What Does Eating Clean Mean To You?

This is a topic that comes up all the time both in blogging conversations and in real life discussions. A friend and I will be talking about weight loss/maintenance, food selection, and exercise. All of a sudden the phrase “Eating Clean” will materialize between us. Either they will say it or I will.

I realize that eating clean may mean different things to different people. In the early days of my weight loss efforts, eating clean meant:

♦No chocolate before getting out of bed

♦The bag of chips stayed unopened

♦McDonald’s without fries

♦Diet Coke rather than regular Coke

That was eating clean to me back then. As the years have gone by, there have been some newer representations of eating clean in my diet. A few years into maintenance Eating Clean might have meant:

♦Buying organic produce

♦Not making many casseroles

♦No soft drinks

♦All natural vitamin supplements

♦Whole wheat bread instead of “honey wheat”

♦Baked chips rather than fried

For the past couple of years, I think Eating Clean has been all of those things, with a few more nuances.

♦Homemade foods whenever possible

♦Watching sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and other “additives”

♦Being aware of where things are coming from

♦Natural diet as much as possible

So what does this matter? Or does it? For me, it’s not so much the term, but rather the intent behind the choices that I’m making for myself and for my family. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become more and more aware of how the foods we eat can impact our health in both positive and negative ways. So I find myself continually experimenting with new foods, new ways of preparing foods, and always trying to be healthier and healthier with my eating.

And I can tell a difference in how I feel. I’ve been this weight (minus pregnancies) for a long time, but even as I’ve gotten older I feel better and have more energy. Why? I think it’s because I am trying to put better foods into my body and my body is responding positively.

After all, you might be able to maintain a weight loss (or lose weight) by eating the “right” amount of junky calories a day, but you won’t be able to maintain your health very long with a diet of fried foods, cokes, and sodium filled processed foods.

So to me eating clean has changed over the years. I’m still not eating as “clean” as some people I see floating around the blog-o-sphere, but in my own way I have made, and continue to make progress.

So what’s your definition of Eating Clean? Are you where you want to be, or do you see yourself transitioning into other directions as time goes on?  Diane

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