Table 3.
Definitions of “clean” eating, opinions, and perceptions of healthiness vs. harm.
| Theme % (n) |
Code Definition | Sample Responses |
|---|---|---|
| How would you define “clean” eating? | ||
| Perceived healthiness 38.7% (382) |
Response notes that “clean eating” is “healthy” or “good for you” or alternately involves avoiding things that are seen as “unhealthy”. | “Eating healthy” “Eating foods based on dietary guidelines. A lot of green foods, close to no junk food, eating foods that are organic and a lot of vegetables and fruits.” |
| Skepticism 0.6% (6) |
Response indicates a critical or skeptical perspective of “clean eating”. | “Eating foods perceived to be healthier than other foods (fresher, less processed, colorful but only naturally colorful) even when there is no scientific evidence that these foods are healthier” “Clean eating is just any eating or food that is healthier sounding, but might not actually be healthy…” |
| Detox/cleanse 2.0% (20) |
Response notes that “clean eating” involves purifying, de-toxification, or cleansing the body in some way. | “…maybe it’s some sort of cleanse.” “A way to cleanse your body and eat healthy” |
| Environment/ sustainability 4.2% (41) |
References environment and sustainability benefits to “clean eating”. | “…no waste other than compostable items” “Only eating food grown organically and sustainably” |
| Non-diet-related 2.2% (22) |
Response includes other types of “cleanliness” that are unrelated to diet/nutrition or environment. | “Eating with rinsed or sanitized foods” “Not eating really messy” |
| Limit/avoid/restrict foods 29.7% (293) |
Response uses dieting/restricting terminology such as “avoid” “restrict” “only eat if…” and so forth. | “Eating only things that are good for you” “Healthy eating, no fats no fried food, no juices” “Eating nothing but veggies and fruit, very low or no carb. No sugar or fat” |
| Calorie reduction/weight loss 0.9% (9) |
Definition explicitly notes fewer calories and/or weight loss as part of “clean eating.” | “Avoiding unhealthy food in an explicit way to lose weight” “…cutting off calories in order to get a better diet.” |
| Body functionality/ mindfulness 2.6% (26) |
Response identifies being in tune with one’s bodily needs/cues/functions and/or being mindful/present in the moment in one’s approach toward eating. | “…eating healthy foods in order to take care of your body.” “Eating mindfully” |
| Processed/whole foods 39.7% (391) |
Response comments on processed/unprocessed foods, raw foods, natural foods, or whole foods in some manner (including use of artificial colors/flavors). | “Eating things without preservatives or artificial colors or flavoring.” “Eating food that has not been processed/minimally processed.” “avoiding processed foods” |
| Genetically modified (GMO)/organic 13.4% (132) |
Response comments on GMO or organic foods in some manner. | “Eating organic” “It sounds like a diet in which you only eat organic foods.” |
| Other farming practices 1.8% (18) |
Response comments on pesticides, cage-free/free-range, or other farming practices not noted above. | “…food that has no pesticides on it” “Eating healthy things with no chemicals” |
| “Clean” eating usually means eating natural, whole foods, and strictly avoiding processed foods. Knowing that, what is your opinion of “clean” eating? | ||
| Comments on “healthiness” “Healthy” 88.3% (211) “Unhealthy” 4.6% (11) “Both healthy and unhealthy” 7.1% (17) |
Response specifically indicates that it is unilaterally a healthy or unhealthy strategy, or, suggests both healthy and unhealthy features. | Healthy: “…a healthy eating style” Unhealthy: “I do not support it, because it encourages restrictive eating and cutting out food groups, two harmful practices that can lead to eating disorders.” Both Healthy and Unhealthy: “It can be good for your general health, but when taken too far it can become dangerous” |
| Comments on “wellbeing” “Positive” 75.0% (129) “Negative” 6.4% (11) “Both positive and negative” 18.6% (32) |
Response is characterized by positive or negative views on the impact of “clean” eating on one’s general well-being, or, suggests both positive and negative perspectives. | Code 1: “…could definitely benefit you in a plethora of ways” Code 2: “it sounds bothersome, having to know what foods are okay to eat and what aren’t, according to that definition. And I’m not sure what benefits it would provide, it sounds like it’s not worth it.” Code 3: “I think clean eating can be good, but some people go overboard with it” |
| Ambiguous “Positive” 88.0% (345) “Negative” 12.0% (47) |
Response that indicates a generally positive or negative impression but does not offer a specific reason and does not refer to any component of well-being or health. | Positive: “Seems like it would be good” Negative: “Not good” |
