Defining Healthy

Everyone has a different definition of healthy. This can be influenced by a variety of factors-what your family fed you as a child, how much exposure you have to the media, the type of food you have access to in your local grocery store, etc.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But it concerns me when an adult twice my age tells me that he considers an oatmeal raisin cookie to be healthy and actually mean it. Yes, oats are good for you, and so are raisins. These cookies look relatively healthy on the surface. But factor in all the butter and sugar that goes into those cookies, too. Still looking healthy? It's common knowledge that these ingredients will be found in your average cookie, so it shouldn't be a surprise that they are not all that healthy after all.

What concerns me the most about this matter is what the adults in charge of providing nutritious meals to children in our country consider to be healthy. I'm talking about the adults who are in charge of making school lunch menus, those that are in charge of teaching children about nutrition, etc. If they can't define healthy eating habits, then what will happen to our youth?

My definition of healthy is food that is minimally processed and provides beneficial nutrients. I consider a healthy meal one that contains whole grains and at least one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables. This helps me get my daily value of vitamins, along with plenty of fiber and protein. I've also found that I'm consuming less sodium and refined sugar, because I am avoiding processed foods as often as possible.