Why do people seem to bash "healthy"eating?

autumnsquirrel

I think it's a game of rebellion. "How to get most enjoyment out of your diet and still lose weight." If you get what I mean. I myself wouldn't eat "what I used to eat, only less". I used to be so hungry, and that's why I ate too much. I eat "healthy" most of the time now, plus some "treats". It used to be the other way around, no wonder I got so fat and tired :embarassed:

Exactly!!:) For me, personally, even just a little bit of the candy/cake, etc, would set me up to eat too much of it. That's just how I roll, so, I stay away from it, and I have been losing weight--and being healthy. I don't want to be thin and feeling like crap; I want to feel wonderful; junk makes me feel lethargic and weak. I agree with you 100 percent. Every person;s body responds differently, but someone's always gonna bash someone. I get bashed a lot of the time because my program is low carb. Boy, oh, boy do I get bashed on here for that. but….it is what works for me, when nothing else did. And I eat healthy. And I workout 6 days a week. We are all on a journey together, taking different paths; it would be nice if we could all support each other.

tennisdude2004

In answer to the op's question:

Some people on MFP who bash perceived (by them by the way) healthier choices of eating are a bit narrow minded and believe that the only way of losing weight is the way that worked for them.

Also with some members their focus is on weight loss (or gain/maintenance) and not particularly that focused on overall health IMO.

I'm afraid it will never change, a lot of people like to give advice as opposed to help people have weight loss success in their own way.

And maybe some of us give our suggestions based on the mistakes we've already made so that sparing them from falling into the same issues.

Most of us have been on diets before, but to truly make a change you need to learn. Can't believe I'm going to say this but I've even learned 1 or 2 things from you... mostly not what to do, but without the mistakes and different experiences in dealing with them how do you advance more.

Sadly some people are of the mindset that if something doesn't work for them then it must be fact that it will not work for the other 7 billion people on this plant.

The more enlighten members will pass on their experiences of what worked for them and what didn't bit don't pass it off as gospel that it will be the same for everyone.

I've made the mistakes of calorie counting and continuing to eat all the junk food in moderation and it didn't work for me - I know though that it will work for others - which is why I don't jump onto IIFYM threads trying to recruit people to LCHF.

Did I say to eat one way or another? No. I do say maintain a reasonable calorie deficit and do it in a sustainable way. Having been the 285 lb woman that has dieted all my life and quit more than I can remember. I understand that if they immediately jump in with an overly restrictive diet, huge deficit, cut out everything they enjoy.. they might last 3 days. But if they can see that other people have had success in a much less miserable way, without restricting anything.. they might still be here in a year!

Calorie counting works, it might not have worked for you because you get out of it what you put into it..... that would be user error.

You seem to have mis-understood my post.

First off I agree calorie counting works - not for everyone but it works.

All diets require a sacrifice and everybody will feel those sacrifices in different ways. I cut out good groups which I find comfortable and easy to do - sacrifice feeling = low.

Restricting my calories without changing the food I normally ate meant I was hitting my calorie target whilst I was still hungry, plus I found recording and weighing everything I are as too controlling and restrictive. Therefore my sacrifice level = high.

For me calorie counting was unsustainable.

And it will be the same in reverse for someone who loves calorie counting but has not had success with LCHF.

It's okay to offer your experience - it's when people try and persuade others that they will fail based purely on the advisors own experience.

Clearly you are not one of those sort.

geebusuk

Junk good has it's place for most people (in moderation obviously)!

Tut - junk is just a bad a word as 'crap' to describe food.

Apart from quinoa, for which it is very apt .

No one bashes healthy eating. They just define it differently than you do. The definitions looks so different because some define based on science, and others on information they get from documentaries, and daytime television, and the like.

I WILL happily bash the concept that there is a static 'healthy' (and thus not healthy too) selection of food to eat, however .

lisalsd1

I haven't read all of the responses, but from what I have read on MFP in the past...there are just a lot of emotions tied to food. AND people just have different goals and are at different stages in their lives.

