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.

Are We Really What We Eat?

The more I read of The Omnivore's Dilemna, the more I think about what I eat. To give you all an idea of what I eat on a typical day, here is a log of everything I ate today:

Breakfast
a bowl of kashi puffs cereal with fat-free half and half
coffee
truvia

Lunch
Veggie Wrap with Tofu (details to come in tomorrow's post)
2 Apricots
Annie's fruit snacks
rice cake with grape jelly (pre-workout snack)

Dinner
red lentils (see earlier posts for recipe)
brown rice
cantaloupe

As I reflected on what I ate today, I realized that the only thing I ate that wouldn't qualify as vegan was the fat-free half and half that I put in my cereal. Despite the fact that my diet is borderline vegan, I don't think I would ever be able to make the commitment to becoming a full-time vegan. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to go vegan (in fact, I have a lot of respect for those of you who have that willpower). It's just that I like having the option to use dairy products when I need/want to.

I feel like the main reason my diet has evolved to become borderline vegan is because I am making a greater effort to eat more whole foods. I am making a greater effort to avoid processed foods, especially those that contain HFCS and hydrogenated oils. In the process of doing so, I have turned to the produce section of my grocery store.

My new mantra for food is this:
Buy more produce, especially that which is in season and/or grown locally. Avoid HFCS and hydrogenated oils when possible, but don't starve yourself in the process.

The fact of the matter is, not only is produce better when it's in season and/or local, but it's cheaper.

Here is my problem with processed foods: our bodies aren't meant to break down the chemicals used in those foods. One could argue that we've evolved to digest preservatives, dyes, and HFCS, but is that actually a good thing? I often feel better when I eat whole foods: I have more energy and feel healthier.