Question for clean eaters

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Figuringoutme
Figuringoutme Posts: 330
in Food and Nutrition
If you eat condiments like ketchup, mayo, etc, is that considered clean eating? What about cereal and pasta?
What I've read clean eating is cutting out processed food.
i know this is a dumb question but i just wondered what different people thought.

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Replies

  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
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    I started trying to answer this, then realised that I dont really know the real definition - is it only eating food prepared from base ingredients? is it avoiding additives? what about something processed with no additives?

    I'd say for cereal and pasta it depends on where you get it from, if it's pasta made from a local deli, with no preservatives etc, to me that's "clean eating", but from a packet at a supermarket, probably not.

    ketchup and mayo I guess are also processed, and most contain additives
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
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    My definition of clean eating is to go as locally produced, organic as possible with reduction of eating out and/or eating anything processed.

    For condiments, I've gone to organic and all with ingredients that I KNOW what they are. If I don't know what an item is, I now look it up online and make a decision from that.

    I no longer eat anything with artificial corn based sugars (dextrose, maltodextrin, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup), or with excessive amounts of sugar and/or salt.

    At least most of the time -- I occasionally have to have a cupcake and haven't started interrogating the local cupcake bakery yet about ingredients. :bigsmile:
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    Have a look at the gracious pantry.com website - she has a 101 of clean eating......and lots of other resources....
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    ;-)
  • season1980
    season1980 Posts: 129 Member
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    I really think it depends and that is what makes "clean" eating so hard to define. I try to eat clean by eating stuff as close to thier natural state as possible but it is not always easy to do that! I use salad dressings and the light or fat free version, in place of mayo I try to use mashed avacodo since it is a healthy fat. I try to make my own pasta sauce and yes I eat whole wheat pastas and Quinoa and rice. I try to stay away from things that have ingredients that I cant pronounce or dont know what they are. Really clean eating is more about nourishing your body with whole foods but I dont think it necessarily means you can never have another little debbies cake again......everything in moderation!
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    In my opinion: ketchup and the like are not 'clean' unless you make them yourself or find them made locally without chemicals and preservatives. It doesn't stop me though. I still use ketchup from time to time.
  • jellyfishbones
    jellyfishbones Posts: 123 Member
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    It's possibe to make your own condiments, and many good basic cookbooks should have several different recipes for condiments and dressings. Where condiments are concerned, I will either make mine if I have time and know that my familiy will finish them off before they spoil, or I'll buy the organic varieties as long as I know what all the ingredients are (and usually that's not a problem with the brands I've come across).
  • k4evans1
    k4evans1 Posts: 145 Member
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    I think you'd eat organic versions of condiments with real ingredients. For example I buy mayo made with olive oil and I understand everything that is on the label. As far as cereal and pasta, you could make your own of either if you wanted to be strict or just buy the cleanest shelf version that you can. I think most people who eat clean still buy some products that come in boxes, etc.
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
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    I consider clean eating to be: if you can't (and didn't) make it yourself from whole, unprocessed ingredients, it's not clean.
  • skinnylittleshit
    skinnylittleshit Posts: 4
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    I try to eat as cleanly as I can, but I still eat brown rice and pasta. I generally just stick to all whole grains, no white bread, pasta, etc. And I think ketchup and sauces are not really "clean" eating. :)
  • Yakisoba
    Yakisoba Posts: 719 Member
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    I consider clean eating to be: if you can't (and didn't) make it yourself from whole, unprocessed ingredients, it's not clean.

    ^ Here here.

    I make my own mayonnaise, ketchup, fresh and dry pasta.. just about everything..
  • samdgood
    samdgood Posts: 18 Member
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    I think you'd eat organic versions of condiments with real ingredients. For example I buy mayo made with olive oil and I understand everything that is on the label. As far as cereal and pasta, you could make your own of either if you wanted to be strict or just buy the cleanest shelf version that you can. I think most people who eat clean still buy some products that come in boxes, etc.

    i want to eat as little processed food as possible and if you read the ingredients on mayo you would pass. make your own and it contains olive oil, egg, and you can add fresh herbs, lemon, etc for diff flavors. i checked the ingred on the mayo with olive oil and it still has chemicals.

    so do you go as clean as possible or all the way... it's up to the infividual

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