| Ambivalent 7.5% ( 72) |
Response offers ambivalent or neutral impressions toward “clean” eating. | “I believe it is the persons [sic] choice whether or not they want to eat natural foods however personally, I will eat whatever foods processed or not.” “I think that it makes sense if some people want to live that way but processed foods aren’t that bad” |
| Consideration of cost/finances 14.2% (136) |
Response highlights the financial aspects of pursuing “clean eating”. | “it’s a smart choice for those who have the time and money for those options” “I think that it’s peoples’ choice to do what they want. A lot of people can’t afford clean eating, and a lot of stuff that is bad for you is tasty.” |
| Consideration of practicality/feasibility 15.3% (147) |
Response highlights practical implications (i.e., lack of feasibility) regarding the pursuit of “clean” eating. | “…it might be hard. It sounds ideal, but I’m not sure I’d be able to completely eradicate processed foods.” |
| Consideration of environment/ sustainability 1.2% (12) |
Response comments on environment/sustainability components to “clean” eating. | “I think it’s good for your body and the environment.” “It’s good considering how much processed foods contribute to our climate change…” |
| Do you think “clean” eating is healthy or harmful? Tell us why. | ||
| Healthy 70.8% (669) |
Answer specifies that “clean eating” is strictly healthy or good for one’s body. | “Healthy! Does nothing but good for your body because you’re only putting good stuff in” “Healthy because you wouldn’t be eating addictive chemicals” |
| Harmful 5.8% (55) |
Answer specifies that “clean eating” is strictly unhealthy or harmful. | “I think it’s harmful because people might not be eating enough. My friends are eating similar to this and are not eating enough and worry too much about food.” “Harmful….I believe that it is a very disordered way of eating that puts foods in categories of only “clean” i.e., good or “dirty” i.e., bad…” |
| Both, healthy and harmful 18.0% (170) |
Answer specifies that “clean eating” is both healthy and harmful in the context of one’s health. | “Healthy but can be harmful if not getting all your carbs and food groups in per day” “Healthy when used as a guideline. It’s unhealthy when you obsess over food and count calories” |
| Neither healthy nor harmful 2.3% (22) |
Answer specifies that “clean eating” is neither healthy nor unhealthy. | “I think neither, because I know nothing about it. The words make me think *healthy* but I don’t form opinions without science to back it up.” “It’s neither, you can be healthy and not clean or vice versa” |
| Other 1.7% (16) |
Answer does not address healthiness/unhealthiness of “clean eating”. | “I think it’s harmful for the environment because the energy needed to produce Whole Foods may offset the pollution saved from having this lifestyle” |
| Why? Restrictive behavior. 8.6% (81) |
Answer notes that clean eating can involve harmful dietary behaviors such as rigidly following a diet and/or restricting one’s food intake. | “Harmful, because it encourages harmful practices like restrictive eating.” “I think it is harmful because it encourages people to unduly restrict their diets and to see certain foods as “bad.” This is also a hallmark of disordered eating.” |
| Why? Negative emotion. 2.3% (22) |
Answer notes that “clean eating” promotes feelings of guilt/shame or other negative emotions about eating behavior. | “Harmful because it perpetuates the myth that people need to have bad foods and good foods which is part of diet culture” “…Lastly, having a healthy relationship with food is more important that eating 100% clean. The idea that some foods are bad is harmful. Nobody should feel guilty about eating.” |
| Why? Rigid cognition. 2.0% (19) |
Answer notes that “clean eating” promotes thinking obsessively and/or ruminating/worrying about food, spending too much time thinking/planning food. | “…It’s unhealthy when you obsess over food and count calories” “Harmful because it’s not moderation and an obsession of you don’t get the right nutrients” |
| Why? Eating disorder risk. 1.6% (15) |
If the answer goes beyond behavioral restriction, negative emotion, and/or cognitive preoccupation, and explicitly specifies risk of eating disorders. | “Could go either way. It could lead to anorexia or other eating disorders.” “Mostly healthy. but some people might push this diet to the extreme and not understand the full definition. For example, if they think that clean eating means eating less food, this could turn into an eating disorder” |
Note. Due to non-mutually exclusive coding, percentages in the table sum to greater than 100%.