Clean Eating: no processed/refined foods, no high sugar/fat foods, or no foods with dirt on them?
Evelyn_Gorfram
Posts: 706 Member
I'm confused about clean eating: I'd thought it meant eliminating processed and refined food from one's diet, but I see people saying things like "I'm eating clean: no cake or cookies or other sweet treats."
Sure, lots of readily available dessert foods incorporate highly processed/refined ingredients; but I can make you a sugar-dense fat bomb of a whole wheat carrot cake with a honey-cream cheese frosting using only ingredients requiring no technology more complex than a hand mill and an apiary. And you can barely swing a cat in a modern grocery store without hitting some sort of sugar-free, fat-free, putatively edible marvel of modern chemistry.
I'm being a little facetious here, but I'm also confused: which one is it? Is it both? Or does the definition vary according to the person using the term?
Sure, lots of readily available dessert foods incorporate highly processed/refined ingredients; but I can make you a sugar-dense fat bomb of a whole wheat carrot cake with a honey-cream cheese frosting using only ingredients requiring no technology more complex than a hand mill and an apiary. And you can barely swing a cat in a modern grocery store without hitting some sort of sugar-free, fat-free, putatively edible marvel of modern chemistry.
I'm being a little facetious here, but I'm also confused: which one is it? Is it both? Or does the definition vary according to the person using the term?
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I too am confused by the term clean eating. I for one am eating foods that are not processed as much as possible. I admit to butter and a few that are processed. But mostly staying away from processed foods, packaged foods. But I do not refer what I am following as Clean eating. And not sure why anyone would think so called Clean eating would have some type of magic or goodness over any other type someone is following.9
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It varies with the individual. Someone follow keto will have a different description than someone who is vegetarian, or paleo, or even for those who feel everything in moderation is fine. That's why, in my opinion, the term clean eating is meaningless and trying to define it is a pointless exercise in futility.17
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Ask a vegan what constitutes "clean eating".Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »I'm being a little facetious here, but I'm also confused: which one is it? Is it both? Or does the definition vary according to the person using the term?
Ask a vegetarian what constitutes "clean eating".
Ask an ovo-lacto vegetarian what constitutes "clean eating"
Ask a pescetarian what constitutes "clean eating".
Ask a flexible dieter/IIFYM'er what constitutes "clean eating".
Ask a paleo dieter what constitutes "clean eating".
Ask a keto dieter what constitutes "clean eating".
See if any of the definitions perfectly match each other.
"Clean eating" is a vague, ambiguous, entirely subjective term which cannot be pigeonholed into one coherent definition.
It's called "virtue signaling".maureenkhilde wrote: »And not sure why anyone would think so called Clean eating would have some type of magic or goodness over any other type someone is following.29 -
Not eating anything with dirt on it is a new one for me. Clean eating brings out all kinds of responces but if you generally avoid anything in a box or bag that sounds clean to me.18
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nutmegoreo wrote: »It varies with the individual. Someone follow keto will have a different description than someone who is vegetarian, or paleo, or even for those who feel everything in moderation is fine. That's why, in my opinion, the term clean eating is meaningless and trying to define it is a pointless exercise in futility.
Agreed. At this point it's just food that makes you feel like you're making a pure and virtuous choice, very little about nutrients.
I thought this thinkpiece on it from last year was pretty good, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/11/why-we-fell-for-clean-eating12 -
Personally I think of it as things that have gone through minimal processing, whole foods, making things yourself rather than buying them in a box. If it comes with a load of ingredients you can't pronounce on the label then it's probably not great.
Some people wouldn't include cake and cookies if they were trying to eat clean but my interpretation would be to have cake/cookies but make it myself from scratch rather than buying something from the shop that has added preservatives or e-numbers or something.
If it's been synthesized in a laboratory, it's not 'clean'. If it's grown, natural or an extract of them (like milk, sugar or flour which are from natural sources) then it's fine.
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Lessee... I'll have to give up milk; yogurt; eggs; raw meat; coffee (oh no!); any fruit or veggie small enough to slip through my fingers; and, on hot days, butter.TavistockToad wrote: »
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Clean eating is a vague, subjective term that means something different to everyone who proclaims to follow it, with the one constant theme being the virtue signaling that is implied by suggesting that one is eating “clean”, meaning anyone not eating the same as me or proclaiming their choices as clean is a “dirty” eater.
@diannethegeek has a great thread with all the different definitions of clean eating she’s compiled over the years on these boards - maybe she or someone else can link it as I’m on my phone just now.10 -
Varies according to who's using it but I've never been wrong assuming they're trying to limit or avoid ultra processed foods. It's as useful as plant based, healthy and moderation as far as diet descriptors go - it provides a pretty good idea of where they're coming from but you still don't know what/how much they actually eat.1
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Meh. I don't have the energy to argue with anyone else's definition of clean eating, so if the conversation drifts that way IRL I just smile and nod and change the subject.
When it comes up here, I just reach for my (non-clean) virtual popcorn and kick back for the show.15 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Clean eating is a vague, subjective term that means something different to everyone who proclaims to follow it, with the one constant theme being the virtue signaling that is implied by suggesting that one is eating “clean”, meaning anyone not eating the same as me or proclaiming their choices as clean is a “dirty” eater.
@diannethegeek has a great thread with all the different definitions of clean eating she’s compiled over the years on these boards - maybe she or someone else can link it as I’m on my phone just now.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10337480/what-is-clean-eating/p110 -
I'm getting to the point that whenever I see the term clean eating I wanna screammmmmmm!14
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Buzz word/term.
My take on it is fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, minimally processed/ packaged foods.
Makes some people feel better about what they are eating IMHO.
I have come to the conclusion, for me, all foods in moderation, portion control and moving more, for long term sustainability. It makes the most sense to me rather than eliminaton of any food. Forever is a long time, and I know myself too well.6 -
I avoid using the term because it doesn't have a meaningful, widely agreed upon definition. It plays into poorly informed ideas about "good" and "bad" food processing techniques. It also adds to the many myths about what behavior is and is not required to lose weight and be healthy.
Besides, as a writing teacher, I advocate using clear and concise phrasing. If you prefer to eat fewer added sugars, more whole grains, etc., then say what you mean rather than using a vague term.7 -
????5-second rule????7
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Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
Couldn't the wiggling be considered an, all-natural, organic source of protien???? 😋5 -
Personally I think of it as things that have gone through minimal processing, whole foods, making things yourself rather than buying them in a box. If it comes with a load of ingredients you can't pronounce on the label then it's probably not great.
Some people wouldn't include cake and cookies if they were trying to eat clean but my interpretation would be to have cake/cookies but make it myself from scratch rather than buying something from the shop that has added preservatives or e-numbers or something.
If it's been synthesized in a laboratory, it's not 'clean'. If it's grown, natural or an extract of them (like milk, sugar or flour which are from natural sources) then it's fine.
I've always found the bolded silly. If my vocabulary is more extensive, or if I were a science-type, then the cookies are safe for me, because I can pronounce the words.20 -
Clean eating is when I don't need to change my shirt after a meal... 35
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