I've been hearing a lot about clean eating and would like to do it, but I am needing more info. Most of the info I've found on the internet is someone trying to sell me their magazine or book, or includes foods that I know can not possibly be clean (chocolate & pizza). Does anyone know of any websites that have good information or books that would be useful? I read Oxygen magazine and they advertise Tosca Reno's Clean Eating books, are they any good? I'm looking for something that says this is what you can eat, this is what you can't eat and recipes.
Sport Clean Eating information
- Thread starter sorridere
- Start date
Sport Fitness
Pizza can be "clean" -- use whole wheat crust, don't go overboard with the cheese, and choose toppings which are vegetables or lean meats. But a typical pizza with white bread crust and pepperoni and sausage toppings that leave a grease stain below is not "clean".
Generally, "clean" eating tends to include:
vegetables
whole fruit
lean meats
good fats (unsaturated fat, including fish fat)
legumes
nuts (though be careful if you are limiting calories)
whole grains
dairy products (skim or 1% fat if you are concerned about the calories or saturated fat; plain yogurt, kefir, cheese, and similar fermented products are lower in sugars)
while avoiding or limiting:
added sugar (including high fructose corn syrup and other types of sugars like honey, evaporated cane juice, etc.)
bad fats (any hydrogenated oils; if your blood LDL cholesterol levels are a concern, avoid saturated fats as well)
non-whole grains
fruit juices are marginal at best (concentrated sugar, less or no fiber)
most processed food
If you are following any kind of special diet, then there may be some foods in the above "clean" list that you may not be able to eat on the special diet.
Generally, "clean" eating tends to include:
vegetables
whole fruit
lean meats
good fats (unsaturated fat, including fish fat)
legumes
nuts (though be careful if you are limiting calories)
whole grains
dairy products (skim or 1% fat if you are concerned about the calories or saturated fat; plain yogurt, kefir, cheese, and similar fermented products are lower in sugars)
while avoiding or limiting:
added sugar (including high fructose corn syrup and other types of sugars like honey, evaporated cane juice, etc.)
bad fats (any hydrogenated oils; if your blood LDL cholesterol levels are a concern, avoid saturated fats as well)
non-whole grains
fruit juices are marginal at best (concentrated sugar, less or no fiber)
most processed food
If you are following any kind of special diet, then there may be some foods in the above "clean" list that you may not be able to eat on the special diet.
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This is what I keep finding. Limit this, try not to eat so much of that. Is this clean eating just a try to eat healthy thing or are there specific limits? Some places I have looked say don't eat any dairy but others include yogurt and cheese but no milk. I understand what it is to eat healthy, I want to take it a step further and eat CLEAN. But I can not find a definiton of what it is to eat clean. Is it like the above (try to limit bad things) or is it actually not eating anything processed? This is so confusing.
you really have to read lables on foods.
Avoid
HFCS
anything that says enriched
anything that says hydrogenated
anything that says refined.
which is basically anything that comes in a box or has low fat on the front label.
Pretty much all fruits and veggies, whole grains, all meats iwth the majority being fish and poiultry, dairy, all nuts.
You basically need to get in the habit of label reading at the grocery store. Thats key IMO
Avoid
HFCS
anything that says enriched
anything that says hydrogenated
anything that says refined.
which is basically anything that comes in a box or has low fat on the front label.
Pretty much all fruits and veggies, whole grains, all meats iwth the majority being fish and poiultry, dairy, all nuts.
You basically need to get in the habit of label reading at the grocery store. Thats key IMO
What is in conflict?
Note the last sentence about special diets. For example, those trying to follow a low carbohydrate diet will minimize the high carbohydrate foods in the "clean" list, while those doing carbohydrate loading for an endurance event will emphasize those foods, perhaps reducing some of the other foods.
Now, assembling a selection of "clean" foods into a diet suitable for you is still something you need to do.
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Thanks for the info guys. The more I read the more it makes sense. I guess just eat the least amount of processed food as possible. I rented Tosa Reno's book from the library and I'm glad I didn't buy it. It has some good info in it, but most I already knew and she babbles on and repeats herself a lot.
It's really up to the eater to define the "limits" for clean eating. Of course, it must be within reason.
The way I like to think of it is eating only things that you can imagine living in their natural environments. If you have to go through too many steps to imagine something growing in a field or grazing on a pasture, then it's too processed. A Twinkie is a prime example of what not to eat. No part of it resembles anything in a natural form.
You can take minimally processed to whatever level you choose. When I'm really focusing, I like to go for completely whole foods. That means no reduced fat milk or dairy. They take out all of the good stuff that is naturally in the milk and then "fortify" it with processed vitamins and powdered milk.
Another example is to buy whole vegetables instead of pre-packaged and cut vegetables. Baby carrots are an example. They're a complete waste of resources and technically, a processed food. Buy whole carrots and cut them yourself.
To me, clean eating isn't just about the nutritional value of the food, it's about how natural and good of the environment it is as well. If you limit the number of foods you eat that come in a bag or box you will be treating your body and the Earth a lot better.
The way I like to think of it is eating only things that you can imagine living in their natural environments. If you have to go through too many steps to imagine something growing in a field or grazing on a pasture, then it's too processed. A Twinkie is a prime example of what not to eat. No part of it resembles anything in a natural form.
You can take minimally processed to whatever level you choose. When I'm really focusing, I like to go for completely whole foods. That means no reduced fat milk or dairy. They take out all of the good stuff that is naturally in the milk and then "fortify" it with processed vitamins and powdered milk.
Another example is to buy whole vegetables instead of pre-packaged and cut vegetables. Baby carrots are an example. They're a complete waste of resources and technically, a processed food. Buy whole carrots and cut them yourself.
To me, clean eating isn't just about the nutritional value of the food, it's about how natural and good of the environment it is as well. If you limit the number of foods you eat that come in a bag or box you will be treating your body and the Earth a lot better.