Clean Eating Methods and Mistakes

As a former chef and currently trainer/nutritionist, you won’t believe how often I get questions like “is brown rice better than white rice?”, “Can I have OJ as part of my cheat meal?” or the classic “my friend did the tilapia and oatmeal diet and got shredded! What do you think?”

 My answer is always, “if it’s not rat poison, eat whatever the heck you want as long as your calories are controlled”.

Obviously, there are still some basic nutritional principles that can benefit a dieter hoping to shed some fat.  For example, adding more fiber for feeling full faster or protein for those not eating enough meat to build lean muscle mass.   However, at the end of the day, it is still a matter of manipulating energy in and energy out.
http://www.examiner.com/article/weight-loss-101

If a typical overweight person comes to me wanting to lose fat, my first question is always this, “have you try eating less?” and in most cases, the answer is no.  Instead, they will justify their lack of effort in controlling or tracking their intake by some misconstrued, pseudoscience approach to dieting.
http://www.jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/02/artificial-sweeteners.html

Ex: "I never track my intake, but I tried avoiding fructose and soda completely for a month, I never eat after 6pm, did vegan, ate for my blood type, is on the cabbage soup diet..." and on and on. 

They never just tried to 'eat less'.

Gurus online will describe how their approach is the only way that works while completely ignoring the energy balance system.  They will use justifications like, “our stomach can’t process 30g of protein in one meal”, or “human never ate this” or “if it works for Jennifer Aniston, it will work for you!” to support whatever service or products they’re selling.  None of which are supported by science.

http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2012/08/gluten-free-diets-marketing-scam.html

This post is written for dieters wanting to lose body fat while maximizing muscle growth, all the while keeping their sanity.  This is not a anti-cancer, how-to-live-longer kind of post.   If you want to increase performance at your sport, brought up as a vegetarian, or have some digestive issues that you must eliminate specific foods in your diet, this article is not (totally) about you. 

If you don’t appreciate meat products in your diet or think that the evil “corporations” and the evil "government" are exploiting us, that's fine.  The arguments I’m about to present isn’t about those, non-scientific, human physiological topics.   So please don’t bring up documentaries like “King Corn”,  "food inc.", “Fast Food Nation”, or stories from “The China Study” and books like “Skinny Bitch” as your ‘research’ on how people should eat for weight loss. 

http://freetheanimal.com/2011/04/nutrition-density-challenge-fruit-vs-beef-liver.html

If you have witnessed someone close to you that lost weight, won a race, or turned their health around, that’s awesome for them.  However, their way of getting there is not the only way for you to achieve the same result. 

In most cases, methods that aren’t supported by research yet still yield results for individual cases are typically more miserable than needed to be compared to protocols backed by research in favors of weight loss.   Science that teaches you how to optimize hormone regulations for fat loss, suppress hunger, lighten up your mood, increase energy level, sleep better, muscle repair, etc...
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2013/03/hunger-hormones-refeeds-and-flexible.html

Sure, bodybuilders has gotten ripped eating chicken breast and broccoli 10x/day but that doesn't mean it's the "best" diet out there.  ppl also got ripped eating pizza and soda, too, even a vegan can get ripped!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

The stories here are meant to liberate dieters from all the garbage information they’ve ever been crapped on from industries (holistic, anti this and that, intuition base gurus, juice blender selling writers) that has absolutely no interest in using logic and science to improve people's health.
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-very-special-testimonial.html

Here it is.

Clean Eating and All the Confusion

Upon the popularity of the inter-webz, meatheads with a clean slate of abs and self-proclaimed fitness gurus are all of a sudden trusted sources of nutritional information.  Even ones with credentials (MD’s/RD’s) who don’t even read journals in their respective field are now qualified to write ‘rules of eating 'and ‘get-ripped secrets’ to make a buck.  As long as it strokes their ego and sugarcoat what they’re selling (blenders and abs punishers), they are all experts. 
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2012/07/funding-source-on-research.html

"Don’t worry about calories dude, just stop eating carbs and spread your intake to 12 snacks/day and your metabolism will go off the roof!”

Not that I have a problem with making simple guidelines and educating the masses to make a living.  The issue I have is with all the chaotic, conflicting rules that are not supported by evidence being sold as golden rules!

http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-become-a-fitness-guru-in-25-easy-steps-2/

“If you don’t eat a 40/30/30 for your protein, carbs, and fat every meal, your digestive tract is going to hate you forever and your hair is going to fall off!!”

What’s more problematic is when specific food items get the label of being “dirty”, “junk”, "un-natural" or “off-limit”, dieters can feel deprived from eating their favorite foods and sometimes feel paralyzed in social settings.