When I initially lost weight (years ago), I drank diet soda. I lost weight, so I thought it was fine. Many people do feel that it is ok for them to drink diet soda; which is fine by me. If it helps you lose weight, then do it. If you are very overweight, it is more important to lose weight than how you lose weight....within reason of course. I'm not advocating dangerous approaches. Diet soda is controversial as to whether it is dangerous or not.

Having said that, I don't drink diet soda anymore. I just realized that I wouldn't offer it to my kids, b/c I don't know if it could detrimentally effect your health. I'm at a completely different point now in my life.

I think sometimes people get defensive about food too. I'll admit that I am an accidental "food shamer." I've caught myself saying things that could be misinterpreted and taken personally when I never intended to insult the person...like: "ef diet soda. I HATE diet soda." I do hate it though...not b/c it is "bad," but b/c it burns my throat.

FlaxMilk

I WILL happily bash the concept that there is a static 'healthy' (and thus not healthy too) selection of food to eat, however .

This I agree with. If I had higher calorie/macro needs, I would consider a food like pizza perfectly healthy. For my current needs, unfortunately, it's a treat and something I have to be willing to work around to include it and stay on track. It's usually not worth that trouble. But if I had higher calorie needs, it wouldn't phase me in the slightest to include it.

tennisdude2004

Junk good has it's place for most people (in moderation obviously)!

Tut - junk is just a bad a word as 'crap' to describe food.

Apart from quinoa, for which it is very apt .

No one bashes healthy eating. They just define it differently than you do. The definitions looks so different because some define based on science, and others on information they get from documentaries, and daytime television, and the like.

I WILL happily bash the concept that there is a static 'healthy' (and thus not healthy too) selection of food to eat, however .

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

LoupGarouTFTs

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

tennisdude2004

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

paperpudding

I'vecome to the conclusion that people in society As a whole will always bash what they do not fully understand and healthy eating obviously is something that not a lot of people fully understand. look at the obesity epidemic that we're facing in the US ; less than 60 percent of Americans know how to exercise correctly. And our of the ones that do know what to do, make excises to avoid doing it then wonder y that they have their own gravitational pull!

*sniffs the air*

Ah, I love the smell of sanctimony in the morning.

Rather hypocritical, given your own sanctimonious attitude to PP 's casual use of the term junk food.

We all knew what she meant and yet you had to make a big hullabaloo about it.

Pot, meet kettle.

ndj1979

have not read whole thread yet ..

here is my response OP ..

no one is "bashing" healthy eating..but here are the clifff notes of what some of us are saying..

you do not need to restrict whole foods groups. Eat the foods you like, maintain a deficit, and you will lose weight.
there really are no "bad" foods. Eat what you like, fit it into your day, and you will be fine.
eating 'clean' is not a superior method for fat loss
there is nothing wrong with having the ocassional ice cream, cookie, pizza, cheeseburger, etc
sugar and carbs are not evil, bad, the devil, insert other adjective here…


if you review my diary I eat healthy and not clean…

ndj1979

True, and good points. But I was shocked(maybe I shouldn't have been) over how much money, time, and research food companies put into making processed foods that not only taste good, but actually get people to eat more of it. And, yes, over consumption is the culprit, but how many people can say that they got fat on over-consuming broccoli or apples? It is the "junk" food that is being over-consumed because it is DESIGNED to be over-consumed.

I'm not advocating never having a treat, but when people write posts and say they are going to lay off pizza, people jump on them. Maybe laying off the pizza, if it causes them to overeat (again, by design), then what is wrong with that? Why do they get berated by others? Others say that they are wrong.

Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but I still find myself astounded.

ahh yes the food overlords made us fat and told us when to eat and how much to eat….

shame on companies for making good food that people actually like …

KameHameHaaa

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BrainyBurro

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

so... a bag of celery is junk food? :huh:

tennisdude2004

have not read whole thread yet ..

here is my response OP ..

no one is "bashing" healthy eating..but here are the clifff notes of what some of us are saying..

you do not need to restrict whole foods groups. Eat the foods you like, maintain a deficit, and you will lose weight.
there really are no "bad" foods. Eat what you like, fit it into your day, and you will be fine.
eating 'clean' is not a superior method for fat loss
there is nothing wrong with having the ocassional ice cream, cookie, pizza, cheeseburger, etc
sugar and carbs are not evil, bad, the devil, insert other adjective here…


if you review my diary I eat healthy and not clean…

OP - I think the only thing you need to remember.

