As I flipped past Maxim, Shape, and Better Homes and Gardens, a new mag caught my eye the other day - Clean Eating. Come again? I flipped through it for a minute or so, but couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what "clean eating" was. The opposite of 'dirty eating?' (see picture at right for an example of what I imagined 'dirty eating' to be). Perhaps a way of eating without spilling anything on yourself. Sadly, this intrigued me.So I went home and consulted my trusty ol' Interweb, and there it was: the unofficial definition of clean eating: "Consuming food in its most natural state...it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to..." My eyes glazed over at this point (and by the way, why does every new diet define itself as a "lifestyle?" Can't anyone just eat anymore without defining themselves within a food "lifestyle?"
Anyway, I digress. From what I can tell, "clean eating" is just another way of saying "eat normal-sized portions of healthy, low-fat, fresh foods." Which everyone already knows. And like every di - er, lifestyle - there's a list of stuff to avoid (refined sugars, anything fatty, alcohol - y'know, all the tasty stuff) and a "seven-day meal plan" to get you started. Oh, and the best part: the token "Before and After" pics of a woman in a muumuu and then that same woman, 200 pounds lighter and "much, much happier." Because only thin people are happy, dontcha know.
Eh, I dunno. Maybe I'm jaded - and I'm sure Clean Eating could be a good source for new healthy recipes - but healthy eating and portion control are simply that. Stop trying to slap a label on it turn it into a book, movie, stuffed animal, or lifestyle. Just eat right, right? And have a beer or a cupcake once in awhile. Tell them Ellen said it's okay.
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-29-2008 @ 12:53PM
Julie said...
Bravo Ellen, that was very well said. When did eating become wrong? I love to eat and I am proud of it!
Really great post Ellen, thanks.
http://www.noshtalgia.blogspot.com/
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3-29-2008 @ 12:53PM
Shannon said...
Amen. All these labels and catchy names are just ways of trying to get us to buy more stuff we don't need. Let's just eat!
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3-29-2008 @ 1:30PM
Bob said...
This looks to me like an attempt to package "eat normal-sized portions of healthy, low-fat, fresh foods" in a way that appeals to people accustomed to jumping from diet to diet. But I think the problem with it is this: It looks like it gives readers a menu and a plan. Whenever you give somebody a menu and tell them to "stick to the plan," you set them up for failure. Either they've stuck to the plan or they haven't. They've been good or they've been bad. Once the dieter feels like a failure, it's back to old habits and the next fad diet.
That's probably the sort of thing they're trying to avoid by calling it a "lifestyle," but it sounds like they're still providing a diet framework and promising dramatic results. If you ask me, it's a bit like frosting an English muffin and calling it cake. In the end, whole foods, slow foods, natural foods -- whatever you want to call them -- are trendy right now, and this is probably just one of many attempts we'll be seeing in the near future to co-opt the trend and make money off dieters.
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3-29-2008 @ 8:15PM
Lorenzbutterfly said...
Actually, this is a common term in bodybuilding circles. It does refer to eating foods in their most natural, unprocessed form, but does not bar fats altogether. Fish, flax, olive, and nut oils are promoted, as well as small amounts of saturated fats (used in testosterone production, and thus helps in muscle building). In addition, lean protein and whole grains are essential, as are fresh fruits and vegetables.
When trying to gain lean muscle mass, a high clean calorie diet is advised to minimize fat gain. I am surprised that this is a new phrase to many people, but I imagine not as many people spend time on bodybuilding forums.
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3-29-2008 @ 8:18PM
Ellen Slattery said...
Hi Lorenz - ahh, thanks for the insight! You're right, I definitely hadn't known the term's association with body-building.
Thanks for reading, everybody.
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3-30-2008 @ 12:04PM
Sheryl said...
Ah... Lorenz's comment clears up a lot of confusion. I too grabbed this magazine recently and couldn't for the life of me figure out why there was also health and fitness articles included in what I thought to be a foodie magazine.
The publisher might want to make their mandate a little more clear somewhere on the masthead.
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3-31-2008 @ 1:48AM
Silver_Potato said...
Nice to see Lorenz a bit of rationality and some actual information to the discussion instead of some of bad editorializing.
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