. And oreos!!!)
  • CrittaHipHop
    CrittaHipHop Posts: 17 Member
    A twinkie and oreos sound absolutely delicious.
  • gatorsong
    gatorsong Posts: 7,000 Member
    Sarahb29 wrote: »
    FunkyTobias wrote: »
    cf0qmvzqxdty.jpg

    I'm only starting this thread and my only thoughts are, what the hell is an angry poutine?? What does that taste like? Do you just yell at the gravy while you cook it? #canadianthoughts

    I can pronounce all of that, YAY!!!

    I did do something similar where I tried to cut down on the amount of processed food. Basically I looked at the ingredient label and tried to get as few ingredients as possible. It worked for about a 2 weeks, then I let up a little bit and just looked for items without certain ingredients (HFCS, too many preservatives, stuff like that)

    I eventually just gave up. It was more work than it was worth and money was tight so buying whole foods was basically out of the question.

    Basically though, whatever it takes to get you where you need to be is fine. Even if it might seem silly or overly complicated to other people.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    FunkyTobias wrote: »
    cf0qmvzqxdty.jpg

    This is hilarious - are they unpronounceable because the majority of them are not in English? So does that mean that people cant eat anything that is not written in their native tongue? This is just mind blowing to me, that someone could be this, this...oh what is the word I am looking for?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    cross2bear wrote: »
    FunkyTobias wrote: »
    cf0qmvzqxdty.jpg

    This is hilarious - are they unpronounceable because the majority of them are not in English? So does that mean that people cant eat anything that is not written in their native tongue? This is just mind blowing to me, that someone could be this, this...oh what is the word I am looking for?

    Dense? Nationalistic? Ethnocentric? Jackassy?
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