What is clean eating to you?

[MikeC]

Thought I would ask this to see if our personal definitions vary. What does clean eating mean to you?

[Off Road]

Originally Posted by MikeC

What does clean eating mean to you?

"Clean eating" is washing my steak before I throw it on the grill

[BigTallOx]

Originally Posted by MikeC

Thought I would ask this to see if our personal definitions vary. What does clean eating mean to you?

No processed foods, no carbonation, no artificial sweeteners, no alcohol, stuff only made in my kitchen

[Chillen]

IMO, you can ask 100 people this question, and you will get "nearly" 100 different type of answers. IMO, it is one of the most overhyped and most misunderstood terms on the good ole internet, and is close kin to the term "natural food".

This is a good article to read:

The Dirt on Clean Eating | Wannabebig

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by Off Road

"Clean eating" is washing my steak before I throw it on the grill

LOL I can spare you the trouble OR - a steak is considered clean eating.

I consider clean eating to be any food that is unprocessed and as mother nature intended it to be eaten. This would of course include any fresh dairy, meat, fruits, and veggies, beans, etc. Of course, there are varying degrees of cleanliness, such as leaner cuts of meat, skim milk, etc

[Shadowschmadow]

I don't think no processed food items is a requirement of clean eating. I believe that the bulk of your foods should come from unprocessed sources. Personally, I think that there's nothing wrong with having a couple slices of pizza, ice cream or something of that sort as long as the rest of your diet is in check.

In my honest opinion, most forum people who actually make an attempt to eat clean go too far and don't allow for these treats, when it wouldn't really matter one way or the other as long as everything else is in check, and consumption is limited.

[Chillen]

Originally Posted by Squatter

LOL I can spare you the trouble OR - a steak is considered clean eating.

Maybe the steak isnt clean eating? Lets see:

How is the cow fed? Is it with corn which has chemically added in perservatives/additives or is the cattle been fed human growth hormones in its life cycle?

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by GT-R

I don't think no processed food items is a requirement of clean eating. I believe that the bulk of your foods should come from unprocessed sources. Personally, I think that there's nothing wrong with having a couple slices of pizza, ice cream or something of that sort as long as the rest of your diet is in check.

In my honest opinion, most forum people who actually make an attempt to eat clean go too far and don't allow for these treats, when it wouldn't really matter one way or the other as long as everything else is in check, and consumption is limited.

You can be a clean eater and have a cheat or unclean meal like pizza. Your right, there is nothing wrong with having a cheat meal or even a cheat day.

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by Chillen

Maybe the steak isnt clean eating? Lets see:

How is the cow fed? Is it with corn which has chemically added in perservatives/additives or is the cattle been fed human growth hormones in its life cycle?

The cows I eat are all clean

Fruits and veggies, even if grown with pesticides or whatever, are still considered clean. I buy organic whenever possible. I am also celiac - most of my gluten-free food is organic anyway.

[Shadowschmadow]

Honestly, I typically refrain from using the words "cheat meal" and/or day. To me its not cheating; either you're on top of things or your diet is out of wack. And I know that the typical diet fails because people don't understand that you it's unnecessary to eliminate these kinds of foods from your diet; they just need to be limited.

If your macros will be met for the day, or the food will put you relatively close your macro requirements and it doesn't ignore your calorie limitations, then I don't see an issue with consuming items some may perceive as cheats.

Understand I'm being rather vague here, and I'm not noting my belief on the importance of having adequate veggies, fruits, etc. in your diet. I'm specifically talking about including "cheat" foods when the rest of the diet is properly structured.