I got a PM about this this morning and thought I'd post for all. I'm not as good as I could be

What does the term 'eating clean' mean to you? If you can clean up further, how so?

For me eating clean means low fat, low cholesterol, low saturated fat and little to no transfats. Also, I try to eat as many "natural" and "whole foods" as possible. I get as much whole grains as I possibly can. No additives and artificial this and that. I try to limit the sugar in my diet, but don't cut it out completely. I try to stay away from high fructose corn-syrup. I'd rather have sugar. I love raw nuts like almonds and walnuts and try to incorporate them as a meat substitute as much as possible. Don't get me wrong I love beef, pork, chicken and fish, but I try to consume lean cuts/portions of each of them.

In a nutshell that is what "clean eating" is to me.

Following the 8 Great Health Guidelines:

1) Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day
2) Choose whole-grain foods such as brown rice, oats whenever possible.
3) Include 2 servings of milk products
4) 2 tsp healthy oils
5) Ensure you get enough protein
6) limit sugar and alchol
7) drink at least 6-8 glasses of water
8) take a multi-vitamin daily

I also don't fret over if I don't get them all in on occasion.

To me, eating clean means:

1) Planning what I'll eat and eating what I've planned.
2) Whole foods in their most natural state..fiber and nutrient rich. fruits veg grains etc.
3) Limiting red meats.. getting plenty of fish (but not too much.. )
4) Drinking nothing but lots of water, a little wine, a little green tea.
5) Limiting unhealthy fats as much as possible.
7) Variety of textures and tastes for enjoyment.
6) Most importantly using the fuel I've eaten by exercising. Otherwise, what is the point of eating if not for fuel.

To me "Eating Clean" means:
-making a healthy menu for today and then sticking to it
-eating lower-calorie, low-cholesterol, low-fat foods
-eating foods with healthy carbs, lots of fiber
-eating lean meats
-eating lots more vegetables, raw and cooked and
-drinking 6-8 glasses water daily, so I won't feel stuffed and guilty at the end of the day.

To me, eating clean means eating stuff that comes in its own packets (or no packets!) It means cooking from scratch where possible, or using low processed goods like tinned beans, but not buying ready made foods.

It means eating close to nature with a minimum of fiddling. It means vegetables, fruit, whole grains, protein from good sources.

It means to me organic and local and using the money I used to spend on rubbishy foods to spend a little bit more on good quality produce.

It's meant I now have joined an organic box scheme for my veggies, and I need to "go with the flow" with my meals, and use what is in season, and what I am given! It's really fun!

For me it's also meant learning to appreciate the flavour of simply 'the food'. I used to be wanting to make sauces for everything. Cheese sauce, gravy ....

To me, eating clean has nothing to do with how many servings you get of this or that or how much fat or carbs or protein you have--all of those vary by individual. Rather, eating clean is removing all the processed crap and eating whole, natural foods. I would include eggs and meat (including fish--I've never understood why some people don't count fish as a meat), fruits and veggies (fresh or frozen, as canned often have preservatives and sodium added), nuts (preferably in-shell so you know the part you eat is not fooled around with), and milk (although I realize it has stuff added now, I can't keep a cow in my apartment, so settling for what's in the store is now included in my definition of "clean" ). Well, and plain water, of course.

With the above as my definition, "clean" does NOT necessarily mean healthy, as even when eating clean you could end up with lots of saturated fat if you're eating a lot of meat and such. Also, eating "healthy" does not mean eating "clean," as many people incorporate processed foods into their "healthy" diets.

In today's world, it is nearly impossible to eat 100% clean. However, I still try to choose "clean" options over processed when I can (real potatoes vs. boxed potatoes, raw meats vs. pre-cooked, frozen veggies vs. canned, etc.). Everyone's plan is different (number of servings of food groups, number of calories, amount of fat/carbs/protein, etc.), so I don't think that has any place in the definition of "eating clean." All my own opinion, of course, but it seems the lines between "eating clean," "eating healthy," and "eating on-plan" have become blurred. Of course, they do overlap frequently for most individuals, but when asking for a deifnition, the three are quite different.

