I keep reading about “clean eating”. There are a lot of different interpretations of what that phrase really means. On most sites I’ve visited, the basic definition involved the elimination of processed foods, eating far more fruits & vegetables, some sites include meat, some don’t; some sites include dairy, some don’t, some include whole grains, some don’t. As for the arguments about organic foods….
And all of them seem to agree that there really is no actual definition for what it means to eat “clean”. So to say I’ve cleaned up my diet truthfully means, to me, that I’ve simply chosen to eliminate those foods I know I struggle the most with, and that are the worst for me.
In my case, eliminating most processed foods – pasta, breads, cereals, etc., as well as all sugary crap – cookies, cake, chocolate, etc., is how I start. However, I’m also currently experimenting with vegetarianism (again… yes, again). I’ve not eaten meat since December 29th. Other than a little butter, I’ve had no dairy since then either. I have had a few eggs – I’m not quite ready to go fully vegan, although truthfully most of my meals have been vegan without even trying that hard. Why? I was inspired by Rich Roll, author of Finding Ultra (not an affiliate link) and a ultra distance vegan athlete. I’m going to write a review of his book sometime over the next month – I really loved it.
I read a lot of blogs by folks who are following a Paleo lifestyle – lots of meats, veggies and fruit – and call it clean eating. And for them, I think it is. I do believe that every person has different dietary needs, and no one plan works for every person. I also think that every person has different life challenges and needs to tailor their diet around those issues – time, location, budget. For example, I live in Canada, where organic produce during the winter costs the earth and is hard to find. In fact, even a variety of produce is hard to find sometimes! So I do what I can with what I can find, and use a lot of frozen fruits and vegetables. However, even though time is my biggest challenge, I still cook pretty much everything from scratch and based all my meals around whole foods with lots of fresh or frozen fruits & vegetables.
So my question is – what is your definition of clean eating? How do you get it to fit into your lifestyle?
I tend to agree with you. For me, clean eating means primarily no sugary crap without nutritional value, minimally processed foods, no meat, and limited low-fat dairy. That last part is the kicker for me — I eat too much cheese, and sometimes too much processed stuff (well, sometimes too much sugar too!). For the most part though, if I’m eating pretty healthy meals and snacking on fruits or veggies, I consider it to be clean eating. We mostly eat organic fruits and vegetables b/c it’s my husband’s preference, but to me, that isn’t an essential element of clean eating.
As for fitting it in, that’s still tough. We rely too much on quick and processed options on weeknights, and I rely too much on frozen meals for lunches. This year I want to work more on making a meal over the weekend that yields at least one night of leftovers, maybe a lunch or two as well.
You’re right, it depends.. For a person who may have lived off of fast foods a switch to home-foods of any type might be clean eating to them. I recently went vegan, and for the most part, it’s clean, yet, there are a few vegan safe items that aren’t necessarily “clean”. I think just having a conscious of what you’re putting in your mouth is key.
Yup, that’s exactly it!