“Clean eating” is a dietary trend focused on consuming whole foods while avoiding processed and packaged foods with refined sugars, artificial ingredients or preservatives.

Here are two reasons why it is essential to question the clean eating trend, according to research.

The clean eating trend has been criticized for fueling a black-and-white mindset around food, labeling some foods as entirely good and others as entirely bad and severely restricting said “bad” foods. This can demonize essential food groups and create shame and fear around eating certain foods, even in appropriate amounts.