Oh, and if it were a perfect world, I would also say that only "organic" foods should be included in clean eating, but I see very little access to many organic foods in my parts (although Giant has started carrying a Nature's Promise line that is pretty good), so I think even "alterred" or "engineered" whole foods are much "cleaner" than processed. Good lord, I hope that all made sense

Yes, it does make sense. Especially the part about doing our best within the parameters of what's available and what we can afford, and that the definition might be quite individual.

i think I have a girl crush on you! This is what clean means to me, and this is how I eat as well.

I agree with Jill too. Eatting clean by definition does not equate healthy. My kids eat "clean" however, they might have a poptart for breakfast, but its organic. In fact, someone( a babysitter) fed my little girl a conventional poptart and my daughter puked it up, and was fine after that. They have a cereal that is *like* coco puffs, but its organic, vegan and kosher all in the same breath.lol

Now.. having said that.. *i* dont eat that stuff because it STILL has calories and fat grams. I try to get the kids stuff they enjoy but, for the most part they eat what I eat. I would say about 80% of out kitchen is organic. Some of the stuff that isnt is like red delicious apples because I cant find organic red delicious. I can find golden delicious but I like red better.

Im getting a little carried away but I fully agree that people are confused by thinking that eatting clean means the same as eatting "healthy",or controlling portions ect. Yes.. its better because its not got lab grown chemicals in it, yet it can still have the same number of calories and fat grams. My chocolate is 88% coco, and organic, but that doesnt mean i can eat the whole bar and be cool with it. Oh yeah.. Jill.. have you looked into getting organic milk? Its like a dollar more a gallon.. but worth it. No hormones.

clean eating= non processed healthy foods, to me n e ways

i agree with most everything. to me, it means, looking at my "clean list" and shopping AND EATING off of that. i found a list once of clean foods and i printed it out. it helps me prepare for grocery shopping.

Late to the thread but -

Clean eating to me means eating as much whole food as possible while avoiding as many processed foods as possible. I'm not perfect, I still eat bread which a lot of people consider unclean (although I do buy organic, sprouted wheat, flourless bread to try to make it as clean as possible). I also can't resist the sugar free syrup in my latte!

To me, an organic poptart would not be "clean." It may be all organic but it would be a processed, packaged food.

Holy cow (oops, is that a "clean" cow?)!

If I go by what most of you are saying, I've been eating pretty much "clean" since January, and I didn't even realize it. Fresh fruits (except applesauce). Fresh vegetables (no canned, not even frozen ones). Mostly chicken and turkey, roasted. Red meat maybe 2-3 times a month, if that much. Almonds. Whole wheat breads. Brown rice. Milk. Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. Multivitamin and minimum 72 oz plain water every day.

I switched to Smart Balance, and don't even use that very often. I watch the sodium (I think I've been over 2,000 maybe 4 times in the past month). I watch the portions.

As for the not-so-clean side, very occasionally, I have the 100-cal snack packs, maybe 1 a week. Once a week, I splurge on 2 6-inch pancakes (with syrup) and 2 slices of bacon. And, of course, I do have my coffee with real cream (but Splenda only, not sugar) and sugarless gum every day.

Since January, I've had 4 chocolate chip cookie dough pieces, maybe 5 french fries (one at a time, yum!), the equivalent of 2 slices of cake (about 10 really thin slivers spread out over a week's time), 3 slices of pizza and no more than a dozen small diet cokes. I remember all this because these events have become the exception, rather than the rule.

I account for all those calories, even the cake and cookie dough calories, and still rarely go over 1,800 in a day (the pancake days). Most days, I'm between 1,400 and 1,600.

Overall, if I were to grade myself, given the parameters you've set up as "eating clean", I'd probably give myself about an 90. I'm not all sprouts and tofu, but I'm not all cookies and ice cream either.

Question is, if I'm doing all this, why isn't the weight coming off? I haven't lost anything worth talking about since mid-March. Ticks me off. But that's a different story...