Define "healthy" food...
Replies
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billieljaime wrote: »a wise man once said is there really such thing as a bad hand job?
so really is there really such thing as bad food?
if it provides energy then it isnt that bad for you! Just count the calories and fill in the holes with "healthy" items the rest of the day..........
Yes, you want my ex gf's number?0 -
chivalryder wrote: »chivalryder wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »By definition of my nutrition book since I took a class at my college, healthy foods have more micro nutrients than the so call junk food "empty calories", foods with no micro nutrients, was what it was called in the book.
OK - so if I hit my macros/micors and calorie goals for the day, but I got 500-600 calories from ice cream and cookies is that then not healthy? Because empty calories??? (whatever those are)
This line alone shows just how little you actually know about what you're talking about.
Please feel free to enlighten us.
The point trying to be made is that you can only absorb so many micronutrients. If you eat a majority of nutrient dense food (or at least sufficient amounts), and fill the rest with pizza, chocolate, ice cream, or whatever, how is that bad.
*And keep in mind that this thread is being argued by people who eat a hell of a lot more than 1200 calories a day. It's hard to fit in treats when you only eat a little every day. When your goal is 2000 calories or even 3500 calories, you can easily work in more calorie dense food and still get proper nutrition.
"Empty calories (whatever that is)" was the line I was going at.
The credibility of the original post was lost when the OP admitted she doesn't know what an empty calorie is.
I think HE knows what is considered an "empty" calorie. I think HE was being sarcastic with the term...
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my son's pediatrician says its the overall day/week/year that counts, not every individual component of every meal.0
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For me - foods that don't make me feel sick and contain the vitamins and macros that keep me full and healthy (such as iron, calcium, vitamin C, D, B12, protein, fat, carbs)...0
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chivalryder wrote: »chivalryder wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »By definition of my nutrition book since I took a class at my college, healthy foods have more micro nutrients than the so call junk food "empty calories", foods with no micro nutrients, was what it was called in the book.
OK - so if I hit my macros/micors and calorie goals for the day, but I got 500-600 calories from ice cream and cookies is that then not healthy? Because empty calories??? (whatever those are)
This line alone shows just how little you actually know about what you're talking about.
Please feel free to enlighten us.
The point trying to be made is that you can only absorb so many micronutrients. If you eat a majority of nutrient dense food (or at least sufficient amounts), and fill the rest with pizza, chocolate, ice cream, or whatever, how is that bad.
*And keep in mind that this thread is being argued by people who eat a hell of a lot more than 1200 calories a day. It's hard to fit in treats when you only eat a little every day. When your goal is 2000 calories or even 3500 calories, you can easily work in more calorie dense food and still get proper nutrition.
"Empty calories (whatever that is)" was the line I was going at.
The credibility of the original post was lost when the OP admitted she doesn't know what an empty calorie is.
I think HE knows what is considered an "empty" calorie. I think HE was being sarcastic with the term...
Agreed. I'm pretty sure he knows what an "empty" calorie is. Drama, drama, drama...0 -
There's gotta be a reason why the national health centers recommend complex carbohydrates over simple ones. I would define complex carbohydrates as "healthier". The simple carbohydrates are "empty" because all they supply is that energy hit. No vitamin or mineral support. No fiber to clean the pipes. No extended energy. It's like picking a cheap battery over an energizer bunny.
http://arnop.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=26650 -
I define healthy food as food that fits within my calorie goals, helps me meet my macronutrient goals, and has a noticeable positive effect on my energy, mood, and physical sense of well-being. A LOT of things that most people consider junk fall comfortably within these metrics; on the other hand, focusing on this definition of health ensures that I eat well and support my health while I achieve my weight goals. It's the best of both worlds, because I get to eat what I like for the most part and I feel a lot better than I did a couple of years ago.
Pretty much all of this.0 -
The "healthy" definition I've gathered from this website is the following. People think food is healthy when:
- It is grown from the ground/from a tree/is natural/ect.
- Is lower calorie.
- Is minimally processed or non-processed in a factory; aka machines did not bleach/dye/mix/produce the food.
- Is generally a fruit or vegetable.
- For meat, I generally see chicken and tuna as 'healthy', while steak and pork are 'unhealthy'.
My personal definition? I view healthy as having a good relationship with food, having a handle on moderation, and not classifying foods as clean or dirty.
