Foods aren't unhealthy, diets are.

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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I have one serving of ice cream nightly and it satisfies me just fine …

    its called teaching yourself moderation and combining it with an overall approach that leads to better health and nutrition...
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,565 Member
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    Carbs aren't bad - they're just not essential.

    They are nice and have a place in a healthy diet IMO
    Depends on goals. One really can't build muscle on a ketogenic diet. Certain anabolic pathways get disrupted.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    It certainly wouldn't be optimal but it is possible to build muscle on a low carb or keto diet.

    I agree some level of carbs (based on individuals goals) is optimal, but for survival not essential.
  • mlyn0812
    mlyn0812 Posts: 31
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I have one serving of ice cream nightly and it satisfies me just fine …

    its called teaching yourself moderation and combining it with an overall approach that leads to better health and nutrition...
    I concur! I was just thinking how most of the foods deemed unhealthy offer high calories for small portion sizes and if someone isn't careful the unhealthy foods can easily make up most of someone's diet. But I agree with the OP a little treats here and there aren't going to derail someone's overall diet
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
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    It's the diet as whole that matters, the sum of its parts, not parts by themselves. It's myopic to look at single foods and put a health label on it. It's the bigger picture that has to be the focus if health is goal. A diet that satisfies the bodies needs for calories (neither too far over nor too far under), protein, carbs, fats and the vital micro nutrients is healthy whether it contains the occasional processed, sugar added chocolate chip cookie or not.

    Healthy diets make healthy people, not healthy foods.


    Sooo true.
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    There ARE foods that are healthy and unhealthy; let's not kid ourselves about that. Yes, it would be unhealthy to consume nothing but broccoli 24/7, but consumed in moderation it is healthy. The same cannot be said about a bowl of sugar. That said, I have dessert every day and wholeheartedly accept the fact that while my Magnum Dark Chocolate bar may be empty calories, I enjoy every bite. :p
    It's all about how you look at it. If you view calling a food unhealthy as meaning you automatically become unhealthy eating it, then yes, those labels aren't helpful. But if you think, similarly to how I do, that healthy and unhealthy are simply labels to help guide you in deciding how prominent a food should be in your diet, then I think those labels are perfectly helpful.

    Spot on.

    Would you consider your diet healthy despite the empty calorie desserts you eat everyday? If the answer is yes, then you proved my point. If you really think those foods are unhealthy, why would you eat them everyday?

    If a person eats foods throughout a specific timeframe that meet their macros, micros, and calorie goals, then a bowl of sugar is not unhealthy. It will likely be a small bowl since a big bowl would crowd out nutrients but, like your desserts, it won't make your diet or you unhealthy.

    I already stated WHY I eat them in my initial response (which you quoted). I eat them because I enjoy them. I agree with you that the sum of one's diet is what constitutes a healthy diet; I never stated otherwise. However, it's absolutely ridiculous (and obviously self-serving) to claim that there are no unhealthy foods. Foods with little to no nutritional value in any amount - or nutritional value that is far outweighed by the deleterious effects of said food - are unhealthy. In regards to your comment on macros/calories, the whole IIFYM approach is fine if we're talking strictly about weight/loss gain, but it has nothing to do with health. You could easily eat junk all day long and remain with your macros and calories. If I primarily satisfied my carb macro with sugar, my fat macro with vegetable oil, and my protein macro with whey, I could remain within my macro/calorie goals. That's getting off topic though as the point I'm simply making here is: There ARE unhealthy foods, but consuming them in moderation does NOT constitute an unhealthy diet.

    I never mentioned IIFYM and have been very concienciuos to stress the importance of micros in a healthy diet. It's ridiculous to even bring it up since it had nothing to do with my OP. A diet that doesn't meet ALL the goals, appropriate calories, macros AND micros, would not be healthy no matter how many nutrient dense foods were consistently consumed. There are only unhealthy foods if consuming those foods in any quantity satisfies the definition of 'unhealthy'. If a person's health declines due to eating a food, moderation or not, then it is unhealthy. If a person's health remains optimal and unaffected by a food, then that person is eating a healthy diet with nothing but healthy foods.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I have not been eating healthy foods this past week.. although I have been eating healthy foods in between unhealthy ones. I feel like crap. My skin feels gross. I am having trouble sleeping. I have a headache and am lacking energy. I don't have any of these issues when I am choosing healthy foods.

    I'm not saying 1 square of chocolate or 1 piece of cake and your unhealthy. But everyone is different. I can hit my goals and if I fill my extra calories with unhealthy foods I will feel like crap and I always have extra calories as I exercise a lot.

    Maybe i'm just more sensitive then others?
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    It's the diet as whole that matters, the sum of its parts, not parts by themselves.

