Clean Eating: no processed/refined foods, no high sugar/fat foods, or no foods with dirt on them?
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nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
my MIL cant pronounce creme brulee properly (its cream brulee apparently...!!!!) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:4 -
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My definition for the term ‘clean eating’ is psychological, not dietary. There is a portion of a person’s eating habits that the self rejects. That which is remains is considered acceptable, even ‘clean’. So, if the above premise is true and if there is no dietary or scientific definition of the term ‘clean eating’, then you’re dealing with someone elses psychological projection.
Thus the question, how do you interact with the clean eating crowd? I tend towards finding the fastest possible exit from the conversation (feigning death seems an acceptable option). Alternatively, reaching for the nearest junk food can also be amusing.14 -
ttippie2000 wrote: »Thus the question, how do you interact with the clean eating crowd? I tend towards finding the fastest possible exit from the conversation (feigning death seems an acceptable option). Alternatively, reaching for the nearest junk food can also be amusing.
"I'm happy with the results of how I eat. You do you." I am now lean and fit; most of the people who talk to me about clean eating are neither or not both.3 -
I'm baffled by those that complain they are not losing weight despite "eating clean" - as if that is the only thing they need to do
I eat what tastes good - clean or dirty, I don't care9 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
I have ALWAYS hated the can't pronounce the ingredients thing. It doesn't mean the ingredient is bad for you. It means you need Hooked on Phoenics.16 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
I have ALWAYS hated the can't pronounce the ingredients thing. It doesn't mean the ingredient is bad for you. It means you need Hooked on Phoenics.
I've always thought it boiled down to a fear of the unknown. If an ingredient name is big and long and complicated, it must be scary, right?6 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
I have ALWAYS hated the can't pronounce the ingredients thing. It doesn't mean the ingredient is bad for you. It means you need Hooked on Phoenics.
I've always thought it boiled down to a fear of the unknown. If an ingredient name is big and long and complicated, it must be scary, right?
Aaaaaand they don't have google?
But, yeah, definitely that too. Of course, I'll eat any that's not spicy or disgusting sounding (like snails).0 -
I tend to have this idea... if most people stick to a 80% minimal to moderate processed diet.... we might be a little better off. Jmho... I shower before dinner, clean eating? Lol1
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What gets my goat is that the agro-industrial complex, homogenization, modern transportation, refrigeration, the social safety net, and preservation has given us a wealth of food products on our shelves that have pretty well eliminated the prospect of starvation, malnutrition, stunted growth and shortened lives.
I think we are hard wired to seek out the tiger in the grass. In the absence of genuine threat, we make up stuff. Now it’s Butylated Hydroxytolulene.
I eat well and I think before I eat. That means there’s fruit and vegetables every day, sources of protein, fibrous carbs, dairy, and plenty of liquids. There may or may not be chocolate.15 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
It turns a diet into a literacy test.
And besides:
12 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
It turns a diet into a literacy test.
And besides:
Nailed it!1 -
diannethegeek wrote: »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/p1
I love the one that says "don't eat product that have a TV commercial." It makes me giggle. I have seen commercials for milk and cheese. There is also at least one commercial for fruits and vegetables. Watch out! Fruits and vegetables are evil now!7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
I believe cherubs fly your clean food home for you, piece by piece.
On the subject of pronounce-able food, my dad proudly proclaims that he doesn't eat quinoa, edamame, and any French dishes because he can't pronounce them!
As for the OP, I think the most widely recognized meaning of clean eating is non-processed. But even that leads you down the rabbit hole. I don't see it is as a meaningful or useful goal, regardless of how it's defined, so I go with the aforementioned nod and smile, while enjoying my dirty, dirty but as far as i can tell plenty healthy diet.9 -
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.
So cyanide, death cap mushrooms, and pufferfish are all fine to eat because they are natural. Got it.16 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
Only produce and meat. Okay I guess the eggs and cheese technically come in a package.0 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »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.
Not to mention, you're probably eating a lot of bisodium carbonate, dihydrogen monoxide, sodium chloride... we've been processing foods and giving them chemical-sounding names since forever. And people have been eating things not considered "clean" since forever. See when beer was first made, for one.
Processing is what allows us to access some nutrients in some foods, while destroying pathogens that make us sick.
That being said yes, a big issue in our society is an overreliance on deconstructed and pre-packaged foodstuff. And sugar is added in quantities above what our bodies have evolved to tolerate. But the solution isn't to shame that stuff as "dirty"; it's to understand what we and our bodies need to move and live and function. We probably need more fiber and less sodium, more fresh vitamins and less sugar, but we won't die from one bite of snickers. To me, labeling a food (even cheetos) as bad is unscientific at best and triggering of disordered eating at worst.
That also being said, I think the appeal of thinking of foods in good/bad terms is it helps us make food choices in a world that is increasingly confounding our natural instincts. Michael Pollan's "Eat food/not too much/mostly plants" credo is just too difficult to follow when you are an overwhelmed person looking to make a healthy change. So if you think of dairy as "dirty", maybe it helps you avoid ice cream for a month and pick "clean" mangoes" instead. If that's what it takes to readjust your tastebuds and get you back on track, eat clean.
But if any eating pattern takes over your life, clean or no, PLEASE contact https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support.11 -
Think of all the chemical reactions that take place to make ordinary soap, whether it’s made at home or in a laboratory.
But we’d be hard pressed to stay clean without soap.
Industry, the laboratory is not scary. We get consistency, reliability, economy, and regulation.7 -
diannethegeek wrote: »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/p1
I love the one that says "don't eat product that have a TV commercial." It makes me giggle. I have seen commercials for milk and cheese. There is also at least one commercial for fruits and vegetables. Watch out! Fruits and vegetables are evil now!
I like "shop on the outside of the store". You know, where the bacon, bologna, fried chicken, donuts, pies and birthday cakes are...14 -
CarvedTones wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »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/p1
I love the one that says "don't eat product that have a TV commercial." It makes me giggle. I have seen commercials for milk and cheese. There is also at least one commercial for fruits and vegetables. Watch out! Fruits and vegetables are evil now!
I like "shop on the outside of the store". You know, where the bacon, bologna, fried chicken, donuts, pies and birthday cakes are...
I hear tales of some stores in the US having booze on the perimeter too.3
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