What Does "Eating Clean" Really Mean?

The basics of nutrition that if you want to gain weight you eat more calories than during the course of the day than you actually use. If you want to lose fat you must use more calories than you eat. The complicated part of this is determining how the body responds to different types of calories.
There used to be a popular theory that a calorie is a calorie. Whether it comes from chicken or comes from chocolate chip cookies, your body sees both sets of calories the same. While this theory may look good on paper it is false.

My personal experience is if I consume 3000 calories of "clean" food versus 300 calories from "junk" food, all other things being equal (workout duration, aerobics and recuperation) my body respond many times better on the clean food.
Your body will always function better if your daily calories come from "clean" wholesome foods, prepared as close to their natural state as possible. Think about it. All that sugar and fat (unclean food) going down your throat is like pouring mud down your bathroom sink and expecting the drain to work right.


Eating "clean" means the following:

Fresh lean meat
Complex carbohydrates
Fresh Vegetables
Fresh Fruit
Nonfat dairy products
The low-fat portion of of eggs (whites)
 
Eating "clean" does not mean the following:

Butter
High fat foods
Deep fried anything
Regular salad dressings or mayonnaise
Any food that is high in fat, sugar or salt