Dirty Eating
If you want to talk about “Clean Eating,” you also have to talk about “Dirty Eating.”
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “clean eating” hundreds of times. There are truckloads of magazines, books, and blogs dedicated to the subject. Maybe you’ve heard it called “unprocessed food” (my favorite) or “real food” or just “healthy” food. Whatever you label it, there are even more ways to define it (and I’d encourage you to define it in whatever way makes the most sense for you).
But what about the opposite of clean? Yep, I’m talking about eating “dirty.”
Of course, there are many people and companies – most often the manufacturers of highly processed foods – who frequently say that no such thing exists. They claim that “there are no bad foods.”*
I beg to differ. There are dirty foods. It’s yin and yang: It seems you can’t have one without the other.
Of course, to make this case, we have to define “dirty” foods somehow. Once again, I encourage you to give it a definition that is right for you. It could be “From a factory, not a farm.” Or perhaps “More than five ingredients.” Or “Ingredients I can’t pronounce.” Or to borrow from Michael Pollan, any “edible, food-like substance” that isn’t actually food.” My mom simply calls it “junk food” and “empty calories.”
I tend to think of it as any food that does more physical harm that good. An easy example of this is anything with man-made trans fats (which is anything that contains partially hydrogenated oil). There is no safe intake level of trans fats.
Some other simple examples: Cake. Cookies. Potato Chips. Ice Cream. French Fries. Candy Bars. Soda.
All of these “dirty” foods may be good for you psychologically, but certainly not physically.
I don’t say any of this to make you feel guilty about what you choose to eat. Quite the opposite, in fact. I think it’s empowering. Once you are able to consider “dirty” foods just as well as “clean” foods, you then have an awareness you didn’t have before, and a way to frame your food choices. You can ask yourself, “Is that piece of [insert guilt-inducing food here] worth it?” Often, the answer may be “yes” – and you can enjoy a fantastic treat, without actually inducing any guilt. Or maybe the answer is “no,” and you put that cookie down.
Either way, that’s when you’re really eating clean.
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* “No bad foods” is almost always followed by the industry battle cry, “Everything in moderation!” I think that’s also a bunch of hooey.
Photo by Joe Shlabotnik
Be well!
Andrew
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Jan 23, 2013 @ 08:40:24
I completely agree – I look at clean eating as an ABUNDANT thing, not a restrictive one! when you experience how good you feel eating clean, you simply want to do it all the time, and it is extremely delicious!
Jan 23, 2013 @ 09:47:01
That was what inspired my pop up Clean Dinners in DTLA. I wanted a place to eat that was good, clean and left me feeling great! Since there’s not a lot options that are reasonably priced I started my own. Home style cooking with no home style clean up
Jan 23, 2013 @ 09:59:08
i consider dirty eating to be be any restaurant food.. dont know whats in it or how clean person cooking it is.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 10:08:43
I agree completely. After a lifetime of not caring about what I put into my body, I have developed severe digestive disorders. My body basically has Crohn’s Disease, just without the physical damage. Luckily, I do not have CD and this has been a huge wakeup call to change my life. Two years of being sick every day was enough. Tens of thousands in medical bills and tests was enough. Now, I eat nothing processed. And if I slip (I am human after all), I am instantly sick. That is evidence enough that what is being passed off as “food” is killing us all.
Meg
Jan 24, 2013 @ 13:23:32
Oh for chips fried in animal fat and not solidified multi oils or palm derivitives
I often wonder where the fat from all the meat eaten goes. It makes for tasty crackers to from memory (25 years ago)
now i am hard pressed to find any with identifyable oils “vegetable oil” can be anything seed & nut oils mostly, very often palm oil. the same for corn chips- none of themsay what oil they are cooked in. why not fry corn chips in corn oil?
Anyone know of any available brands in Australia?
Jan 23, 2013 @ 12:42:58
I think it’s all about the how, over the what. (Not counting plastic-foods)
One of my favourite burger places uses locally sourced, grass-fed beef and makes the burgers in front of you, and locally grown, cut in front of you, fried in fresh tallow (from the cows that gave the beef).
Frenched fried potatoes aren’t bad. Reconstituted potato starch triple fried in rancid oil is bad.
*grin* But I guess I feel potatoes get unfairly picked on as a bad food. It’s not their fault our culture is doing terrible things to it.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 08:03:16
I agree Andrew, great post. I think it is so important to listen to our bodies, recognize when we truly want to indulge in a wonderfully delicious, decadent treat from time to time, because food is after all, a gift and meant to be enjoyed! I like how you said to ask yourself “Is it worth it.” For me, celebrating with friends at a birthday party, having a cupcake or a piece of pizza and truly enjoying the entire experience….yes. Ravaging through the house at night and looking for something to “fill” in a void….No. (Great reason to keep the house “clean” of those things…dark chocolate is my go-to in a pinch, previous to my 100 pound weight loss it was junk food kept in the house “for the kids.”)That is when I ask myself “Is this going to make me feel better?” Usually the answer is no. Something like warm almond milk with some cardamom and cinnamon, or peppermint tea? Those make me feel better.
Again, great post!