    QFT
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I have one serving of ice cream nightly and it satisfies me just fine …

    its called teaching yourself moderation and combining it with an overall approach that leads to better health and nutrition...
    I concur! I was just thinking how most of the foods deemed unhealthy offer high calories for small portion sizes and if someone isn't careful the unhealthy foods can easily make up most of someone's diet. But I agree with the OP a little treats here and there aren't going to derail someone's overall diet

    Let's not forget to look at the other side of the coin. Someone bulking or competing in an endurance sport might view those calories dense options as a necessity.
  • Lillyeatslilies
    Lillyeatslilies Posts: 91
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    Loved reading this
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I have one serving of ice cream nightly and it satisfies me just fine …

    its called teaching yourself moderation and combining it with an overall approach that leads to better health and nutrition...
    I concur! I was just thinking how most of the foods deemed unhealthy offer high calories for small portion sizes and if someone isn't careful the unhealthy foods can easily make up most of someone's diet. But I agree with the OP a little treats here and there aren't going to derail someone's overall diet

    Let's not forget to look at the other side of the coin. Someone bulking or competing in an endurance sport might view those calories dense options as a necessity.
    Indeed. There's a good reason, beyond simple economics, that some triathlons are sponsored by chocolate milk.
  • HerbertNenenger
    HerbertNenenger Posts: 453 Member
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    I aim to have a healthy diet 75% of the time and for the most part, succeed. 100% is completely unrealistic and unsustainable.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I have one serving of ice cream nightly and it satisfies me just fine …

    its called teaching yourself moderation and combining it with an overall approach that leads to better health and nutrition...
    I concur! I was just thinking how most of the foods deemed unhealthy offer high calories for small portion sizes and if someone isn't careful the unhealthy foods can easily make up most of someone's diet. But I agree with the OP a little treats here and there aren't going to derail someone's overall diet

    Let's not forget to look at the other side of the coin. Someone bulking or competing in an endurance sport might view those calories dense options as a necessity.
    Indeed. There's a good reason, beyond simple economics, that some triathlons are sponsored by chocolate milk.

    Or when you watch the Tour of California cycling event on TV....the cyclist drink cans of Coke and Sprite on the uphill slow portions to "refuel". In that instance, soda is "healthy".

    Great post - OP. Spot on. There is no such thing as unhealthy foods.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I have one serving of ice cream nightly and it satisfies me just fine …

    its called teaching yourself moderation and combining it with an overall approach that leads to better health and nutrition...
    I concur! I was just thinking how most of the foods deemed unhealthy offer high calories for small portion sizes and if someone isn't careful the unhealthy foods can easily make up most of someone's diet. But I agree with the OP a little treats here and there aren't going to derail someone's overall diet

    Let's not forget to look at the other side of the coin. Someone bulking or competing in an endurance sport might view those calories dense options as a necessity.
    Indeed. There's a good reason, beyond simple economics, that some triathlons are sponsored by chocolate milk.

    Or when you watch the Tour of California cycling event on TV....the cyclist drink cans of Coke and Sprite on the uphill slow portions to "refuel". In that instance, soda is "healthy".

    That's debatable.

    The soda fuels the athletes body to complete the race, which in itself is probably detrimental the that athletes health.

    Extreme example, but ultra fitness in elite athletes is generally attained by a cost in their overall health.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Snape_approves.gif
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    "Junk food" is a made-up term.

    Food = protein, fats, carbohydrates
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol
    I can eat 1/2 cup of ice cream. Or 1 cupcake. Or 1 slice of cake. Why? I have self control and there's always tomorrow.

    Welcome to MFP, stick around, you might learn a few things.

    Same here. Except I hardly eat chips. I might eat two or three chips if my kids have a "snack bag" of them, but I rarely buy them at the store. The one exception is corn chips because sometimes I want some crunch with my salsa.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    I tend to weigh versus measure. But half of cup of the Talenti Double Chocolate Gelato I had is 101g.

    I had 114g.

    So pretty close to just half a cup. The point is...it can be done and something I do if I want my "junk" and have it fit with my goals.

    Also, last week, I had Omaha's cheesecake. One of the slices was 350cals. It wasn't a "huge" slice, but I was still able to have it and be fine.
    wow I wish I had your willpower when it comes to icecream lol. You must not be a huge icecreamaholic like me lol. I find it easy to ration out foods I'm not so crazy about but icecream not so much.


    Umm...what?

    I've been overweight since the 5th grade and morbidly obese since High School. I'm 31 years old and my highest weight was 245lbs at 5'1. I also have huge issues with food. I am an overeater that also eats when bored, stressed, or feeling emotional. And I don't mean overeating like I just unbuttoned my pants and pat my belly and say "Oh yeah." I mean the type where I keep on eating and eating until I end up in so much pain or/and sick to the point of nausea type of overeating.

    So it's not like I had this huge abundance of willpower. But I learned that the more I did make conscious choices and educated myself in regards to calories in/calories out and such...I got more and more control over my habits and food. I'm not perfect but I've found it like a muscle. The more you use it/practice it..the better you get at it.

    TL;DR: You can have willpower if you want to.
    You say all that but I'm still impressed lol. I'm still working on being satisfied with 1/2 cup lol.

    FWIW...


    I eat a whole cup of ice cream, sometimes a cup and a half, and often I add peanuts to it and/or flavored syrup. You don't *have* to stick to 1/2 cup, just make it fit.


    Sometimes I have logged my dessert first, then see what I need to eat through the day to make it work.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Junk food is usually very calorie dense and can easily overtake the bulk of your daily calories if your not careful though. Seriously who only eats 1/2 cup of icecream? Or a measley 1 oz of chips. Want a slice of cheesecake? Easily 700 calories and up lol

    "Junk food" is a made-up term.

    Food = protein, fats, carbohydrates

    All terms are made up! It's whether they are popularised and taken up as acceptable and well used terms in our daily vocabulary, which Junk Food is.

    Ask most westernised people if they have heard of the term and I should think a majority have.

    The term Junk Food is even Alan Aragon Approved.

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