Clean Eating: What Is It?

I love to share info when it comes available and this is no different. I mentioned in my last blog that I would be posting about clean eating. As mentioned before I don’t know everything there is to know about clean eating so I will be only sharing what I’ve learned so far and my views, thoughts and opinions.

What is clean eating? The explanation I have received is when you eat as close to the source as possible. So eating foods that aren’t processed; eliminating toxins like artificial flavors, colors, no extra additives and crap to make it last longer, taste better etc. etc. So no “man made” food, no bleached flour, sugar, pasta, margarine, white bread, etc. a lot of people who eat clean make their foods themselves, things like preserves, breads, sauces etc. One thing clean eating is not; a diet!

Does this mean you can’t eat the frozen veggies in the store? No. but they prefer you do stay away from most canned veggies and other canned foods because of the process it takes to can a food that preserves it and allows the food to stay viable for years in that can.

So, I found this little tidbit:
“A person that eats clean generally practices the following:
Eliminates refined sugar, Cooks healthy meals, Packs healthy meals, Makes healthy choices when dining out, Drinks a lot of water, Eats 5-6 small meals per day, Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it), Always eats breakfast”

To me this list looks like someone’s personal preference. I am sure anyone who is eating healthier does all of the above whether they eat clean or not.

What do I think about eating clean? I think eating clean is a good idea, that I have slowly but surely adopted into my own eating habits. There are still a few foods I eat out of convenience like canned tomatoes and beans and even though I took away the sugary cereals from my kids I still allow them to eat the cereals that aren’t sugary like cheerios, special K etc.

Some make the claim that, clean eating will make you lose weight; not true. You can make clean cupcakes, clean fried chicken and so forth. But you will need to adopt healthier eating habits in order to lose weight whether you eat clean or not, the tricky part is once you take the fast food, bleached foods, and processed foods out of your diet you are half way there when it comes to eating clean. The one area that I have an issue with is butter vs. margarine; the reason is because even though butter is considered “clean” and margarine is “processed”, margarine is healthier for your heart. Butter is made from animals so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fats which are “bad fats” while margarine contains higher levels of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated which are “good fats” but when it comes to margarine, you have to choose a margarine with no Trans fats.

So it is little things like this that make me believe I may never be a 100% clean eater. Even though I do still use butter for certain dishes I know I will never go 100% butter or 100% margarine but in all honesty I rarely eat either one. I don’t add any butter or margarine when I cook nor do I add it to my veggies. I think the only time I use butter is on popcorn and rarely when baking fish, as far as margarine goes, well I don’t really eat that at all, my kids eat that more than I do on their toast or waffles from time to time.

That’s all I have for now on clean eating, I will more than likely touch on this topic again.

And…It Is What It Is!