Clean Eating v Healthy Eating

Clean eating generally refers to raw, whole foods and not any processed foods. Healthy foods can be raw, whole, or processed as healthy generally has more to do with the nutritional content of the food. But both clean and healthy are subjective terms.

Every clean eater has a different definition of what eating clean means to them, and healthy can depend on your individual goals and needs. To me, things like fruits and grains are healthy because they help me meet my my nutritional needs. To someone who is diabetic or has PCOS, those foods could be some of worst possible choices and lead to some decidedly unhealthy results. 

What I'M looking to do is get away from the processed crap that we've been accustomed to stocking our pantry and freezer with, minimize the chemical intake on my family.  A large part of that is I'm looking at how our eating habits have changed as a society and also how our health has been impacted and I can't help but think there MUST be a connection there.  lol.  So, I want to minimize the crap and get closer to the basics. (Be a cleanER eater)  Unfortunately for us, we were so reliant on the crap that it's going to take a LOT of baby steps to bring us closer to where I want us to be.  But, baby steps I'm taking.  lol.  For me, the first step is to get back to home made.  I'm not so worried about clean and I'm really not even worried about diet (I'm not programed to count and keep track of things like this)  I'm worried about non processed, well rounded meals.  I figure if I eat HEALTHIER and amp up my exercise I should be able to get where I want to be weight wise AND health wise AND make changes I can stick with more easily. 
 
My best advice is to figure out what is the best diet for you and your needs and not get hung up trying to label how you eat. No one has "ate clean" on their tombstone unless they were attacked by piranhas or flesh-eating bacteria.

Here is a WONDERFUL list of anything clean eating related that any beginner might need/want to know.   I plan to remember this page and visit it often. 

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating/food-substitution-chart/?utm_content=buffer9a03e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I'm especially fond of the food substitution chart for cooking/baking.  I'm SO not there yet but I'd like to be one day.  We'll see.  And again, I'm aiming to reduce, minimize - not eliminate.  If I aim to eliminate I think I'm setting myself up for failure.  But, minimize I can do.  And I can even maintain it.  Okay, that's my ramble about eating clean and eating healthy.  :)