YOUR DIET - YOUR CHOICE!

tennisdude2004

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

so... a bag of celery is junk food? :huh:

So celery has low nutritional value? Lol

Okay I'll add to the definition

Pre-packed or packaged food that has low nutritional value - compared to calorie cost.

randomtai

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

Hmm. What do you consider "nutritional value"? Protein, carbs, fat???

mike_ny

I think people like to bash anything that allows them to justify their own view or to continue doing things that aren't supported by the facts or science. Facts do change as more information becomes available, but people don't adapt anywhere as quickly with their beliefs and biases. That goes for diet, fitness, nutrition, smoking, drinking, global warming, politics, etc...

People that want to justify eating crap for most if not all of their diet and not see any connections to their short term or long term health and fitness can bash what they don't agree with and continue to be "fat, dumb, and happy".

LoupGarouTFTs

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

So that's a universal definition? If I prepare meals in advance and put them in the freezer, does that make them junk? What is "low nutritional value?" I'm sorry, is a prepared cake that I buy from a store junk and the one I make from scratch at home healthy? I'm confused.

I'vecome to the conclusion that people in society As a whole will always bash what they do not fully understand and healthy eating obviously is something that not a lot of people fully understand. look at the obesity epidemic that we're facing in the US ; less than 60 percent of Americans know how to exercise correctly. And our of the ones that do know what to do, make excises to avoid doing it then wonder y that they have their own gravitational pull!

*sniffs the air*

Ah, I love the smell of sanctimony in the morning.

Rather hypocritical, given your own sanctimonious attitude to PP 's casual use of the term junk food.

We all knew what she meant and yet you had to make a big hullabaloo about it.

Pot, meet kettle.

Really? I don't recall making derogatory comments about people's physical characteristics . . . as in "their own gravitational pull." That must have been someone else. I wonder who it could have been . . .

tennisdude2004

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MelodyandBarbells

In answer to the op's question:

Some people on MFP who bash perceived (by them by the way) healthier choices of eating are a bit narrow minded and believe that the only way of losing weight is the way that worked for them.

Also with some members their focus is on weight loss (or gain/maintenance) and not particularly that focused on overall health IMO.

I'm afraid it will never change, a lot of people like to give advice as opposed to help people have weight loss success in their own way.

Or . . . maybe . . . we just don't like people putting us in their restrictive little boxes and calling the food we eat "crap."

Also, I never understood the whole "trigger food" idea. Isn't a "trigger" food simply one you haven't learned to moderate yet? Sure, it can "go," but what happens when you're exposed to it in the real world when people don't know (or care) that it "triggers" you?

You do one day every several months of damage as against every other day and wondering why you can't lose weight. I can't have a huge cake or a full pie in the house - I'll eat it all in one day in addition to my regular schedule. Same with a bag of grapes or a tin of cashew nuts. But hey if we're celebrating Pi(e) day at work or I'm visiting family, watch out. But that one day once a month won't do as much of a set back as if I kept it in my house all the time. To me, this is a form of moderation.

LoupGarouTFTs

I think people like to bash anything that allows them to justify their own view or to continue doing things that aren't supported by the facts or science. Facts do change as more information becomes available, but people don't adapt anywhere as quickly with their beliefs and biases. That goes for diet, fitness, nutrition, smoking, drinking, global warming, politics, etc...

People that want to justify eating crap for most if not all of their diet and not see any connections to their short term or long term health and fitness can bash what they don't agree with and continue to be "fat, dumb, and happy".

So how would it affect your worldview if those people eating what they liked but less of it were, you know, actually losing weight and keeping it off?

