I’ve said it myself: I need to “clean up” my diet.
On the surface, clean = healthy. It means including as many vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, and minimally-processed foods as possible each day.
That you should try to choose the most nutritious option when possible.
Seems innocent and simple enough, no?
What if I told you I don’t think a clean diet is always the healthiest diet?
I’m a firm believer that food has many places in our life: it’s fuel, primarily, but it is also pleasure. And sometimes, it’s medicine.
Food should be enjoyed and shared, but it should never rule our lives.
I advocate listening to your body and eating foods that make you feel good, but I’m saddened to see friends jump on bandwagon diets this time of year.
Here’s why I think eating “clean” may not always be the healthiest choice.
1. It’s often unsustainable
Can your body really survive and thrive on only the “cleanest” foods?
There are vegans, Paleo loyalists, and run-of-the-mill omnivores who do a fantastic job of fueling their bodies, but unless you have your own farm or personal chef, there’s probably going to come a time where fast food or cereal-for-dinner happens.
Sugary cereal may not be the best food for your body but I’d argue that it’s often the best food for your soul. I just don’t think somebody can live 100% happily if they don’t indulge once in a while.
Plus, since the definition of “clean” seems to change with the seasons, your ideal way of eating would have to change, too.
2. The guilt factor
In my opinion, food should never be demonized—pitting “clean” and “good” food against “dirty” and “bad” food is dangerous. It sets you up for immense guilt when you “fail” by eating a “bad” food.
If you make healthy choices most of the time, then you have room in your diet for cupcakes or boxed macaroni + cheese every now and then.
If you’re an avid blog reader, you probably know Jordan Younger’s story of how her restrictive vegan diet (disclaimer: there’s nothing wrong with veganism) contributed to her orthorexia. Her “all or nothing” view of food led her to label so many healthy foods as “bad” or “off-limits” that she became seriously ill.
Not everybody who goes on a diet or restricts their food will develop an eating disorder, but even so, is the guilt worth it?
If you allow yourself to eat “dirty” on occasion, your anxiety and stress will not overwhelm you.
//via//
3. It’s isolating
Have you ever been the timid coworker who eats her home-packed salad at her desk while everybody else goes out for lunch? Or have you passed on a party or social gathering because you knew there wouldn’t be anything for you to eat?
I get depressed just thinking about those scenarios, folks.
Following a rigid diet can be incredibly lonely. It’s one thing to make lifestyle changes (food allergies or trying to heal digestive issues) and have your whole family on board (implementing Meatless Mondays, for example), but it’s another to avoid social interactions because you’re scared you might eat a forbidden food or have to explain why you passed on the pizza.
Additionally, people don’t like to be schooled on their choices. It’s fine to share how Whole30 helped you at CrossFit or how you gave up meat after reading “Eating Animals,” but it’s another to criticize your loved ones’ diets.
Now is the perfect time to make lifestyle changes, but I urge you to do it wisely and sustainably. If you’re unsure how to begin, see your physician or a dietician to help formulate the best plan for your body, energy needs, and lifestyle. I promise it will be worth it!
[linking up for thinking out loud]
- What does “healthy diet” mean to you?
- Have you ever felt left out or isolated because of a diet or food allergy?
- What are your thoughts on trendy diets that call for removing entire foods groups (Whole30, for example)?
Loveee this post. Seems like we are on the same wavelength today – I posted about something similar. All food we put in our bodies doesn’t have to be 100% grass-fed, organic, nutritious, etc. Food is fuel, and sometimes we need that fuel in other forms (namely, desserts, simple carbs, etc). Have a good day!
Just read your post and I totally agree – we must be channeling the same anti “food guilt BS!” 🙂 It’s ok if our diet isn’t perfect!
I absolutely love this. You always have such great posts, and I totally agree with this. A “healthy” diet for me means that no foods are off limits. It’s all about balance. A “healthy” diet for me means no anxiety or guilt regarding food; it means that food isn’t the top priority in my life.
Thanks so much, Lyss. Yes. Healthy = guilt-free. I can talk/write about food but it’s not my top priority.
I 100% agree! It’s funny because the days where I was committed to eating 100% clean were actually probably some of my unhealthiest days. I ate all the right things, but my head was in such a bad place that it pretty much negated all my efforts. I don’t thin enough people realize how big of an impact mental health plays on our overall health. We can’t put all our efforts into one and completely ignore the other.
Me, too. When I tried to cut out sweets or other foods I love, it just made me miserable. I was stressed and we all know stress (in excess) just isn’t healthy!
#3 is the one that I feel the most passionate about. What does life matter if all your focus is only on eating perfectly? Because it’s definitely hard to focus on other things when your diet is your priority. Food should be shared and fun! I’ve been the person to turn down being social because of fear of the food. No more! I will go and enjoy myself even if the food isn’t my first pick.
Absolutely! My favorite memories almost always revolve around food – family dinners, crawfish boils, brunch with friends. Enjoying food just makes life better – even if it’s not 100% (or even 80%) healthy.
So many good points! I especially love the one about it being isolating. I have been that timid coworker and it sucked.
Thank you. I’ve skipped out a couple times too and I always regretted it!
I think the principle of ‘eat to live’ not ‘live to eat’ is such a good principle. If you’re stressed about not eating healthy, then that’s probably a bad thing. #1 is probably the BIGGEST one for me. Eating a certain diet that many people don’t eat just isn’t sustainable for me, but a balanced diet is. Thank you SO much for sharing these thoughts.
That’s definitely a good principle to follow! And I agree – if your diet causes stress, it’s probably not the one for you.
100% yes! Especially number 3! I find that when people I know go on a special diet, there are so many restrictions to where we can go if we go out together. Even for a year I had to do no soy/dairy for my son, and it was so hard to go out to dinner with just family.
When I’m not preggo I try to eat “clean” M-F. But to me, that’s mostly less processed, more homemade, and less treats. Weekends are for balling out, in my opinion ahhhaah
Oh yeah, weekends are anything goes around here! We found out my son has MSPI *after* I stopped BFing, but I can imagine no dairy/soy would be tough!
This post x 1000. The term clean eating has irked me since it became popular. I can’t stand using the hashtag, reading articles that talk about it, ect ect. It makes me so discouraged when I see health care professionals who use this terminology on their blogs too – seems irresponsible.
Yes! I try to avoid the hashtag, too, and I hate seeing professionals use/promote it. I feel like health professionals should know better than to label foods!
I agree with EVERYTHING about this post. To me, you can only be healthy if you are happy! If a piece of chocolate cake makes you happy, eat that piece of cake and enjoy it! I do believe that whole foods should make up the majority of our diets, but that doesn’t mean other foods should be shunned. There is way too much guilt surround so called “bad foods” these days. I say, if you aren’t allergic, intolerant or sensitive to it, why not enjoy it from time to time?
Yes. Of course it’s a bad idea to subsist on Big Macs and brownies but what’s the point if you can’t indulge every so often?
So I’ve been trying whole30 for the heck of it but didn’t go as extreme as the rules suggest. I work out every day and while I’m looking to cut some of my unhealthy habits, I’m not going to make myself starve. I think we all have the ability to take things too far and it’s important to know what works for your body and what doesn’t. I personally don’t enjoy eating rice so I cut it out, but I love ice cream – so that’s my treat every once in awhile. I like to have my cake and eat it too 😉
Absolutely. It’s absolutely fine – admirable even – to want to improve our habits, but you’re so right about taking things too far. I think that’s what irks me. People demonizing entire food groups just because others can’t have them. Enjoy that ice cream! 🙂
Preach it girl! It’s all about the balance!