Do I think an apple can be a better choice than say, a small bag of chips with an ingredient list you can barely comprehend? Sure, in some cases.
Would I eat that bag of chips if I could fit it into my day, it fit in my macros, and I wanted said chips? Sure.
I think it is important to BALANCE your diet (not in the crash diet sense, in the day to day sense) with fruits, veggies, and the splurges you want to fit in. I don't want to live my life concerned about "healthy" foods only.
I want my steak and potatoes with cream cheese and butter, followed by a couple Oreos, darn it.0 -
I don't really think in terms of "healthy" or "unhealthy" foods, because I think all food provides energy.
There are foods that make it easier for me to reach my macro's, and foods that make it slightly less easier. I prefer a combo of both. Sometimes I don't get the balance right. Sometimes I do.
Though I don't like donuts. *hangs head in shame*0 -
Healthy food = food that doesn't make you sick...or kill you.0
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chivalryder wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »By definition of my nutrition book since I took a class at my college, healthy foods have more micro nutrients than the so call junk food "empty calories", foods with no micro nutrients, was what it was called in the book.
OK - so if I hit my macros/micors and calorie goals for the day, but I got 500-600 calories from ice cream and cookies is that then not healthy? Because empty calories??? (whatever those are)
This line alone shows just how little you actually know about what you're talking about.
oh really???
well feel free to enlighten me then...0 -
Does everyone know that there is arsenic in rice? Arsenic!
I'm never eating rice again*. Because, like death you know?
*This is clearly a lie.0 -
colejkeene wrote: »This has been coming up a lot lately, so I thought that I would combine it all into one thread so that we can have some fun and dig into this one. A lot of people say "I do not want to eat junk" OR "I only eat healthy food", which then naturally sparks the question what is "healthy" food.
My premise is that there is no "healthy" or "junk" food, there is just food that your body uses for energy, and that context of diet is what matters. Different combinations of foods will result in different results for each individuals diet.
None of this addresses micronutrient requirements and nutrient density.
A diet rich in processed/refined sugars, pre-packaged and prepared foods with large amounts of sodium, sugars and highly saturated fats and low in raw or lightly cooking vegetables, fruits, grains and lean proteins is unhealthy. Especially in the realm of micronutrients.For the person that is concerned with strictly fast loss, then it may make sense to get more of their calories from less calorie dense foods like vegetables, and then mix in the ocassional ice cream, cookies, etc.
For the person that is trying to maintain weight and has more calories to play with, they may be able to have a daily serving, or more than one serving, of their favorite treat, and consume more calorie dense foods.
For the person that is bulking/adding weight, they may get 25%, or more, of their calories from calorie dense foods, like pizza, cookies, ice cream, etc, and may fill in as many as 500 calories, or more, to hit their goals.
The quality of your calories is as important as the quantity. It seems disingenuous and a little naive to believe otherwise.
You also use the term "occasional" (albeit spelled improperly) but if you're going to break down the definition of the word "healthy" then you have to do the same for "occasional". I have a friend that eats one serving of sweets once every two weeks. I have another that has 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate every night and a "cheat" day at the end of the week. Clearly they have different definitions of "occasional" and by the same measure different definitions of "healthy".Is any one strategy more healthy than the other? IMO the answer is no. Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream.
So if I get 500 to 600 calories from ice cream and cookies to fill in my diet, does that make me less healthy than the person that is getting 75% of their calories from fish, rice, and vegetables?
At the end of the day there is no "healthy" food and a diet composed of 100% "clean" food is no more healthy then a diet composed of 25% ice cream, cookies, pizza, etc….
so feel free to disagree with me and give me a definition of "healthy"….
"Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream." <-- possible the dumbest thing I've read in a very long time.
I say again: quality and quantity are not equivalent.
Calcium, iron, Vitamins A, D, K, E, etc. are naturally occurring parts of nutrition in whole, unprocessed foods. You aren't going to find those quality micronutrients in pizza, ice cream, funnel cakes, candy bars, soda, etc. And, even if you do get some micronutrients in the ingredients used to make those foods, you will also get a huge dose of sodium (implicated in high blood pressure), saturated fats (implicated in cardiovascular diseases) and sugar (which has a whole slew of diet related health issues attributed with it).
A bonus: what sort of education or research do you have to assert this position? I'd love to know.
That's going to depend on the context of what the rest of your diet consists of. If I eat 2000 calories a day, and I have already eaten 1800 calories of nutrient dense food and hit my daily values for all my micronutrients, eating more of those aren't going to benefit me. You excrete what you can't absorb; you don't get bonus points for being "extra healthy". In that context, why is it healthier to eat veggies over ice cream?
This is not about eating ice cream and nothing else. It's trying to figure out why moderate amounts of calorie dense foods are demonized and considered "junk" food.0 -
I like this definition found on Google (from Washington Univ): "A healthy food is a plant or animal product that provides essential nutrients and energy to sustain growth, health and life while satiating hunger."
I think most of the disagreements on this site are because of:
1. Those that think foods that wouldn't commonly be thought of as a "healthy food" can't be part of a "healthy diet"
2. Those that think no food should be called "healthy" because foods that aren't commonly considered healthy can be part of a healthy diet.
3. Those that think every food should be called "healthy" because foods that aren't commonly considered healthy can be part of a healthy diet.
I don't consider Oreos a healthy food. That doesn't mean I can't eat an occasional Oreo and still have a healthy diet.
It doesn't really matter what you call it. Junk, healthy, good, bad, 80/20, etc.0 -
colejkeene wrote: »
You also use the term "occasional" (albeit spelled improperly) but if you're going to break down the definition of the word "healthy" then you have to do the same for "occasional". I have a friend that eats one serving of sweets once every two weeks. I have another that has 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate every night and a "cheat" day at the end of the week. Clearly they have different definitions of "occasional" and by the same measure different definitions of "healthy".
I'll bite.
I define "occasional" or "moderate" by the 80/20 rule. Meaning 80% nutrient dense / 20% whatever food (caveat is as long as you're hitting your macro/micro goals).
I usually eat 1600 or so calories a day (depending on my exercise that day). I usually save ~200 calories for a treat every day. 200 of 1600 is 12.5% of my calories. Meaning that I'm getting 87.5% of my calories daily from lean meats, veggies, dairy, etc. Following the 80/20 rule, I could actually eat 320 of my daily calories as treats. So I'm eating "healthier" than I'm even intending.
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chivalryder wrote: »chivalryder wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »By definition of my nutrition book since I took a class at my college, healthy foods have more micro nutrients than the so call junk food "empty calories", foods with no micro nutrients, was what it was called in the book.
OK - so if I hit my macros/micors and calorie goals for the day, but I got 500-600 calories from ice cream and cookies is that then not healthy? Because empty calories??? (whatever those are)
This line alone shows just how little you actually know about what you're talking about.
Please feel free to enlighten us.
The point trying to be made is that you can only absorb so many micronutrients. If you eat a majority of nutrient dense food (or at least sufficient amounts), and fill the rest with pizza, chocolate, ice cream, or whatever, how is that bad.
*And keep in mind that this thread is being argued by people who eat a hell of a lot more than 1200 calories a day. It's hard to fit in treats when you only eat a little every day. When your goal is 2000 calories or even 3500 calories, you can easily work in more calorie dense food and still get proper nutrition.
"Empty calories (whatever that is)" was the line I was going at.
The credibility of the original post was lost when the OP admitted she doesn't know what an empty calorie is.
for the record I am a male…
please feel free to explain what an empty calorie is..? I assume a calorie with zero units of energy…?
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goldthistime wrote: »Okay, I will be the one to give you the definition you want to debate. I define healthy food as nutrient dense foods, with limited amounts of salt, sugar and fat. Meaning vegetables, lean meats, fruits and whole grains. I define junk as nutrient sparse food with lots of salt sugar or fat. Meaning chips, cheezies, candy, donuts, onion rings etc.
So you would consider avocado or nuts "healthy food"? Both are high in fat.0 -
colejkeene wrote: »This has been coming up a lot lately, so I thought that I would combine it all into one thread so that we can have some fun and dig into this one. A lot of people say "I do not want to eat junk" OR "I only eat healthy food", which then naturally sparks the question what is "healthy" food.
My premise is that there is no "healthy" or "junk" food, there is just food that your body uses for energy, and that context of diet is what matters. Different combinations of foods will result in different results for each individuals diet.
None of this addresses micronutrient requirements and nutrient density.
