What is Healthy Eating?

Are you confused about what it means eat healthy? You?re not the only one. There is really no more ambiguous term out there than ?healthy eating.? Everyone seems to have a? different idea of what it actually means. One person thinks its eating more fruits and vegetables, another thinks its eating like a caveman(woman), others thinks its eating less fat, sugar, carbs, or meat?.? while even some think it means weighing and measuring their food or counting calories.

No wonder we?re confused. I was confused too. But after 10 + years of trying to ?eat healthy?, and 8+ years of education, I have come to a good working definition of ?healthy eating? that can stand the tests of time. So lets set the record straight shall we? Here?s the down and dirty on what it really means to ?eat healthy?.

1. Healthy eating provides your body with the nutrients and factors it needs to operate properly. This means that you are getting adequate amounts of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, protein, fatty acids for your body?s cellular function to work properly. Sometimes, supplements are necessary to ensure adequate amounts of certain nutrients, but in general, your food should be the framework of your nutrient intake. This means eating more nutrient dense foods, or the foods that give you the most number of nutrients per calorie. The most ?bang for your buck? so to speak.

2. Healthy eating provides the right amount of calories to fuel your body correctly.?That doesn?t mean you need to count calories. Instead, focus on listening to your body?s natural hunger and fullness cues, and understanding calorie density. If your goal is to lose weight, eating a pound of nuts a day will be counter productive. Yes, nuts are healthy, and have essential nutrients. But they also have a LOT of calories for their volume. Broth based soups, on the other hand, have very few calories based on volume. Not eating enough food, skipping meals, and subsisting on meal replacements, although may lead to weight loss, is not healthy either. Neither is eating a lot of junk food in an attempt to ?bulk up? or gain muscle. So stop it. Now.

3. Healthy eating prevents and corrects metabolic imbalances. Sure, orange juice is high in nutrients, and its relatively low calorie, but drinking too much juice can lead to blood sugar and insulin imbalances. We each have our own genetic tendencies and concerns to address, but in general, having adequate fiber and protein, and watching sugar intake, even natural sugars, will provide optimal metabolic balance. Trans fats are another factor that can lead to serious metabolic issues. Do like Nancy Reagan and just say no.

4. Healthy eating minimizes exposure to harmful substances. Ok, maybe trans fat belongs here. So does sugar? or at least too much sugar. But so does plastic. You think I?m joking?? BPA is one of the most harmful substances around, along with pesticides, heavy metals, and foods you personally cannot tolerate. The most likely culprits are gluten, soy, sugar, coffee, dairy, eggs, corn, nuts, and citrus fruits. Getting tested for food intolerances, or doing an elimination diet can give your health and vitality a huge boost.

5. Healthy eating includes a healthy attitude towards eating. Guilt is not healthy, neither is stressing about what you eat. Neither is social isolation. Stop ?dieting? now, and start learning to live a healthy lifestyle. You don?t have to be 100% perfect to see phenomenal results, but you do have to make some major changes in your relationship to food. Most people go from not caring to caring too much. Instead, focus on learning how to fuel your body correctly and make small steps towards your overall health and well being.

6. Healthy eating is sustainable in the long term. Can?t weigh your food indefinitely? Don?t start. Don?t think you can stay hungry forever on a diet? You?re right. The changes that you make should be changes that you can see yourself doing long term. This might seem impossible at first, but you might find after a couple weeks of making a conscious choice, it turns into a habit.

So there you have it. The true definition of healthy eating. You might be thinking ?hey, she?s talking about the __________ diet.? NO! I?m not, the truth is, many diets meet one or more of these criteria, which is why they work in the short term. However, very few, if any of them meet the last two criteria, which is why they don?t work in the long term.? Next time your friend tells you such and such is healthy, take a look at this list to see if it meets the criteria. If not, it might just be the latest fad.

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Source: http://www.fueledbyyoutrition.com/archives/874

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