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What exactly do you consider “clean” eating or “healthy” eating?

aperis2615
aperis2615 Posts: 13 Member
edited December 20 in Debate Club
I know for me clean eating is weighed portions, and primary veggies and fruit. Trail mix, dried fruit, most cheeses and breads are what I consider junk or more iffy foods. And anything like pretzels, chips, usually popcorn and etc are junk junk food. What exactly does your clean eating consist of?
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Replies

  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Clean food to me is food that doesn’t make me sick. I hate food-borne illnesses! :s

    The funny thing is foods that people traditionally consider "clean" are more likely to cause foodborne illnesses. You're more likely to get a foodborne illness from fruits and vegetables than you are from a bag of potato chips.

    Interesting, I’ve never thought about it that way! Please make sure whatever food you consider “clean” is actually clean! ;)
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Lots of people eat mostly nutrient-dense, minimally-processed whole foods, cooked at home, and don't necessarily define as "clean eaters." Thus, the term seems to me to be intended to mean something more, but what depends on the person using it, which is why I (again) find it unhelpful and think talking about nutrition and healthy diets makes much more sense.

    I mean, if one eats some popcorn (available from a green market, btw) is one not a "clean eater"?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I followed Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet about a decade ago so that is what I think of for clean eating: minimally processed whole food sources with a leaning towards lean protein sources.

    IMO, a healthy diet is one that us nutritionally complete and will not contribute to future or current poor health. This will vary between people. Some people do well with some grains in their diet. As a celiac who strives for excellent BG control, I avoid almost all grains.

    Now my diet is almost carnivore. At the very least, it is an animal based omnivorous diet. Nutritionally it is complete and balanced, and addresses my health needs very well. I consider it to be a healthy diet for me.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    I just try to hit my macros--IIFYM. I cook everyday for a large family and am always washing veggies and fruits.
  • anthocyanina
    anthocyanina Posts: 86 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Clean food to me is food that doesn’t make me sick. I hate food-borne illnesses! :s

    The funny thing is foods that people traditionally consider "clean" are more likely to cause foodborne illnesses. You're more likely to get a foodborne illness from fruits and vegetables than you are from a bag of potato chips.

    I'll take my chances with fruits & vegetables, thank you.

    Putting a lettuce farm downstream from an industrial animal farm is just asking for trouble. Chopping and packing that lettuce into ready-to-eat bags is another source of potential contamination.

    Potato chips & ketchup are no substitute for potatoes, tomatoes, & other produce.

    Avoiding all produce because you might get sick is like not jogging cause you might trip & break your leg. Does it happen? Occasionally. Are the benefits worth the risk? Yes. Are there things you can do to minimize the risk, Absolutely.

    Don't buy bags of ready-to-eat lettuce. Shop farmers markets & get to know the people who grow your food & how they grow it. (If there's an industrial animal farm nearby, trust me, you'll know it) When in doubt wash in a silted bleach solution, peel, & cook.

    As for the original post, eating clean to me is just another label for eating healthful, minimally processed whole foods .

    I feel pretty sure the poster you quoted wasn't saying people should eat junk food to avoid food poisoning. Just noted a small irony in clean eating terminology

    The poster was probably joking (every time there's a vegetable scare the same tired old jokes make the rounds on Facebook about chocolate cake or whatever never killing anyone) but there is a grain of truth in satire & there are people who do seriously say things like that.

    I study nutrition & am interested in the reasons why people eat & avoid the foods they do, During the recent Yuma, AZ romaine scare I had conversations with people who absolutely did replace salads with junk food to avoid food poisoning (they were glad for a "good" excuse to not eat them & not willing to consider ways to eat veggies safely for various reasons) One particularly extreme example of the lengths people go to prevent food poisoning from fresh food: a person I know lived on little more than ketchup packets to avoid food poisoning on a trip to Mexico.

    I'm in favor of spreading knowledge, however clean eaters & junk food junkies alike don't always want to hear the truth.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I literally never think about what clean eating is, I don't think it's important.

    I think healthy eating is a diet that is nutritionally balanced, calorie appropriate, and makes you feel healthy and energetic. I don't believe a food necessarily needs to be unprocessed to fit into a healthy diet, and I believe treat foods can be a part of a healthy diet in reasonable portions and frequency.

    this.
  • wmd1979
    wmd1979 Posts: 469 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Clean food to me is food that doesn’t make me sick. I hate food-borne illnesses! :s

    The funny thing is foods that people traditionally consider "clean" are more likely to cause foodborne illnesses. You're more likely to get a foodborne illness from fruits and vegetables than you are from a bag of potato chips.

    I'll take my chances with fruits & vegetables, thank you.

    Putting a lettuce farm downstream from an industrial animal farm is just asking for trouble. Chopping and packing that lettuce into ready-to-eat bags is another source of potential contamination.

    Potato chips & ketchup are no substitute for potatoes, tomatoes, & other produce.

    Avoiding all produce because you might get sick is like not jogging cause you might trip & break your leg. Does it happen? Occasionally. Are the benefits worth the risk? Yes. Are there things you can do to minimize the risk, Absolutely.

    Don't buy bags of ready-to-eat lettuce. Shop farmers markets & get to know the people who grow your food & how they grow it. (If there's an industrial animal farm nearby, trust me, you'll know it) When in doubt wash in a silted bleach solution, peel, & cook.

    As for the original post, eating clean to me is just another label for eating healthful, minimally processed whole foods .

