I heard that eating clean makes you feel better...

What does eating clean mean to you?

I definitely prefer my food clean - so I wash my fruit and veges first, and throw out anything dropped on the floor.

Other than that, "clean" is a buzz word that doesn't actually mean anything.

@amusedmonkey is correct. I'm coeliac, and allergic to corn/maize/sugar/pears/apples/grapes and random other stuff. If I eat any of those foods, I feel awful.

Keep a diary of what makes you feel good and what makes you feel bad.

There is a lot of hype about "clean eating" and everyone seems to decide what it means to them. Many people just feel better if they lose weight. That could be you. That means getting a digital food scale and weighing and measuring all your food and drink and staying within the daily calorie goal MFP gives you. If, on the other hand, you have a food allergy ,as other posters have suggested, then see your doctor and follow their recommendations.

My wife, years ago, had Fibromyalgia. She still does, but back then it was debilitating. She could barely get out of bed, barely function -- literally told me she just wanted to die, many times.

She was told to go gluten free and the doc did allergy testing (she was allergic to cow dairy as well). So we eliminated gluten and dairy together, which by necessity, nearly all processed foods. Turns out I was Celiac in denial! I react God awful if I get the least little glutened (Margarita Mix was the last culprit -- I was sick two days!).

She's so much better now. Even works out 5 or 6 times a week and is enjoying life again. Now, that's not the only change we made, but I truly believe it was the most important one. I'm convinced I'd likely have colon cancer had I not been supportive of her and gone gluten free with her. I had constant signs that I ignored -- blood in the stool (sorry, TMI) and constant eczema all over my back. I haven't ever felt better and I'm 55.

We have also gone nearly off red meat (around once a month or so) and eat plant based three or four days a week.

I would concur with the others -- find out if you have food allergies. My daughter came here to Tucson and was feeling bad for two weeks. We have flowers that grow all over in the Spring. She was thinking it was a food allergy, but it was seasonal pollen allergies. I did buy her an Everlywell Food Sensitivity test (like 130 on sale) and she's going to find out if she has any food sensitivities.

I don't think "eating clean" means much of anything. I do think that eating an overall healthy diet (nutrient dense, calorie appropriate) tends to make people feel better -- it certainly does for me. However, a dramatic shift in diet can actually lead to some digestive issues if you go from low fiber to high fiber (or even just recommended fiber) right away. There are also going to be psychological things that contribute, like if you feel burdened by a new way of eating or a sense of loss vs. feeling excited and enjoying the new way of eating.

And of course if you feel bad there can be many causes unrelated to food choice.

janejellyroll wrote: »

My experience is that people who aren't meeting their nutritional needs feel better once they start meeting them. This doesn't necessarily require "eating clean." Some people can make relatively minor changes to their diet and be able to meet their needs. It all depends on where you're starting from.

I would be concerned by feeling like "garbage." I would wonder: Are you eating enough? Have you eliminated caffeine? Are you eating lower carbohydrate than you were before?

lemurcat2 wrote: »

I don't think "eating clean" means much of anything. I do think that eating an overall healthy diet (nutrient dense, calorie appropriate) tends to make people feel better -- it certainly does for me. However, a dramatic shift in diet can actually lead to some digestive issues if you go from low fiber to high fiber (or even just recommended fiber) right away. There are also going to be psychological things that contribute, like if you feel burdened by a new way of eating or a sense of loss vs. feeling excited and enjoying the new way of eating.

And of course if you feel bad there can be many causes unrelated to food choice.

What they said, plus (of course) considering food allergies.

Medical questions (such as "why do I feel like garbage") are for doctors, not for random idiots like me on the internet, but if we knew what you meant by "feel like garbage", we could speculate more specifically about common (non-allergy, non-disease) dietary causes.

Some common ones:

* Fatigue, weakness: Calories too low, trying to lose weight too fast, excessive exercise for current fitness level
* Flu-like symptoms (that can't be flu or something worse): Electrolyte imbalance, possibly induced by dramatically reduced carbs without compensation on the electrolyte side
* Headaches: Significantly reduced caffeine
* Frequent urination, bladder pressure: Drinking way too much water based on bad internet advice
* Constipation: Sudden dramatic increase in fiber intake, too-low fat intake, too-low water consumption for amount of fiber
* Diarrhea: A lot of the same things as constipation, actually, or their exact opposite (too little fiber, to high fat, etc.)
* Faintness, dizziness: Too low calories, blood sugar weirdness because of sudden dietary change
* Menstrual cycle/hormonal weirdness: Too low calories for a longish time, too low fat consumption, overexercise

Those aren't all the possible symptoms (by far), and those aren't all the potential (non-disease) triggers, just a small sample off the top of my head.

The point is, if you gave us more details, we might have better ideas (your current size, calorie goal, exercise type/duration/frequency, what "clean" means very specifically (as in what's a typical eating day), whether you're doing other things like keto or intermittent fasting, are you taking any new supplements . . . ?).

Good nutrition is important, and should (long-term) improve one's general sense of well-being, if the prior way of eating was sub-par. The things people often think of as "clean" are anything from minor pluses to irrelevant to potentially negative, depending on the person, and on the details of the eating.

But for true "feeling like garbage": Doctor.

Yes, clean eating makes me feel good. I try not to deprive myself though.

Favorite Breakfast: Avocado toast with an egg over easy.
Favorite Lunch: Spaghetti squash with meatballs and spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese
Favorite Dinner: A bowl with romaine lettuce, yellow rice, whatever veggies I have on hand, shredded chicken, 1 tablespoon of sour cream and smashed avocado.

I consider this clean eating and I love it.

Good luck on your journey.