Clean eating, Why?
 

I have seen the clean eating mentioned in alot of posts. Can you please tell me the reason behind this?

Clean eating means different things to different people. To me, this means getting most of my nutrition through whole food sources, consuming as little processed and preserved food as possible.

My reason? My body functions at its best and my health is optimal when I don't fill it with chemicals that leave me feeling sluggish and don't even properly satisfy me.

Or it could mean just eating true to whatever plan you're on. I know in Body for Life, clean eating means eating by the book. Making your carb/protein combinations correct for each meal, eating every 3 hours, not eating "unauthorized" foods, etc. Some people take this a degree further like Junebug mentioned and choose on BFL to only have non-processed complex carbs like veggies and whole grains, while other people are ok with eating ww bread occasionally, protein bars, and shakes.

There's a whole book on Clean Eating by Tosca Reno and numerous articles on clean eating in the Oxygen magazine if you want to check those out.

Definitely, people use clean eating differently. I think most at least use it to mean whole foods and minimal processed foods / ingredients. I think it's used more narrowly than that in bodybuilding circles, and I'm sure many also use it just to mean "on plan."

To me, it's the whole foods thing. It's lots of veggies, plenty of fruits, whole grains, low sugar (and preferably less refined), nuts & seeds, olive oil and avocado, and so on.

To me, the reason is for the health of it, and because it's self-perpetuating - the more I eat this way, the easier it is to not eat junk! And I like not wanting junk & sugar instead of having to want it and work at resisting it. Big difference to me.

Can you think of any reason why not? All those additives with unpronounceable names cannot be good for you.
P.S. I also wanted to mention that there is a Clean Eating magazine. I bought one issue recently and I did like it, I am thinking that I may subscribe. It's Tosca's magazine, of course.

As Fran says, we all have our own definition of clean. To me, eating clean means eating mostly real, unprocessed foods rather than packaged processed foods. So I'll have fruit and cottage cheese rather than a yogurt with added ingredients and artificial sweetners. I do eat things like canned tomatos and beans, and frozen veggies, but I try to have most of what I eat start as recognizable as food. :) I don't eat cake, cookies, cchips, ice cream or candy as a part of my plan. (That's not to say I never slip, or that I didn't eat a piece of cake on my birthday - I did.) I don't beat myself up over a slip, but rather get myself right back to eating on plan.

There's a thread in the food section about whole foods which has lots of good ideas for eating real food.

LOL, you changed your avatar! I was thinking, hey, somebody took your sig - but it's you :) Looking great!

LOL, thanks! Yeap, it's me. {sigh} Nobody took my avatar. But I still think my greyhounds are prettier, seriously! (well, I love them to pieces, as you can imagine).:D

Personally, I hate that phrase. To me it has a lot of baggage and judgment associated with it, although I know most people around here don't mean it that way. In my head I just try to associate "eating on plan" in my head whenever I see it.

To me clean eating means eating healthy natural foods in appropriate portions with emphasis on lean proteins, fruits, veggies, complex carbs and healthy fats.

ie, not junk food, rather food that supports my goals of building and maintaining muscle, enhancing exercise and daily life, and maintaining a healthy weight.

What midwife said, is what I say about "clean eating" ...

Nice avatar Tomato!!

I've read about the 'cleaing eating' concept quite a lot recently, and have come to the conclusion it's just another new marketing term invented by the diet industry, and its definition seems to vary a lot on different websites.

But the basic principle is good: eat fresh, wholesome foods, water, and stay away from processed, highly refined foods and unhealthy fats....but isn't that what we used to call a 'balanced diet'?