“You better not drink alcohol post workout or all that anabolic hormone you pumped up in the gym is gonna go straight down the toilet... and your penis will fall off!”

Supplement magazines and bodybuilding forums are full of these rules and sometimes it’s impossible for motivated, knowledge-seeking dieters  to know what is trustworthy. 

http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2011/02/breakfast-worst-meal-of-day.html

When I face with new clients who think they are in-the-knows, I usually have the hardest time convincing them that certain socially deemed dirty foods are perfectly fine to eat if they desire so.  Even after I present them real world evidence, some still find it hard to feel guilt free eating them.  Pancakes anyone?

The best clients I have in the past are the ones with a blank slate of knowledge on nutrition and body metabolism.  Ones that ask questions, take notes, and not afraid to be schooled.

"Forget about dieting man, just go quinoa!”

Some foods that are supposed to be nourishing, appetizing, and festive to eat are now seen as forbidden, fattening, muscle killers.  Yesteryear was saturated fat and sodium.  Today, carbs and sugar gets the blame.  What’s tomorrow? Fructose and gluten? Oh wait, it’s happening already!
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=19

We have experts spouting ideas of ‘super-foods’ that cures all cancer, obesity, and A.D.H.D.  They would recommend clients and patients to eat a ton of supposedly nutrient rich, low calorie foods not supported by science for no good reason.   I’ve even encounter my own clients that their R.D./M.D. prescribed commercial diets like “the zone” or “Paleo” to get them to lose fat.

It seems that everybody’s clean eating routine is different and yet each individual hold onto their beliefs as if it’s gospel.  Anything that's not clean enough, eaten, is followed by deep guilt and self-hatred, stunting dieters from enjoying this rich world of deliciousness.

“What!? If I eat a high GI veggies after 6pm my waist is blow up like crazy!”

Today people are saying–“cranberry is the new apple if you want to fight off cancer” then tomorrow, we have – “to set new PR on your deadlift, you better drink your BCAA exactly 3mins and 45secs after your 2^nd super drop-set with chains”

I understand that if someone had lost 200lb of body fat and got off their heart medicines with low carbing, obviously they are going to defend Aktins like there’s no tomorrow.  Even if science suggest that insulin is not the problem, you think they'll listen?
http://www.examiner.com/article/top-6-low-carb-diet-myths-debunked

Same for vegetarians who believes that eating a plant-base diet just works for them because they love puppies and rainbows, So be it.  
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2010/12/vegetarians-is-unhuman.html 

Even a Weight Watcher who’s accustomed to the counting point system can maintain their weight loss as long as they keep paying up their monthly fees of accountability and online high fives. 

For these people, whatever clean eating means to them, that’s their life.  If following rigid routines keep them fit and doesn’t leads to any serious social, mental, and physical distresses, that’s actually something to celebrate about. 

The problem I have with the idea of clean eating is that often times, gurus and pro-dieters (bodybuilder types) think their way of eating is the ONLY way of eating.  They need to convince everybody else to eat the miserable foods they eat to get result. That's simply not true and all my clients can testify for this.
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/2012-transformations.html

These people likes to make you feel like shit because you shop at Walmart instead of the Whole Foods.  The ones that loves posting pictures of their kale shakes and brotein bars on facebook to show you how sparkling clean their meals are and tagged themselves daily going to some organic, gluten free shop and buys  7$/lb apples. 
http://maxcondition.com/news.php?item.92

Douchebags…

Context 

The thing is, everybody’s different.  We all have different taste preference, food allergies, fitness level, job environment, social eating circles, deadlines, and personality types. and they all contributes to how we consume foods and the relationship we have with them.

Even the way our kitchen cabinet are laid out, the commercials being played on TV, and the size of our dinner plates can play a role in our eating patterns.  Just because it worked for someone you know or yourself doesn’t mean it works for everyone or that it’s the optimal diet.

For some, clean eating means farmers markets with lots of grass-fed meat, leafy greens that are pesticide free, nothing jarred, boxed, or canned.  Then there are people who won't eat anything 'white’ ... or have carbs and fat in the same meal.  So they end up eating only butter in the morning, then candies for lunch, you know, to confuse the digestive tract…?

Then there are egotistical extremists that claims that for superior genetic expressions for optimal health, we should only eat foods that existed in the Jurassic period or the Ming Dynasty because people of those era has the most elite robustness, superior orgasms both in intensity and frequency, and can do 50x dead-hang pull ups without rest... really?

More Examples of Clean Eating Varieties

Here is a typical clean diet a guru may approve but another would freak out about...

Breakfast: Whole Grain toast. 

BUT - If the guru is a low carber, they will have you replace the grain with eggs and bacon or sell you protein bars because you’re a busy guy and needs something on-the-go because you don't wanna be catabolic in the AM.

Brunch: One cup of oatmeal with brown sugar and water

BUT - If they have a kid with Autism, experienced intestinal/thyroid issues, shop at central market, and likes to wear pink wrist bands, they may want you to substitute gluten free flours to make cupcakes with instead of oatmeal.  That will help you lose weight for sure.

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/technology/agriculture-food/organic-food-exposed/

Lunch: Lean chicken salad with avocado and olive oil and a glass of low fat milk

BUT - If they’re Dr. Mercola groupies and reads garbage like naturalnews, they may ask you to drink soy or almond milk instead and use their brand of agave sweetener and NEVER sweet-and-low.   Then when you’re done, go grab your picket signs and protest against people who vaccinate their babies.

Afternoon Snack: A healthy bag of mix nuts and seeds.

BUT - if they sell omega3 oil supplements, they may ask you to eat a potatoes and take their brand or clean, krill oil instead because it’s way cleaner because mongolians are healthier than chinese by eating more fatty sea creatures!

Dinner: salmon, avocado, and hard boil eggs

BUT - if they ever competed in a bodybuilding show, they’ll tell you to eat tilapia and asparagus instead and only 1 whole eggs mixed with 5cups of egg whites because they are cheaper with less calories.   Then, you'll have more money saved up to buy the latest proprietary blend muscle stacks at GNC.

Before Bed: A Large Grapefruit
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/rr-grapefruit-diet

BUT - If they believe fiber and color in your food is the ONLY thing you need to do for fat loss.  They will also convince you to grow a mustache, hug a tree, and sign up for a lot of marathon runs, and never touch a barbells.  unless you're hardcore and do crossfit.
 http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/2369/6-reasons-why-vegans-and-doctors-are-wrong-about-animal-protein/

 *Repeat this for 3 months and you’ll win the biggest loser challenge, cure your arthritis and insomnia, and live-strong while lose weight all at the same time!

Ok, to sum up all the sarcasm above, every method works, as long as it put you in an energy deficit.  that's the key!  If someone is overweight and lost weight, their health markers are definitely going to improve.  However, when you put the bodybuilder and the vegetarian in the same room or a frat boy against a hippie, who should you believe? 

What about taking advice from celebrity doctors like Dr. Oz or Lustig who’s youtube video got millions of views compare to real world doctors who don’t even have a youtube account?  Who do you trust? 

Exactly.

Different goals entail different strategies.  The best strategy should the one that requires the least amount of work, pain, and anxiety.  If a set of clean eating rules interferes with your lifestyle, it’s not likely you're going to get the result you want.  Short term results? Maybe, but not sustainable results.

Clean eating for fat loss is different for everyone but (when looking at the research) it’s typically NOT the case that certain foods are “poisonous” if not exceeding certain quantities and can be consumed daily.  Nor miraculously “super” just because they help some rats run faster.

http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/the-detox-delusion/

New clients would tell me they eat pretty clean but when I ask them how many calories did they take in, they typically respond with “I don’t know, I never track them”.  as if eating clean is enough.

what the heck is the goal again?

what exactly does clean eating mean?

Typically, clean foods are considered to be whole, unprocessed, low in calories.   

Dirty foods tend to be higher in calories, tasteful, and typically with artificial ingredients.  

But what about avocado and nuts which is high in calories but completely natural?  T-Bone Steak are super tasteful and contain the richest amino acid profiles for muscle building? And whey protein powders and vitamins pills are highly processed yet, can correct many deficiencies for those who lacks it.
http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/12/31/meat-the-original-superfood/

When you think a piece of candy is going to ruin your diet, it’s probably not the best diet for you.  If you think you can’t go out with friends because they like to let loose and enjoy beer and pizza, the diet you're following (or your friendship) is probably not going to last.

So if I were to ask you right now, what does clean eating means to you?  Whatever you say, I can come up with 20 different ways to argue against it make you feel stupid.  Why?  Because my beliefs are different than yours and I'm exposed to different "opinions" than you.     So stop using the term "Clean" to describe your food intake, most clean eating beliefs has no solid evidence behind it.   

If you want to lose weight, you have to eat less than you burn (or move more but that's harder and slower). If you want to lose weight long term, you have to eat less while taking into account of how food make you feel; satiety level, essential nutrient profile, taste preferences, meeting social/mental needs,  the goal/deadline, etc. 

If you've tried every fad diets out there with no success, maybe it's time to track your calories?
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/2013/01/tracking-protein-only-approach.html