A diet rich in processed/refined sugars, pre-packaged and prepared foods with large amounts of sodium, sugars and highly saturated fats and low in raw or lightly cooking vegetables, fruits, grains and lean proteins is unhealthy. Especially in the realm of micronutrients.For the person that is concerned with strictly fast loss, then it may make sense to get more of their calories from less calorie dense foods like vegetables, and then mix in the ocassional ice cream, cookies, etc.
For the person that is trying to maintain weight and has more calories to play with, they may be able to have a daily serving, or more than one serving, of their favorite treat, and consume more calorie dense foods.
For the person that is bulking/adding weight, they may get 25%, or more, of their calories from calorie dense foods, like pizza, cookies, ice cream, etc, and may fill in as many as 500 calories, or more, to hit their goals.
The quality of your calories is as important as the quantity. It seems disingenuous and a little naive to believe otherwise.
You also use the term "occasional" (albeit spelled improperly) but if you're going to break down the definition of the word "healthy" then you have to do the same for "occasional". I have a friend that eats one serving of sweets once every two weeks. I have another that has 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate every night and a "cheat" day at the end of the week. Clearly they have different definitions of "occasional" and by the same measure different definitions of "healthy".Is any one strategy more healthy than the other? IMO the answer is no. Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream.
So if I get 500 to 600 calories from ice cream and cookies to fill in my diet, does that make me less healthy than the person that is getting 75% of their calories from fish, rice, and vegetables?
At the end of the day there is no "healthy" food and a diet composed of 100% "clean" food is no more healthy then a diet composed of 25% ice cream, cookies, pizza, etc….
so feel free to disagree with me and give me a definition of "healthy"….
"Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream." <-- possible the dumbest thing I've read in a very long time.
I say again: quality and quantity are not equivalent.
Calcium, iron, Vitamins A, D, K, E, etc. are naturally occurring parts of nutrition in whole, unprocessed foods. You aren't going to find those quality micronutrients in pizza, ice cream, funnel cakes, candy bars, soda, etc. And, even if you do get some micronutrients in the ingredients used to make those foods, you will also get a huge dose of sodium (implicated in high blood pressure), saturated fats (implicated in cardiovascular diseases) and sugar (which has a whole slew of diet related health issues attributed with it).
A bonus: what sort of education or research do you have to assert this position? I'd love to know.
Okay, I'll bite.
What constitutes an unhealthy person? Weight? A medical condition? High blood pressure? Blood work?
I'm genuinely curious. If we have a definition of healthy vs unhealthy foods, we must also have one for healthy vs unhealthy people.0 -
colejkeene wrote: »This has been coming up a lot lately, so I thought that I would combine it all into one thread so that we can have some fun and dig into this one. A lot of people say "I do not want to eat junk" OR "I only eat healthy food", which then naturally sparks the question what is "healthy" food.
My premise is that there is no "healthy" or "junk" food, there is just food that your body uses for energy, and that context of diet is what matters. Different combinations of foods will result in different results for each individuals diet.
None of this addresses micronutrient requirements and nutrient density.
A diet rich in processed/refined sugars, pre-packaged and prepared foods with large amounts of sodium, sugars and highly saturated fats and low in raw or lightly cooking vegetables, fruits, grains and lean proteins is unhealthy. Especially in the realm of micronutrients.For the person that is concerned with strictly fast loss, then it may make sense to get more of their calories from less calorie dense foods like vegetables, and then mix in the ocassional ice cream, cookies, etc.
For the person that is trying to maintain weight and has more calories to play with, they may be able to have a daily serving, or more than one serving, of their favorite treat, and consume more calorie dense foods.
For the person that is bulking/adding weight, they may get 25%, or more, of their calories from calorie dense foods, like pizza, cookies, ice cream, etc, and may fill in as many as 500 calories, or more, to hit their goals.
The quality of your calories is as important as the quantity. It seems disingenuous and a little naive to believe otherwise.
You also use the term "occasional" (albeit spelled improperly) but if you're going to break down the definition of the word "healthy" then you have to do the same for "occasional". I have a friend that eats one serving of sweets once every two weeks. I have another that has 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate every night and a "cheat" day at the end of the week. Clearly they have different definitions of "occasional" and by the same measure different definitions of "healthy".Is any one strategy more healthy than the other? IMO the answer is no. Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream.
So if I get 500 to 600 calories from ice cream and cookies to fill in my diet, does that make me less healthy than the person that is getting 75% of their calories from fish, rice, and vegetables?
