Diary of a Semi-Clean Eater: Food With Purpose

Empty Calories. We've all heard it before. "Don't drink soda - it's empty calories!" "All those empty calories will go straight to your hips!" 

But what does that even mean anyway, "empty calories?" There are those that believe that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. If you are in a caloric surplus (taking in more calories than you burn), you will gain weight; if you are in a caloric deficit (burning more calories than you take in) you will lose weight. While I am under no circumstances disputing this logic, I'm not one of those "all calories are created equal" thinkers - nor am I a hard core "clean eater", though.

How did these Doritos and Pop-Tarts get here????

If you Google "clean eating" you will find multiple definitions that tend to vary quite a bit. It seems that everywhere you look, everyone has their own standards when it comes to "clean eating." But some of the most prominent features of a clean eating diet include eating only whole, minimally processed foods in small meals several times a day to keep your metabolism constantly running. I suppose you could say that in it's purest form, a clean eating diet can be quite restricting.

In bodybuilding, there is an acronym "IIFYM" (If It Fits Your Macros), which has caused somewhat of an uproar among clean eaters. Upon first glance, the name implies that you can eat whatever you want, as long as they fit into your daily Macronutrient (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) allowance. Want Pop-tarts, soda, and ice cream? Not a problem if you follow IIFYM, right? Well....it's more complicated than that. If you look further into IIFYM, you will find that most of the people that follow this approach actually eat a diet that is primarily "clean" with a small allowance for "dirty" foods.

The reason these foods are considered "dirty" is that they tend to contain a lot of empty calories...aaaannnnd we've come full circle (see, and you thought I was just rambling!). Empty calories are calories that contain no significant nutritional value - that is, they're doing nothing to provide you with the essential macro- and micro-nutrients that your body requires to run optimally.  I suppose I land somewhere in the "IIFYM" range, in that I try to make most of the food that I eat macro- and micro-nutrient dense, but allow (for my own sanity) some of the foods that would be considered off limits to a hard core clean eater.

For it to really stick, everyone needs to follow a nutrition plan that works for them, and I am certainly not qualified to say what the optimal plan for anyone else is. What I will tell you is that I have had the most success, both in my physical progress and maintaining my mental health, by following a "Semi-Clean" approach. I plan my meals out and pack them to go to work with me the night before, so that I am prepared. I make sure that each meal is well-balanced to fulfill my macronutrient requirements...but on the occasion when a balanced meal is not available to me, or on special occasions, I don't freak out about consuming a couple of "dirty" foods here and there (just had a chocolate chip cookie today, as a matter of fact - and it was amazing!)

Essentially, what it comes down to is that you have to have balance. I have eaten at both ends of the spectrum in my life - from eating nothing but fast food and junk to eating only whole, clean meals 6 times a day every 2-3 hours like clockwork. The former makes you really unhealthy, physically, while the latter...well that can have a tendency to make you a little nuts!

For me, I define "clean eating" as "eating food that serves a purpose" - filling your body with the energy and nutrients that it needs to be healthy. I truly enjoy learning about these foods and using them to fuel my body to its fullest potential...but let's be honest...you can't be all business ALL THE TIME, right?  ;)