Clean eating
{{Short description|Type of diet based on avoiding processed foods}}
{{For|the magazine|Outside (company)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
Clean eating is an umbrella term for variety of diets based on the belief that consuming whole foods and avoiding convenience food and other processed foods offers certain health benefits. Variations of the diet may also exclude gluten, grains, and/or dairy products and advocate the consumption of raw food.
Definition
The term "clean eating" originated in the bodybuilding community in the ’90s and meant (and still means there) eating high protein and low carb and avoiding sugar, fat, and junk food to build lean muscle while not gaining body fat. Its meaning began to morph in the '00s with a series of popular "Eat-Clean" books by Tosca Reno (the wife of bodybuilding magazine publisher Robert Kennedy).{{Cite web |last=Merritt |first=Greg |date= |title=How Clean Eating Went Mainstream and Sparked a Backlash |url=https://thebarbell.com/clean-eating/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=The Barbell |language=en-US}} Now, to many, clean eating is the belief that consuming whole foods and avoiding convenience food and other processed foods offers certain health benefits.{{Cite web |first=Katherine |last=Zeratsky |title=What is clean eating? |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/clean-eating/faq-20336262 |access-date=9 February 2021 |website=Mayo Clinic |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203064927/https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/clean-eating/faq-20336262 |archive-date=February 3, 2019}} Variations of the diet may also exclude gluten, grains, and/or dairy products and advocate the consumption of raw food.{{cite news |first=Marie |last=Jackson |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39576654 |title='Clean eating': How good is it for you? |work=BBC News |date=12 April 2017 |access-date=1 July 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/clean-eating-recipes |title=Clean eating |website=BBC Good Food |date=24 July 2015 |access-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905060152/https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/clean-eating-recipes |archive-date= September 5, 2015}}{{cite magazine |first=Jocelyn |last=Voo |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/health/author-blog-posts/complete-crash-course-clean-eating-160000652.html |title=The Complete Crash Course on Clean Eating |magazine=Fitness |via=Yahoo! Life |date=November 26, 2013 |access-date=20 August 2022}}
Proponents
While there is limited research on the health effects of clean eating, clean eating trends have become increasingly popular through the use of various media outlets including blogs, television segments, and magazine articles. Many of these media are supported and headed by various health and wellness gurus who typically base the information they provide on personal experience.{{Cite journal|last1=Fivian|first1=E.|last2=Wood|first2=C.|date=25 June 2019|title=The Roles of Social Media, Clean Eating and Self-Esteem in the risk of Disordered Eating: A Pilot Study of Self-reported Healthy Eaters|url=https://wasdlibrary.org/download/ijfnph-v10-n1-2018-social-media-healthy-eaters/|journal=International Journal of Food, Nutrition and Public Health|language=en|volume=10|pages=28–39|doi=10.47556/J.IJFNPH.10.1.2018.3}} Advocates include Ella Mills,{{cite web|title=Clean Eating: The Dirty Truth: Is Clean Eating the Best Approach to Better Health?|url=http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/features/is-clean-eating-the-best-approach-to-better-health|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628034629/http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/features/is-clean-eating-the-best-approach-to-better-health|archive-date=28 June 2017|access-date=1 July 2017|website=CBC.ca}} Natasha Corrett, and the Hemsley sisters.{{cite magazine|last=Niven|first=Lisa|date=17 January 2017|title=What is Clean Eating, Anyway?|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/what-is-clean-eating|magazine=British Vogue|access-date=1 July 2017}}
Criticism
"Clean eating" has been used to describe a variety of diets. In the most basic form, the idea of eating more whole foods, fruit and vegetables, and reducing intake of processed, sugary foods like cakes, are broadly agreed on as good changes to one’s diet.{{Cite web |title=What is 'clean eating' and should I be doing it? |url=https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/ask-the-expert/clean-eating |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=www.bhf.org.uk |language=en}}
However, some more extreme variants, particularly those cutting out entire food groups, are criticized as lacking scientific evidence for their claims.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2391283/is-clean-eating-good |title=Is 'Clean Eating' Good for You? Not Really. |first=Christine |last=Byrne |magazine=Outside |date=14 March 2019 |access-date=5 November 2019}} It has also been claimed that a clean eating diet may increase the risk of osteoporosis due to a lack of calcium from dairy products. The extreme variants have also been described as fad diets.{{cite news|last=Tandoh|first=Ruby|date=13 December 2016|title=Bad fad – Ruby Tandoh on how clean eating turned toxic|language=en-GB|newspaper=The Guardian|department=Diets and dieting|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jan/23/bad-fad-ruby-tandoh-on-how-clean-eating-turned-toxic|access-date=27 July 2017|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/11/why-we-fell-for-clean-eating |title=Why we fell for clean eating |last=Wilson |first=Bee |date=11 August 2017 |work=The Guardian |access-date=10 March 2019 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
See also
References
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