Am I understanding correctly?

[shawna24k]

Clean eating is fresh fruits and vegetables and If they come in a can they are processed? Is everything that comes in a can bad? What about frozen? Are frozen vegetables okay? I don't eat much meat and I really like the worthington foods meat substitutes. They come in a can, so does that mean that they are processed and not good to eat? This clean eating thing really has me confused. This morning I had oatmeal w/ half a cup of strawberries and a cup of skim milk. Was this good? We sliced the strawberries ourselves and put splenda on them. Is Splenda okay? I don't think I could live without it. Thanks for any help, I am a bit confused and very new to this. Up until about 3 years ago, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound! Now I look at food and gain weight.

 

[ldy_solana]

i can't speak much on the clean eating diet but i hate canned veggies, there have been some article that veggies in cans have less nutrients and more salt. i eat fresh and frozen.i steam or saute all my veggies. and i think oatmeal with strawberries and skim milk was a good breakfast. it just depends on what your body react too.

kassia



When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be
disappointed to discover they are not it -- Bernard Bailey

 

[allwildgirl]

Clean eating is not just fresh fruits and vegetables. Clean eating simply means eating foods in as close to their natural state as possible. Canned veggies are okay. Just make sure they don't have lots of added sodium. As Kassia said, frozen are probably closer to the "clean" state because they have nothing added.

Splenda is not clean, but you shouldn't worry about using a tiny bit. Oatmeal with strawberries and skim milk is a pretty clean meal.

Meat substitutes are generally not considered clean. As a general guide:

Apple = clean
Applesauce = less clean
Apple pie = not the least bit clean, but boy is it good

 

[pixie9]

I would only add that I believe that meat substitutes would be eating clean, it depends on what they are. Dr. Praegars veggie burgers would definitely be clean IMO. Also, many Amy products are made from only organic ingredients and they do make some great California burgers among other things that are considered meat substitutes.

Carolyn

 

[kathryn]

I think if you ask 100 different people, you will get 100 differerent answers.

I personally hate the term "clean eating." I prefer "whole-foods-plant-based diet."

Don't sweat the small stuff. I see a lot of posts where people seem almost paranoid about eating clean or not eating clean. It's how you eat the majority of the time, consistently, that determines your level of health, not every single morsel that goes into your mouth.

As for your particular questions: IMO, canned beans are fine, as long as you drain and rinse them, to get most of the added salt off. Eating canned beans is better than eating no beans, and many people don't have time to cook them from dry, so canned is a good alternative.

Frozen veggies and fruits are fine, and in fact, when foods are not in season or don't grow in your particular area, they often have more nutrients in than "fresh" foods.

Frozen or canned meat substitutes can have a lot of processed foods in, particularly protein isolates or concentratesl. IMO, they are not whole/clean foods, but making them a small part of your diet isn't a big problem. (There are no "clean eating police" who will come and slap the cuffs on you if you dare eat them!)

As for Splenda, I don't consider it to be a food, but a chemically-manipulated sugar. I won't have it, or any other artificial sweetener.

From your last sentence, it sounds like you are mostly looking to lose or maintain weight. In that case, emphasize fresh or minimally prepared veggies, fruits, whole grains. Avoid foods withh chemicals in, processed foods, stay away from high fructose corn sweetener and hydrogenated oils (two "created" foods whose increase in consumption correlates almost exactly with the increase in obesity and overweight in the US.)

 

[sparrow]

Kathryn, nicely said, as usual!

Sparrow


Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage

 

[shawna24k]

Thank you all for your comments, you have all been very helpful and infomative. And yes my goal is weight loss. So if I choose not to eat the lean meats such as chicke, bean obviously would be a good alternative for protein? Also one other question, should I incorporate protein shakes into my diet due to the lack of meat?

 

[sparrow]

hi Shawna!

I'm no expert but I put shakes into my diet a few times a week because I have a hard time getting enough protein, since I rarely eat meat and have tried to cut back on dairy. I'm trying to get more fish but that's difficult too. So for me the protein shakes are a good option. i've been using rice milk.

HTH

Sparrow


Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage