Wondering what would consist of the cleanest possible diet one could have. Would it be fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds?

How do you define clean? That's a big issue.

For example, one of my goals is to eat as clean as possible, which means eliminating processed and packaged foods, anything with preservatives, anything with added chemcials, added sweeteners, added stuff that's just not necessary.

I still eat things like packaged pasta (I check ingredients and make sure it doesn't have preservatives), storebought bread (I make sure I eat whole grain bread and minimally processed), etc. And I do "splurge" once in a while and eat junk.

For me that's clean enough.

For some people, they'd want cleaner - they'd make their own pasta, make their own bread, etc. (Which I've done before and enjoy doing, but I don't make the time to do it all the time.)

OTOH, there are some people who believe that red meat isn't part of a clean diet - and so by their description my diet wouldn't be "clean" because I eat read meat. And there are some people who believe dairy products are not good for the human body and therefore not clean, so I wouldn't meet their definition of a clean diet, either, because I eat a lot of dairy products (sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, etc.).

Then there are he paleo- diets where grains are considered bad and meat and veggies are the cleanest you can eat.

So I think "clean" is going to be different for just about every one.

I guess I'm wondering what would a diet consist of if you wanted to claim your diet was better than 99.99% of people, lol. Obviously no fried foods, no processed foods. Tons of veggies, the best fruits. I'm wondering if any meat would be on the menu at all.

Yeah, but that's my point. Who determines what 99.9% is?

Me? I think my diet is cleaner than probably about 80% of the population.
There are a lot of people who would say that by eating dairy and meat, my diet isn't anywhere near clean.

I guess if you wanted to make it an absolute with no questions, I'd say someone who is a raw foodist probably is going to be as close to 100% clean as is humanly possible - using anyone's definition.

That would be my best guess.

yes its all subjective, interesting angle though. plus i think a clean diet for one would not be the same for others as kara said. i think if i ate a totally clean, raw vegan diet then although that might be considered really clean i dont think it would be good for me and drive me absolutely crazy.

but with the clean angle, unprocessed, one ingredient foods, organic, free range, additive free etc is the best way to ensure consuming clean as possible food whatever the food is whether its meat and dairy or veg and fruit!

I'd have to say a raw diet would probably be the cleanest (in my mind anyway).

I hope to be totally vegan w/ a couple days of raw foods only by next year. I'm a vegetarian, but still eat way to many processed things because I'm a lazy butt!

Yeah, I suppose it might work to work backwards via process of elimination. Mostly in terms of nutrition, what the food does to your body internally (health) and externally (i.e. skin), and how food makes you feel (crappy food makes you feel like you got hit by a bus).

Obviously no fried foods, no sugar, no greasy ground beef, no white breads...till you get to the point you question something like having skim milk in your diet or no milk at all.

Ahhh RAW FOOD VEGAN DIET is probably the cleanest, but I'm ages away from that! I mean its soo good for your health, eliminating all of them free radicals while you cook, you never knw what you are having. Its all about taking small steps at a time like someone said.

Try eating organic produce, that is a huge step towards cleaning your diet. Besides try eliminating processed foods.... presevatives, msg, aspartime whatever you are eating....is no good news. It makes you fat, get cancer and ill health in general. I shouldnt be the one to preach because I drink alteast a L of diet coke per week. Its like my 'guilt food' ...and I'm positively addicted lol!! 150 calorie starbuck soy latte or 0 calorie diet coke?? I often end up having a diet coke after workout! ITS SO BAD FOR ME. I know....but I am trying :P gone three days without it! wootwoot! last night at dinner I didnt order any diet coke,w00tw00t. These are small victories for me...and I'm totally out of topic bad me. lol. Anyways yeah...so eliminate little things at a time. And your diet will be clean enough, and you will see visible changes I promise!

Not sure about the raw food diet to be honest. Unless you grow the stuff yourself, you still have no idea what's in it, what soil it was grown in and what kind of pesticides and other chemicals it has been treated with. There was a big thing about that a few years back, where they checked out fruit and veg from different supermarkets, and it turned out that some of them had so many pesticides on them that they were actually a danger to the health of anybody who'd eat them.

Always makes me smile when I hear people going on about 'organic', 'free range' or 'fair trade'. What's that, exactly? What proof do you have that your 'organic' produce is any different than the cheap veggies? Personally, I do strongly believe that 'organic' doesn't exist. It's the same stuff as everything else, they just slap a different label on it, knowing that people will pay more for it. It's a PR gag.

I have actually seen, with my own two beady eyes, in a supermarket that shall remain unnamed, how a store assistant went to check on the trays with the 'organic' eggs. They were about 50p each, and you could buy single ones. The trays were empty, so he went and retrieved the 'value' eggs (about 50p for 12), opened the plastic boxes, got the eggs out and plonked them onto the tray for the 'organic' eggs.

So much for that.

I think I'll stick with 'regular' stuff that is supposedly healthy. Fruit, vegetables etc., regardless of them being 'organic' or not. Doesn't make a difference. And if I end up with cancer, what difference does it make if I get it from the air pollution (which I have no way of avoiding), genetic disposition (cancer's running in my family) or because of my wee, pesticide treated banana? Or my diet soda for that matter?

Plus - a 'clean' diet to me would be a diet that is as ideal for the human body as possible. Humans are carnivores with specific needs of vitamins, minerals and so on. You don't get that from a raw, vegan diet, sorry. Not saying don't do it, to each their own. If meat free is your way, go for it. It's just not for me, and I personally think that it's not healthy either.

And I'm rambling, and completely getting off topic. Sorry. Didn't have enough coffee yet. Forgive me.

San, I don't know what the regs in the UK are, but in the US a producer must go through a screening process to be certified Organic. There is actually a definition and it does have meaning. It means that the food has been raised w/out the use of chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. A farm cannot say it's produce is organic until they've gone through - I think - 3 full growing seasons w/out use of chemicals (to make sure that all the chem/fertilizer/pesticides/etc are out of the ground). With regard to animals, they cannot be treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, etc.

Now that said, it doesn't prevent the kind of thing you described with the eggs (although again, here in the US if someone saw something like that happening, the store could be sued and probably would - not just by the consumer, but by the supplier of the organic eggs).

Do people misuse the label? I'm sure. But there are some foods that are worth (IMO) buying organic. Fruits and veg that have thin skins and/or grow in the ground (onions, carrots, etc.) are worth paying a little extra for, IMO.

The Dept of Ag makes the following suggestions:

Lots of vegetables cooked on steam or without cooking oil, combined with chicken and fish, preferably cooked on grill or with a light sauce. Beans and eggs from time to time to ensure intake of protein, if you insist on going vegan.

I'm not a fan of vegan diets because protein from meat is better for the organism, as it's easier to assimilate. Your muscles' condition shouldn't be underrated by any diet.

Kara, they do have the same regs here (well, maybe not the same, but there are screenings and stuff that I assume are similar). The thing is, who controls these people, what are the exact specifications? To me it's a money maker, nothing else.

As for the thing with the eggs - the supermarket was sued, and closed down, followed by several others. It was a big thing back then, but eventually, people just lost interest. Nowadays, in Germany, every egg has a number on it that let's you trace where it comes from as a result of that.

But really, it all sounds nice on paper, but reality is different. If all the organic stuff was really 'organic', where does it all come from? All supermarkets here have 'organic produce', grown in Britain (supposedly). Research showed that the amount of produce cannot possibly be generated in Britain, and certainly not organic, so SOMEBODY is not telling the truth there. Yet nobody has gotten in trouble over it so far.

I've eaten apples directly from the tree and directly from the shelf, and I haven't dropped dead yet. If they ever decide to make their organic produce the same price as regular fruit and veg, I'll be more than happy to buy it. But over here, organic can mean up to 5 times the regular price, which, as far as I am concerned, is not worth it. But that's just me of course, as said before, everybody should do whatever they feel best about and what they think is right.

When I reach into the game freezer out back and pull out a package of venison from a deer taken before, I know it where it came from, what it ate, and know it has no preservatives in it. That's clean enough for me, and bambi is pretty lean and tasty too but then again, I don't worry much about such things.

definately agree with the game, its what we've been hunting and catching to eat for thousands of years!! its eaten grass and bugs etc, not a nice fattening diet of grain and crap from the farmer!! give me roasted pheasant any day, mmmmm

Hmmm....so you know that animal personally then and hand-raised it? Fed it? Because how could you know what it has been eating otherwise? What if the bugs that its eating have been sitting on pesticide-covered fields before, and the water it drinks is full of chemicals from the crap that somebody secretely dumped into the nearby stream?

Just a thought....