"clean foods"

I don't believe "clean foods" are a myth. I think different things work for different people. Clean food simply means food free of processing, by-products, chemicals, etc. Calories are not all created equal. If you ate the same amount of calories from potato chips than you did from eating watermelon, you'd have to eat a whole lot more of watermelon AND it would not have the same impact on your body. If you are looking at some options for clean dieting, the Paleo Diet is a good example and so is "Eat Clean Foods" the book.... Good luck on your journey!

The media blows preservatives way out of proportion. They're regulated by the FDA and in small amounts like you are getting, there's no issue. Yeah, a burger that doesn't go bad for days seems scary, but if you know the science behind what goes into it, it's really not. The motivation to stay away from foods that aren't "clean" should be based more on the actual nutritional content, like saturated fat and sodium levels, than simply how processed it is.

the whole clean vs dirty thing is kind of bogus.

you can eat foods that aren't "clean" and still achieve your goals. the main thing is hitting your daily macro goals, consistently.
I was my leanest at a time when i drank beer and ate wings often.
It's about the overall numbers, not "clean" or "unclean" food sources.

That being said, try to eat unprocessed foods. They usually have more micronutrients and not as much garbage in them.
I try to stick to foods that have ingredients I can pronounce.

Eating clean is more about being healthy on the inside. Better whole healthy foods equals better health overall for the long run.

I agree! Eating cleaner foods will help you overall!

This. As others have said, weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. Since it doesn't have a definition I think each person decides what clean means and whether it's important. For me, clean includes high quality protein powders, for others it doesn't. I'm also down with whole wheat pasta and cheese. I just try to eat less processed/more whole foods for several reasons:

1. Nutrient dense. Whole foods tend to be denser in nutrients compared to processed ones. Think of it as more bang for your caloric buck.

2. I find them more filling (potentially related to number one) and I feel better.

3. I don't think 'processed' foods will kill you but there's something to be said for eating it as it came, not as it was engineered with extra chemicals with potentially questionable effects.

4. There's a lot of people who say it affects body composition (fat, muscle etc). I don't know that I fully believe this but since I already believe all the stuff above I'll put on the 'pros' list.

That said, I drink booze and eat pizza too. Once a week when I'm good, more when I'm not. But I also try to constantly improve the quality of my food - subbing natural peanut butter for smuckers, plain greek yogurt for dannon oikos etc. It's what works for me.

I haven't tried either of those- is yoplait a 'no-no?' Because I love it.

Honestly, that's up to you. I would try to steer away from yogurts that already flavored like most yoplaits and starting eating plain yogurt - that is yogurt that is just cultured milk. Then I add a natural sweetner like stevia and some fruit. I think that's better for all the reasons I stated above. It doesn't mean I don't sometimes eat yoplait (frozen chocolate whipped is so yum) nor does it mean you can't eat it. You just have to decide if cutting the extra stuff and adding the nutrients from the fruit is important to you.

Example:

Strawberry Yogurt Low Fat, 6 oz.

Calories: 170
Fat: 2 g
Sat Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 85 mg
Potassium: 230 mg
Carbs: 33 g
Fiber: 0 g
Sugars:26 g
Protein: 5 g
Calcium: 50%
Vitamin A: 15%
Iron: 4%

Ingredients: Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Low Fat Milk, Sugar, Strawberries, Modified Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Colored with Carmine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3.

Plain Greek Yogurt with 1/2 cup strawberries:

Calories: 100 + 24 = 124
Fat: 0
Sat Fat: 0
Sodium: 65 mg
Potassium: 230 + 116 = 346 mg
Carbs: 7 +6 = 13 g
Fiber : 2 g
Sugars:7 +4 = 11 g
Protein: 18 + 1 = 19 g
Calcium: 20 + 1 = 21%
Vitamin A: 0%
Iron: 2%
Vitamin C: 74%

Ingredients: Grade A Pasteurized Skimmed Milk, Live Active Yogurt Cultures, Strawberries


Just an example! Like I said, look into it and make your own decisions.

the clean food myth is such bs. I eat out several times per week, eat chocolate, etc etc etc. Yeah it's healthier to eat "clean" foods but as far as body composition it doesn't matter

its a choice, not a requirement.

do i feel better when i eat cleaner? yes.
do i have more energy when i cleaner? yes.
do i lose weight easier when i eat cleaner? yes.
can i not eat clean and still lose weight? yes.

it is a choice that needs to be banished.

lmao to each their own but it's never going to be banished. too bad. so sad. :laugh: clean eaters FTW!