BrainyBurro

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

so... a bag of celery is junk food? :huh:

So celery has low nutritional value? Lol

Okay I'll add to the definition

Pre-packed or packaged food that has low nutritional value - compared to calorie cost.

so spaghetti is now junk food? :huh:

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-barilla-spaghetti-i113699

ndj1979

I'm nowhere near a perfectly "clean" eater, but I try my best to eat a lot healthier than I used to. The junk food warrior's best excuse is "not sustainable". They'll trot that one out repeatedly to justify their daily chocolate/cake/cookies/ice cream, whatever. Believe it or not, none of that crap was part of my diet to begin with, even when I was putting on the weight. So why would I care to eat it now just to get this mythical "sustainable" diet?

If you never ate it, then that "crap" is not part of a sustainable diet for YOU. However, you might like to eat quinoa so much that you felt you really couldn't live without it (and I'm not saying you do--just an example). If you liked eating quinoa that much, do you really think you could sustain a diet that did not include it? Or would you crave quinoa and think about it every time you prepared a meal? Wouldn't you eventually fall off the quinoa wagon and maybe indulge to the point of a binge? On the other hand, quinoa is one of the nastiest substances on the face of the planet--"crap" in your parlance. I'm not going to eat another bite of it if I can possibly manage it. Obviously quinoa is not part of my sustainable diet. A sustainable diet is different for everyone, simple because we are not all clones of a single person and have our own personal tastes.

I've never in my life eaten quinoa. I only learned how to pronounce it a few days ago lol. That said, my main roadblocks when gaining weight were pizza and Coke. Now I could try to work those back in to my current diet, however I'd end up eating A piece of pizza and having A soda and half my calories for the day would be up in flames. An hour later it's carb-aliciousness will have been long gone and I will be one unhappy mofo. You can bet I'll be taking it out on someone. So for my sake, and for the sake of those around me, I think it best just to cut the crap.

If half your calories are used up on 1 slice of pizza and a soda you might want to address your calorie goal. And why is pizza crap??

seriously, one slice of pizza is like 300 calories, and that would be half of your daily goal?

ndj1979

I think that you completely misunderstood the tone and meaning of my post. Where did I give the indication that I don't like junk food? Where did I give the indication that stereotypically healthy foods taste bad? I'm calling it junk for the sake of fluidity and easy understanding.

Sure, because there's no stigma attached to the word "junk" at all. It's just for fluidity's sake . . . *cough*

Uh, okay, so what politically correct word would you like us to use in its place? Food lacking sufficient nutritional value to make it a prime choice, but it tastes really really good so you can still eat it as long as its in moderation? Seems like a mouthful.

umm just name said food...

tennisdude2004

Junk food is a universally recognised term. What's wrong with it.

Define it. What makes food "junk?"

Pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value:

so... a bag of celery is junk food? :huh:

So celery has low nutritional value? Lol

Okay I'll add to the definition

Pre-packed or packaged food that has low nutritional value - compared to calorie cost.

so spaghetti is now junk food? :huh:

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-barilla-spaghetti-i113699

It is as far as I'm concerned - doesn't mean to say I can't make it fit into my diet. I just understand the calorie cost for the micro nutrients I get from it.

I had some spaghetti on Friday night!

VoodooSyxx

In answer to the op's question:

Some people on MFP who bash perceived (by them by the way) healthier choices of eating are a bit narrow minded and believe that the only way of losing weight is the way that worked for them.

Also with some members their focus is on weight loss (or gain/maintenance) and not particularly that focused on overall health IMO.

I'm afraid it will never change, a lot of people like to give advice as opposed to help people have weight loss success in their own way.

And maybe some of us give our suggestions based on the mistakes we've already made so that sparing them from falling into the same issues.

Most of us have been on diets before, but to truly make a change you need to learn. Can't believe I'm going to say this but I've even learned 1 or 2 things from you... mostly not what to do, but without the mistakes and different experiences in dealing with them how do you advance more.

Sadly some people are of the mindset that if something doesn't work for them then it must be fact that it will not work for the other 7 billion people on this plant.