    I feel pretty sure the poster you quoted wasn't saying people should eat junk food to avoid food poisoning. Just noted a small irony in clean eating terminology

    The poster was probably joking (every time there's a vegetable scare the same tired old jokes make the rounds on Facebook about chocolate cake or whatever never killing anyone) but there is a grain of truth in satire & there are people who do seriously say things like that.

    I study nutrition & am interested in the reasons why people eat & avoid the foods they do, During the recent Yuma, AZ romaine scare I had conversations with people who absolutely did replace salads with junk food to avoid food poisoning (they were glad for a "good" excuse to not eat them & not willing to consider ways to eat veggies safely for various reasons) One particularly extreme example of the lengths people go to prevent food poisoning from fresh food: a person I know lived on little more than ketchup packets to avoid food poisoning on a trip to Mexico.

    I'm in favor of spreading knowledge, however clean eaters & junk food junkies alike don't always want to hear the truth.

    Funny, I don't know of anyone who replaces salads with "junk" food to avoid food poisoning, although I am curious what your definition of junk food is. I see no issue eating any food as long as it is in moderation and fits into a persons goals. I have a very hard time believing that someone lived on ketchup packets to avoid food poisoning as there are plenty of other options besides ketchup.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited March 2019
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    aperis2615 wrote: »
    I know for me clean eating is weighed portions, and primary veggies and fruit. Trail mix, dried fruit, most cheeses and breads are what I consider junk or more iffy foods. And anything like pretzels, chips, usually popcorn and etc are junk junk food. What exactly does your clean eating consist of?

    I do not find the term "clean eating" to be useful.

    A healthy diet is one that is calorie-appropriate, has sufficient vegetables and some fruit, sufficient protein, sufficient fiber, and is primarily based on nutrient-dense foods (I prefer that most be whole and home-cooked, but that's not necessary). I also prefer to limit animal-sourced foods, and focus on omega 3 to 6 ratio.

    "Junk food" doesn't really have a defined meaning, I suppose for me it's foods that are higher in cal and lower in nutrients per cal. I am more likely to think of dessert type foods or foods I eat less often or for special occasions (in theory some really good cheese or naan or fries as part of an overall meal could be considered "junk" based on my definition, but given the meal as a whole is likely to have plenty of nutrients and fit in my day I don't find it wildly useful.

    Popcorn isn't especially high cal unless you add oil or butter, so I don't really think of it as junk food. Dried fruit I don't either, although I normally eat it as part of a recipe, not on its own. I don't really snack just because I find snacking unsatisfying.

    ^All of this. Except the naan. Cuz I can't eat it. And when I eat popcorn, I make it in an air popper and spritz it with olive oil. It's a whole grain. There is absolutely nothing junky about that in the least.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    wmd1979 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Clean food to me is food that doesn’t make me sick. I hate food-borne illnesses! :s

    The funny thing is foods that people traditionally consider "clean" are more likely to cause foodborne illnesses. You're more likely to get a foodborne illness from fruits and vegetables than you are from a bag of potato chips.

    I'll take my chances with fruits & vegetables, thank you.

    Putting a lettuce farm downstream from an industrial animal farm is just asking for trouble. Chopping and packing that lettuce into ready-to-eat bags is another source of potential contamination.

    Potato chips & ketchup are no substitute for potatoes, tomatoes, & other produce.

    Avoiding all produce because you might get sick is like not jogging cause you might trip & break your leg. Does it happen? Occasionally. Are the benefits worth the risk? Yes. Are there things you can do to minimize the risk, Absolutely.

    Don't buy bags of ready-to-eat lettuce. Shop farmers markets & get to know the people who grow your food & how they grow it. (If there's an industrial animal farm nearby, trust me, you'll know it) When in doubt wash in a silted bleach solution, peel, & cook.

    As for the original post, eating clean to me is just another label for eating healthful, minimally processed whole foods .

    I feel pretty sure the poster you quoted wasn't saying people should eat junk food to avoid food poisoning. Just noted a small irony in clean eating terminology

    The poster was probably joking (every time there's a vegetable scare the same tired old jokes make the rounds on Facebook about chocolate cake or whatever never killing anyone) but there is a grain of truth in satire & there are people who do seriously say things like that.

    I study nutrition & am interested in the reasons why people eat & avoid the foods they do, During the recent Yuma, AZ romaine scare I had conversations with people who absolutely did replace salads with junk food to avoid food poisoning (they were glad for a "good" excuse to not eat them & not willing to consider ways to eat veggies safely for various reasons) One particularly extreme example of the lengths people go to prevent food poisoning from fresh food: a person I know lived on little more than ketchup packets to avoid food poisoning on a trip to Mexico.

    I'm in favor of spreading knowledge, however clean eaters & junk food junkies alike don't always want to hear the truth.

    Funny, I don't know of anyone who replaces salads with "junk" food to avoid food poisoning, although I am curious what your definition of junk food is. I see no issue eating any food as long as it is in moderation and fits into a persons goals. I have a very hard time believing that someone lived on ketchup packets to avoid food poisoning as there are plenty of other options besides ketchup.

    Same here. During the romaine lettuce issue, people I know continued to order salads at restaurants and make salads at home. They were just more aware of what went into the salad (and by "more aware" I mean obsessed with being absolutely certain not a leaf of their greens had touched a leaf of romaine anywhere along the line :) ). Certainly nobody traded salads and vegetables for dessert in order to avoid food poisoning.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    It's not a useful distinction, so I don't worry about it at all.
This discussion has been closed.