At the end of the day there is no "healthy" food and a diet composed of 100% "clean" food is no more healthy then a diet composed of 25% ice cream, cookies, pizza, etc….
so feel free to disagree with me and give me a definition of "healthy"….
"Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream." <-- possible the dumbest thing I've read in a very long time.
I say again: quality and quantity are not equivalent.
Calcium, iron, Vitamins A, D, K, E, etc. are naturally occurring parts of nutrition in whole, unprocessed foods. You aren't going to find those quality micronutrients in pizza, ice cream, funnel cakes, candy bars, soda, etc. And, even if you do get some micronutrients in the ingredients used to make those foods, you will also get a huge dose of sodium (implicated in high blood pressure), saturated fats (implicated in cardiovascular diseases) and sugar (which has a whole slew of diet related health issues attributed with it).
A bonus: what sort of education or research do you have to assert this position? I'd love to know.
That's going to depend on the context of what the rest of your diet consists of. If I eat 2000 calories a day, and I have already eaten 1800 calories of nutrient dense food and hit my daily values for all my micronutrients, eating more of those aren't going to benefit me. You excrete what you can't absorb; you don't get bonus points for being "extra healthy". In that context, why is it healthier to eat veggies over ice cream?
This is not about eating ice cream and nothing else. It's trying to figure out why moderate amounts of calorie dense foods are demonized and considered "junk" food.
On the other hand, does eating foods with little to no nutrient density do your body any favors?
I'm not saying that I don't have some of these foods once in a while, but I find, personally, that steering clear of what is traditionally called "junk food" I tend to feel better, sleep better, work out better. I don't have sugar highs, I don't suffer from caffeine withdrawals, etc.
I'm down over 100 pounds and it was the reduction and elimination of the "junk foods" that got me there. Anecdotal, but true.
Additionally, the research I've done, working toward my RD, has led me to believe that high calorie, low nutrient dense foods have an overall negative effect on health and wellness.
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colejkeene wrote: »This has been coming up a lot lately, so I thought that I would combine it all into one thread so that we can have some fun and dig into this one. A lot of people say "I do not want to eat junk" OR "I only eat healthy food", which then naturally sparks the question what is "healthy" food.
My premise is that there is no "healthy" or "junk" food, there is just food that your body uses for energy, and that context of diet is what matters. Different combinations of foods will result in different results for each individuals diet.
None of this addresses micronutrient requirements and nutrient density.
A diet rich in processed/refined sugars, pre-packaged and prepared foods with large amounts of sodium, sugars and highly saturated fats and low in raw or lightly cooking vegetables, fruits, grains and lean proteins is unhealthy. Especially in the realm of micronutrients.For the person that is concerned with strictly fast loss, then it may make sense to get more of their calories from less calorie dense foods like vegetables, and then mix in the ocassional ice cream, cookies, etc.
For the person that is trying to maintain weight and has more calories to play with, they may be able to have a daily serving, or more than one serving, of their favorite treat, and consume more calorie dense foods.
For the person that is bulking/adding weight, they may get 25%, or more, of their calories from calorie dense foods, like pizza, cookies, ice cream, etc, and may fill in as many as 500 calories, or more, to hit their goals.
The quality of your calories is as important as the quantity. It seems disingenuous and a little naive to believe otherwise.
You also use the term "occasional" (albeit spelled improperly) but if you're going to break down the definition of the word "healthy" then you have to do the same for "occasional". I have a friend that eats one serving of sweets once every two weeks. I have another that has 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate every night and a "cheat" day at the end of the week. Clearly they have different definitions of "occasional" and by the same measure different definitions of "healthy".Is any one strategy more healthy than the other? IMO the answer is no. Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream.
So if I get 500 to 600 calories from ice cream and cookies to fill in my diet, does that make me less healthy than the person that is getting 75% of their calories from fish, rice, and vegetables?
At the end of the day there is no "healthy" food and a diet composed of 100% "clean" food is no more healthy then a diet composed of 25% ice cream, cookies, pizza, etc….
so feel free to disagree with me and give me a definition of "healthy"….
"Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream." <-- possible the dumbest thing I've read in a very long time.
I say again: quality and quantity are not equivalent.