The more enlighten members will pass on their experiences of what worked for them and what didn't bit don't pass it off as gospel that it will be the same for everyone.

I've made the mistakes of calorie counting and continuing to eat all the junk food in moderation and it didn't work for me - I know though that it will work for others - which is why I don't jump onto IIFYM threads trying to recruit people to LCHF.

Did I say to eat one way or another? No. I do say maintain a reasonable calorie deficit and do it in a sustainable way. Having been the 285 lb woman that has dieted all my life and quit more than I can remember. I understand that if they immediately jump in with an overly restrictive diet, huge deficit, cut out everything they enjoy.. they might last 3 days. But if they can see that other people have had success in a much less miserable way, without restricting anything.. they might still be here in a year!

Calorie counting works, it might not have worked for you because you get out of it what you put into it..... that would be user error.

You seem to have mis-understood my post.

First off I agree calorie counting works - not for everyone but it works.

All diets require a sacrifice and everybody will feel those sacrifices in different ways. I cut out good groups which I find comfortable and easy to do - sacrifice feeling = low.

Restricting my calories without changing the food I normally ate meant I was hitting my calorie target whilst I was still hungry, plus I found recording and weighing everything I are as too controlling and restrictive. Therefore my sacrifice level = high.

For me calorie counting was unsustainable.

And it will be the same in reverse for someone who loves calorie counting but has not had success with LCHF.

It's okay to offer your experience - it's when people try and persuade others that they will fail based purely on the advisors own experience.

Clearly you are not one of those sort.

And this is why I like you, dude. Common sense. You haz it.

I'm not about to go low carb entirely, but I'm smart enough to know that "just eat less" of the same food that I was eating truckloads of to get full is just not going to work for me.

ndj1979

I'vecome to the conclusion that people in society As a whole will always bash what they do not fully understand and healthy eating obviously is something that not a lot of people fully understand. look at the obesity epidemic that we're facing in the US ; less than 60 percent of Americans know how to exercise correctly. And our of the ones that do know what to do, make excises to avoid doing it then wonder y that they have their own gravitational pull!

right, we are all too stupid to understand what "healthy" means, so we just blindly attack it….please enlighten us oh mighty one...

geebusuk

Pre-packed or packaged food that has low nutritional value - compared to calorie cost.

So, a burger in bread with some sauce and salad is considerably less 'junk' than olive oil, say?

Your definition isn't really congruent with what most people believe.

I still think term, just as with 'garbage', crap' and 'not real food' is still a bad choice of words and a basically 'unhealthy' concept.

LoupGarouTFTs

It is as far as I'm concerned - doesn't mean to say I can't make it fit into my diet. I just understand the calorie cost for the micro nutrients I get from it.

Then what makes it "junk" if you want to it it in your diet? It's just a food that you feel is a high calorie cost for low energy return/efficiency. To other people it's a source of energy they consume before a race or before engaging in a sport and a valued part of their diet.

What I am trying to get across is that words like "junk," "dirty," and "crap" are all judgment words that have no actual definition or context when it comes to food. These terms were just designed to shame people into eating what some people perceived as healthier foods.

culo97

Several people on this thread have asked what is meant by "clean". To me, it means either whole food or only a few steps away from being whole (like flour). Raw or cooked. Basically, if humans ate a food item, or something similar, before the industrial age, it qualifies as clean.

I agree that all processed food aren't automatically bad. That said, people should be mindful of what chemicals they're putting into the bodies and in what quantities. My personal goal is to minimize the amount of laboratory made (including GMO) products I consume. I try my best not to judge (out loud) others who haven't made the same decisions.

I'm also a realist. Most of us don't live in isolated villages where we can trace every bite of food from birth or seed to table. Food production and distribution is commercialized, even when we pay extra for premium whole food. We can only do the best we can given our modern environment.

The ultimate weight management goal is to expend more energy than food we consume. Preferably while optimizing the nutrition of the calories we take in. Factoring in the social and psychological needs that should be met, too.