I hate to sound unhealthy here, but your muscles really don’t know the difference between the calories from a burger or a meal replacement shake (aside from fibre which your bowls will appreciate). Also, you aren’t going to make better gains from adding a side salad/vegetables to your “meat and potatoes”.
Your body isn’t going to favour a lean chicken breast over a protein shake for muscle gains.
Apart from the fact that it becomes a lot harder to increase overall calories eating clean (whatever that is), you very often cut out essential ingredients. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that many bodybuilders limit their gains in muscle mass because they feel that they are being healthy by cutting out most, if not all saturated fat (a great source of testosterone producing “ingredient”).
This type of fat you get in dairy, and beef (funny how many bodybuilders feel bigger, more pumped, aggressive, find it easier to get leaner, and make great gains on these types of food isn’t it??? lol).
I’m not promoting eating a ton of carbohydrates and trans fats, especially found in refined carbs/sugars and fried food. But, choosing something like lean turkey, over beef, because somehow it’s supposed to be healthier is ridiculous. Eating more veg and fruit, boosts health/wellbeing, not muscle building.
It helps one cope with stress, helps body produce more energy, and improves mood, but that’s as far as it helps bodybuilders. The other exception is foods that give nutrients such as zinc, which help testosterone production - this can easily be supplemented.
Simple fact is, if you aren’t eating enough calories/fats, it doesn’t matter how “healthy” your meals are, you won’t add mass. Bottom line, yes, add in healthy foods for the sake of health and sanity, but don’t stress over how you get in your valuable muscle building calories…and don’t think that it’s got to all be “clean” in order to gain.