They're regulated by the FDA and in small amounts like you are getting, there's no issue.

Yes. Because the FDA clearly has everyone's "best interests" at heart. They're the ones that approve drugs that have serious side effects such as fatal events (really?) TB (WTF?) "Uncontrollable muscle spasms that can become permanent" (WOW!) They also want to regulate vitamins and make them available by prescription only so those multi vitamins, COQ10 and Fish Oil that you take and can get at the supermarket won't be available unless you have a prescription.

Yes. The FDA clearly knows what they're talking about. :grumble:

wow, you're really angsty, aren't you?

no, just sick and tired of hearing clean food is great when it is a bunch of crap

so, you're basically saying that eating healthier food is a load of sh-t.

wow. what planet are you from?

It is.

Food is a source of macro and micronutrients. No source is better than any other. It is just food. Meet your calorie goal, eat enough protein, and eat enough vitamins to not develop a deficiency; as long as you aren't allergic ot any component and it is satisfying, every single thing you ate to conglomerate into the whole is as healthy as every other thing.

Only an overall diet can be labeled healthy or unhealthy, the individual components of the diet are health neutral, neither healthy nor unhealthy. Just food.

Yes. Because the FDA clearly has everyone's "best interests" at heart.

Contrary to what you may have heard on TV or read on some dude's blog, the government is not just a bunch of crooks with the interests of big business in mind as they look to screw people at every turn possible, in an effort to extract maximum cash from your pockets.

And businesses in general would like to do as much for their customers as possible, after all happy customers are repeat customers. Killing off or otherwise making your customer base unhealthy is not a wise course of action if you wish to stay in business.

You can always find a conspiracy theory if you are looking for one and want there to be one. No matter how much the theory is a load of crap, a herd of people with confirmation bias will make any conspiracy real. (heck look at the whole birther thing, that situation was comical, especially if you step back and look at the why behind it, it was obviously utter nonsense, but a huge herd of people wanted it to be real, so confirmation bias made it so)

Have you ever LISTENED to the ads for the new drugs that the FDA approves? And you're ok with the fact that the side effects are probably worse than the condition itself? You're ok knowing that a drug that the FDA deemed to be good enough to make might cause you to die? You're ok with the fact that they want to regulate HERBAL supplements that aren't bad for you and cause no side effects because they aren't getting kick backs or money from the companies that produce them?

I would much rather look into natural alternatives than to take a drug that does this to me:

should not be used right before or after certain heart surgeries.

Serious skin reactions, or stomach and intestine problems such as bleeding and ulcers, can occur without warning and may cause death. Patients taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers.

Tell your doctor if you have:

A history of ulcers or bleeding in the stomach or intestines
High blood pressure or heart failure
Kidney or liver problems

XXXXXshould not be taken in late pregnancy.

Do not take XXXXX if you’ve had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergic reactions to aspirin, any other NSAID medicine or certain drugs called sulfonamides.

Life threatening allergic reactions can occur with XXXXXXX. Get help right away if you’ve had swelling of the face or throat or trouble breathing.

Prescription XXXXXX should be used exactly as prescribed at the lowest dose possible and for the shortest time needed.

And this one was for rheumatoid arthritis! If a person does their home work they can find proven, natural alternatives with zero side effects to help with a lot of the diseases out there and not have to worry about a "fatal event, intestinal bleeding, ulcer, heart attack, stroke . . . ."