What exactly is considered "clean" food?

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  • pinkminy
    pinkminy Posts: 286
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    When I think of "clean" I think minimal processing, as near to nature as possible.

    I agree , no addetives and stuff
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
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    I consider a food clean if it has less than 5 ingredients and I can go to a regualr grocery store and purchase them all to make the item. Also, one of those ingredients cannot be a form of sugar. I think that's the simplest definition of clean I have found.

    I eat items that are whole grain (because once it is no longer whole grain it is increasingly more processed), and as close as they are found in nature as possible.

    I have minimized the amount of red meat in my diet (I don't quite want to cut it out completely), but when I do eat any meat I do try to purchase grass-fed organic beef. It is not always possible though. I choose lean cuts like chicken instead most of the time.

    Not many foods fit your definition of clean...

    Tons of foods do - meats, veggies, fruits, egg, dairy, nuts, juice, pasta, fresh bread, good ice cream, oatmeal, rice..

    Try again, and pay attention to those part
    Also, one of those ingredients cannot be a form of sugar

    That knocks out veggies, fruits, eggs, dairy, nuts, pasta, bread, ice cream, oatmeal and rice from your list

    She didn't say it can't contain sugar, that it can't be an ingredient. True about the ice cream, though.
  • joydayval
    joydayval Posts: 22
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    Funny!!! And thank you for your service!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    I consider a food clean if it has less than 5 ingredients and I can go to a regualr grocery store and purchase them all to make the item. Also, one of those ingredients cannot be a form of sugar. I think that's the simplest definition of clean I have found.

    I eat items that are whole grain (because once it is no longer whole grain it is increasingly more processed), and as close as they are found in nature as possible.

    I have minimized the amount of red meat in my diet (I don't quite want to cut it out completely), but when I do eat any meat I do try to purchase grass-fed organic beef. It is not always possible though. I choose lean cuts like chicken instead most of the time.

    Not many foods fit your definition of clean...

    Tons of foods do - meats, veggies, fruits, egg, dairy, nuts, juice, pasta, fresh bread, good ice cream, oatmeal, rice..

    Try again, and pay attention to those part
    Also, one of those ingredients cannot be a form of sugar

    That knocks out veggies, fruits, eggs, dairy, nuts, pasta, bread, ice cream, oatmeal and rice from your list

    She didn't say it can't contain sugar, that it can't be an ingredient. True about the ice cream, though.

    Look at the ingredient lists a little harder
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Clean to me = no ingredient list. Vegetables, fruit, grains are all real whole foods and therefore clean. Of course this is subjective.
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
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    I've actually never seen an ingredient list on produce or meat. Do yours have them?

    Bread is flour, water, salt and yeast. Pasta is flour, egg, oil, and salt. (though flour is iffy if you want to get real strict - it's not really one ingredient itself)

    Oatmeal ingredient list: rolled oats

    Rice ingredient list: rice

    Mixed nuts Ingredients: PEANUTS, ALMONDS, CASHEWS, BRAZIL NUTS, HAZELNUTS (FILBERTS), PECANS, PEANUT AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, SEA SALT. Or go crazy and get the bags of raw nuts.

    ??
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    I've actually never seen an ingredient list on produce or meat. Do yours have them?

    Bread is flour, water, salt and yeast. Pasta is flour, egg, oil, and salt. (though flour is iffy if you want to get real strict - it's not really one ingredient itself)

    Oatmeal ingredient list: rolled oats

    Rice ingredient list: rice

    Mixed nuts Ingredients: PEANUTS, ALMONDS, CASHEWS, BRAZIL NUTS, HAZELNUTS (FILBERTS), PECANS, PEANUT AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, SEA SALT. Or go crazy and get the bags of raw nuts.

    ??

    What is flour? In fact what are carbohydrates?
  • gc_tweety
    gc_tweety Posts: 205 Member
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    I'm glad you asked, I was wondering the same thing!!
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
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    What is flour? In fact what are carbohydrates?

    Flour
    1: a product consisting of finely milled wheat.

    This is the ingredient list for basic AP flour:
    INGREDIENTS: UNBLEACHED HARD WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY
    FLOUR (A NATURAL YEAST FOOD), NIACIN (A B VITAMIN), REDUCED
    IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN
    B2), FOLIC ACID (A B VITAMIN).

    But you can easily find bags that are pure wheat flour, with no vitamins and barley flour added at most grocery stores.


    What do carbohydrates have to do with anything? Nobody said anything about cutting those out.
    It seems like you're being pointedly obtuse to make this seem much more restrictive and complicated than it can be.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    What is flour? In fact what are carbohydrates?

    Flour
    1: a product consisting of finely milled wheat.

