'Clean Eating'

[robert99]

A dietitian puts extreme 'clean eating' claims to the test – and the results aren't pretty
“Clean eating” is associated with the healthy lifestyle and body beautiful that is promoted by many online bloggers. While the term is heavily used in social media, there has never been any agreement on what it really means or any comprehensive studies examining the potential benefits of a clean eating lifestyle as a whole.

Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist and there are many quick courses that give a false air of credibility. There are also no regulations around what people can and can’t recommend as being healthy. It should be very hard to maintain a voice of authority in an area in which you are totally unqualified and in a world where your self worth depends on “likes” and “views” and “followers”.

And if you’re seeking professional advice, find a nutritionist with a degree or a registered dietitian – it’s a protected title so you can be certain that the advice you’re given will be scientifically robust.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Hey, I'm doin' pretty well by those standards! With the exception of alcohol reduction, of course. LOL But the closest thing I get to "processed" food would be the whole grain flatbread or that frozen pizza I like (which is all organic, recognizable ingredients, no extra BS or preservatives).... Most of what I eat I cook/prep myself.... I don't add salt to ANYTHING, any canned stuff I get is always no-salt-added, and I pay extremely close attention to sodium content on ALL labels.... and I don't eat ANY sugary crap because I don't dig sweets!

 

[Second Summer]

A pretty damning article about so-called clean eating:

In the spring of 2014, Jordan Younger noticed that her hair was falling out in clumps. “Not cool” was her reaction. At the time, Younger, 23, believed herself to be eating the healthiest of all possible diets. She was a “gluten-free, sugar-free, oil-free, grain-free, legume-free, plant-based raw vegan”. As The Blonde Vegan, Younger was a “wellness” blogger in New York City, one of thousands on Instagram (where she had 70,000 followers) rallying under the hashtag #eatclean. Although she had no qualifications as a nutritionist, Younger had sold more than 40,000 copies of her own $25, five-day “cleanse” programme – a formula for an all-raw, plant-based diet majoring on green juice.

More: Why we fell for clean eating (11. August 2017)

 

[PTree15]

^^^That was a good read. It's amazing how so many people co-opted the phrase/intent to fit their definition of "clean eating." I think the advent of social media has fostered more quickly the proliferation of various fads and movements. Things like this used to take years to take hold in some instances.

 

[Andy_T]

A dietitian puts extreme 'clean eating' claims to the test – and the results aren't pretty

I would require a bit more information and background than simply the claim made in the article (in the small box) why "Eating only vegetables" would be a "scientifically proven bad idea", while "being an omnivore" would be a"scientifically proven good idea".

When asked about that in the comments, the autor answers that while she thinks veganism is laudable, she was concerned about uninformed people only cutting out animal food of their diet.

Not what I would call "Scientifically proven bad idea", then...