Calcium, iron, Vitamins A, D, K, E, etc. are naturally occurring parts of nutrition in whole, unprocessed foods. You aren't going to find those quality micronutrients in pizza, ice cream, funnel cakes, candy bars, soda, etc. And, even if you do get some micronutrients in the ingredients used to make those foods, you will also get a huge dose of sodium (implicated in high blood pressure), saturated fats (implicated in cardiovascular diseases) and sugar (which has a whole slew of diet related health issues attributed with it).
A bonus: what sort of education or research do you have to assert this position? I'd love to know.
I did not know I had to show "credentials" to post on here….what are your credentials to post in my thread??
Ok - then please explain why that comment is "possibly the dumbest thing you have read"..
oh and you spelled possibly wrong….spell much?
are you saying vegetables are more healthy then ice cream? If yes, please elaborate...0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »Okay, I will be the one to give you the definition you want to debate. I define healthy food as nutrient dense foods, with limited amounts of salt, sugar and fat. Meaning vegetables, lean meats, fruits and whole grains. I define junk as nutrient sparse food with lots of salt sugar or fat. Meaning chips, cheezies, candy, donuts, onion rings etc.
So you would consider avocado or nuts "healthy food"? Both are high in fat.
Clearly, those are only considered healthy foods by the devil...0 -
chivalryder wrote: »chivalryder wrote: »yopeeps025 wrote: »By definition of my nutrition book since I took a class at my college, healthy foods have more micro nutrients than the so call junk food "empty calories", foods with no micro nutrients, was what it was called in the book.
OK - so if I hit my macros/micors and calorie goals for the day, but I got 500-600 calories from ice cream and cookies is that then not healthy? Because empty calories??? (whatever those are)
This line alone shows just how little you actually know about what you're talking about.
Please feel free to enlighten us.
The point trying to be made is that you can only absorb so many micronutrients. If you eat a majority of nutrient dense food (or at least sufficient amounts), and fill the rest with pizza, chocolate, ice cream, or whatever, how is that bad.
*And keep in mind that this thread is being argued by people who eat a hell of a lot more than 1200 calories a day. It's hard to fit in treats when you only eat a little every day. When your goal is 2000 calories or even 3500 calories, you can easily work in more calorie dense food and still get proper nutrition.
"Empty calories (whatever that is)" was the line I was going at.
The credibility of the original post was lost when the OP admitted she doesn't know what an empty calorie is.
for the record I am a male…
please feel free to explain what an empty calorie is..? I assume a calorie with zero units of energy…?
People with no to little knowledge about nutrition, or die hard Keto / paleo / "clean" eaters refer to pizza, chips, cookies, ice cream, cake, pop-tarts, etc. as empty calories claiming they give the body no real energy or benefit of nutrition consumption, which is total horse-*kitten*.
Ate pop-tarts last night before I hit 661 on my DL and 544 on my squat. Guess they were empty calories?
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OP: Are you asking people to define a healthy food or a healthy diet? The title says healthy food, you say healthy food, but the entire thread is talking about a healthy diet. There is a difference. Which is the subject on hand?0
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For me, healthy = foods I like to eat; unhealthy = foods I don't like to eat. I'm mostly here to read this later when I need more excitement in my life.0
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chivalryder wrote: »OP: Are you asking people to define a healthy food or a healthy diet? The title says healthy food, you say healthy food, but the entire thread is talking about a healthy diet. There is a difference. Which is the subject on hand?
i am still waiting for your definition of what an empty calorie is….0 -
colejkeene wrote: »colejkeene wrote: »This has been coming up a lot lately, so I thought that I would combine it all into one thread so that we can have some fun and dig into this one. A lot of people say "I do not want to eat junk" OR "I only eat healthy food", which then naturally sparks the question what is "healthy" food.
My premise is that there is no "healthy" or "junk" food, there is just food that your body uses for energy, and that context of diet is what matters. Different combinations of foods will result in different results for each individuals diet.
None of this addresses micronutrient requirements and nutrient density.
A diet rich in processed/refined sugars, pre-packaged and prepared foods with large amounts of sodium, sugars and highly saturated fats and low in raw or lightly cooking vegetables, fruits, grains and lean proteins is unhealthy. Especially in the realm of micronutrients.For the person that is concerned with strictly fast loss, then it may make sense to get more of their calories from less calorie dense foods like vegetables, and then mix in the ocassional ice cream, cookies, etc.
For the person that is trying to maintain weight and has more calories to play with, they may be able to have a daily serving, or more than one serving, of their favorite treat, and consume more calorie dense foods.