    This is the ingredient list for basic AP flour:
    INGREDIENTS: UNBLEACHED HARD WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY
    FLOUR (A NATURAL YEAST FOOD), NIACIN (A B VITAMIN), REDUCED
    IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN
    B2), FOLIC ACID (A B VITAMIN).

    But you can easily find bags that are pure wheat flour, with no vitamins and barley flour added at most grocery stores.


    What do carbohydrates have to do with anything? Nobody said anything about cutting those out.
    It seems like you're being pointedly obtuse to make this seem much more restrictive and complicated than it can be.

    Here's what I want you to do, read the below quote again
    Also, one of those ingredients cannot be a form of sugar

    Do some research and then you will come to realize the abject silliness of such a rule
  • kristy3119
    kristy3119 Posts: 46 Member
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    Clean eating is the process in which one eats food which has been minimally handled, then brags about it and offers it as a panacea for the ills of mankind.
    See also, sancti-fit, nutri-nazi

    ba-ZING!
  • DargoMack
    DargoMack Posts: 75 Member
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    I guess the definition I am most familiar with is from Tosca Reno and her clean eating books.

    http://www.eatcleandiet.com/

    http://eatingcleanworks.com/what-is-eating-clean.html

    This is how it has been explained to me by nutritionists and others.
  • Glenda0707
    Glenda0707 Posts: 16
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    The article on the "Twinkie Diet" was amazing. He was considered overweight on his BMI prior to reducing his calorie intake from 2600 a day to 1800. He stated he will add back 300 calories to maintain. That is exactly what the Weight Watcher diet does even though they do it in "Points" instead of calorie counting. Since being on MFP I am starting to see that it really is the calorie count that matters.

    So the choice really is "Would I rather have a BIG salad that will fill me up or a dang Ding Dong! Sometimes the Ding Dong wins but you sure get hungry a lot sooner and then you over eat because your not satified!!!!"

    Lastly, why not put more "NATURAL" foods in your body then all of the additives and preservatives laden foods in your body! Just seems better for you!
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
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    Acg - do you consider straight wheat or other grains to be a sugar?

    I'm not trying to argue for argument's sake here, or about how your body processes carbohydrates, or even the validity of cutting sugar out. I'm just saying that one of her rules is that the ingredient list not contain some form of sugar (assuming she means sugar, corn syrup, etc.), and that it's hardly restrictive.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Acg - do you consider straight wheat or other grains to be a sugar?

    I'm not trying to argue for argument's sake here, or about how your body processes carbohydrates, or even the validity of cutting sugar out. I'm just saying that one of her rules is that the ingredient list not contain some form of sugar (assuming she means sugar, corn syrup, etc.), and that it's hardly restrictive.

    What are some examples of polysaccharides?
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    I like to keep it very simple.
    If man makes it, don't eat it.

    For mere weight loss with no concern for optimal health, eat whatever but create a deficit.
    For peak fitness and to look good, feel great and live well, clean eating is best.
    And that's lean meats, low fat dairy, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies.
    Processed foods have been demineralized and loaded with salt, sugar and fat.
    It's not rocket science.
    I eat clean 75% of the time. That's as good as it gets.
    Life is to be lived :drinker:
  • eilmeister
    eilmeister Posts: 37
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    What is flour? In fact what are carbohydrates?

    Flour
    1: a product consisting of finely milled wheat.

    This is the ingredient list for basic AP flour:
    INGREDIENTS: UNBLEACHED HARD WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY
    FLOUR (A NATURAL YEAST FOOD), NIACIN (A B VITAMIN), REDUCED
    IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN
    B2), FOLIC ACID (A B VITAMIN).

    But you can easily find bags that are pure wheat flour, with no vitamins and barley flour added at most grocery stores.


    What do carbohydrates have to do with anything? Nobody said anything about cutting those out.
    It seems like you're being pointedly obtuse to make this seem much more restrictive and complicated than it can be.

    Here's what I want you to do, read the below quote again
    Also, one of those ingredients cannot be a form of sugar

    Do some research and then you will come to realize the abject silliness of such a rule


    I think you're confusing ingredients (added sugar) with naturally occurring sugar (which won't appear on the ingredient list). True, all of the foods you mentioned earlier do contain sugar, but not as an ingredient. So they fit her criteria just fine.
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
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    It hasn't fallen on the floor, if it has and was there longer than 5 seconds then it is dirty.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    I'm a bit confused by this term and what it entails. Can someone give me a bit of guidance here? Sorry if this seems like a silly question, it just seems everywhere I see it someone has a different definition!

    Clean=didn't drop it on the floor
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
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    OP, this is the only answer:

    The term is subjective and everyone has their own definition of it.


    For me, it is anything that has had NO processing at all. So only fruits, veggies, eggs, some meats.
    I do not eat clean at all. In fact, I eat far from it! But, I still lose weight. About half of what I eat is my definition of clean.

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