For the person that is bulking/adding weight, they may get 25%, or more, of their calories from calorie dense foods, like pizza, cookies, ice cream, etc, and may fill in as many as 500 calories, or more, to hit their goals.
The quality of your calories is as important as the quantity. It seems disingenuous and a little naive to believe otherwise.
You also use the term "occasional" (albeit spelled improperly) but if you're going to break down the definition of the word "healthy" then you have to do the same for "occasional". I have a friend that eats one serving of sweets once every two weeks. I have another that has 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate every night and a "cheat" day at the end of the week. Clearly they have different definitions of "occasional" and by the same measure different definitions of "healthy".Is any one strategy more healthy than the other? IMO the answer is no. Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream.
So if I get 500 to 600 calories from ice cream and cookies to fill in my diet, does that make me less healthy than the person that is getting 75% of their calories from fish, rice, and vegetables?
At the end of the day there is no "healthy" food and a diet composed of 100% "clean" food is no more healthy then a diet composed of 25% ice cream, cookies, pizza, etc….
so feel free to disagree with me and give me a definition of "healthy"….
"Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream." <-- possible the dumbest thing I've read in a very long time.
I say again: quality and quantity are not equivalent.
Calcium, iron, Vitamins A, D, K, E, etc. are naturally occurring parts of nutrition in whole, unprocessed foods. You aren't going to find those quality micronutrients in pizza, ice cream, funnel cakes, candy bars, soda, etc. And, even if you do get some micronutrients in the ingredients used to make those foods, you will also get a huge dose of sodium (implicated in high blood pressure), saturated fats (implicated in cardiovascular diseases) and sugar (which has a whole slew of diet related health issues attributed with it).
A bonus: what sort of education or research do you have to assert this position? I'd love to know.
That's going to depend on the context of what the rest of your diet consists of. If I eat 2000 calories a day, and I have already eaten 1800 calories of nutrient dense food and hit my daily values for all my micronutrients, eating more of those aren't going to benefit me. You excrete what you can't absorb; you don't get bonus points for being "extra healthy". In that context, why is it healthier to eat veggies over ice cream?
This is not about eating ice cream and nothing else. It's trying to figure out why moderate amounts of calorie dense foods are demonized and considered "junk" food.
On the other hand, does eating foods with little to no nutrient density do your body any favors?
I'm not saying that I don't have some of these foods once in a while, but I find, personally, that steering clear of what is traditionally called "junk food" I tend to feel better, sleep better, work out better. I don't have sugar highs, I don't suffer from caffeine withdrawals, etc.
I'm down over 100 pounds and it was the reduction and elimination of the "junk foods" that got me there. Anecdotal, but true.
Additionally, the research I've done, working toward my RD, has led me to believe that high calorie, low nutrient dense foods have an overall negative effect on health and wellness.
I don't know. I think mental health and sticking to my diet (as in way of eating) is important.
Once you've hit your macro/micro goals, you don't get extra credit. So eating some "junk" isn't going to hurt.
It makes me happier to be able to eat ice cream or chocolate instead of thinking I can never or rarely ever eat it again --> good mental health.
It also makes me more likely to stick to my diet and finish losing this weight. If I feel deprived all the time, I'm just going to give up.
So, yes, eating a little bit of junk food is healthy for me.0 -
chivalryder wrote: »OP: Are you asking people to define a healthy food or a healthy diet? The title says healthy food, you say healthy food, but the entire thread is talking about a healthy diet. There is a difference. Which is the subject on hand?
That was my question as well.0 -
Also, added- people do get overly caught up in what is healthy, and can develop a sort of disordered eating because of it.
A healthy diet should include the occasional feast, or treat. Its how those treats fit into an overall pattern that is healthy/unhealthy. At least that is how I plan my own days. I'm no doctor/expert.0 -
"Vegetables are not more inherently healthy than ice cream." <-- possible the dumbest thing I've read in a very long time.
why? you don't get extra credit for eating more vegetables than me- or anyone else (for the record I eat at 1-2 bags of forzen veggies- which is what 3 servings? per bag???).
Coffee: Check
Veggies: Check
Meat: check
Snickers: Check
ice cream: Check
Boom- done. All of these things are important to my over all diet and health and daily sanity. Ice cream provides dairy and fat- protein and carbs. and as well emotional comfort because it's delicious.
So- how does that mean veggies are not as good- or are better?
0
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