Healthy breakfast, healthy meals, healthy snacks, healthy everything. What is healthy even mean? Is low carb or low fat healthy? Is gluten free or vegan healthy? Let’s face it. In the world of nutrition, the term “healthy” kind of lost it’s true meaning and value in the last decade or so. But everybody wants to eat healthy. Healthy is trendy. 

This topic is very controversial. The ones follow a ketogenic diet will say that is healthy. Someone who eats a low carb diet will swear on that. The one that eats meat will shame the vegan and the vegan will shame the one that eats meat. Everyone believes in different things.

It’s like religion. Except believing in Buddha or Jesus Christ or none will not make you sick. In the other hand eating poorly and following nonsense fad diets will. 

Our nutrition has a huge impact on our life. It determines our fitness, our physical and sometimes mental health and it is also a foundation of the wellbeing of our elderly years. Now, if you are in your 20-s or 30-s you probably don’t think about that. Yet. If you’re over 40 getting close to 50 it might have already hit you. 

Regardless your age, just think about one thing: how do you want to spend your retirement. Chained to a bed, unable to move or feed yourself, or being fit, happy, and able to spend quality time with your family and grandkids. Well, not to point fingers but eating bacon with avocado and mayo won’t make that happen. 

I am not saying that only I know what is truly healthy and what’s not, however I do believe that if something is based on restrictions and on a “no” mindset that surely won’t be healthy on the long run nor physically nor mentally. So let’s just stop for a second, switch to a rational way of thinking, and think it through. 

In my previous articles I have mentioned multiple times how important all micro- and macronutrients are to our bodies and that each have a very important, distinctive and irreplaceable role. So I won’t stress that again. But let’s say that you, for instance take fat or carbs out of your diet and suddenly start living on chicken and salads, what will that do to your body? 

Well to be frank, with a decision such as this one you put your well-being and health in harms way. When you withdraw a certain nutrient from your body and over consume an other, you simply overthrow the balance of several essential bodily function.

This will cause several minor problems at first, such as bloating, excess gas production, constipation, headaches, poor sleep, etc… On the long term come the more serious problems. Heart and cardiovascular disease, weakened immune system, overthrown hormonal balance, higher risk of diabetes and inflammation caused diseases…

Your body is incredible. It can adjust to certain conditions in order to stay alive. But eating low carb, low fat, high protein or even eating every 2 hours will not deliver the expected results, like a lean body or good health. Yes, it can operate on high fat and minimal carbs. For a while you might even experience some so called benefits of it. Until you developed liver and/or gallbladder problems, or your blood becomes too fatty. 

How about eating the right amount of carbs, fats and protein alongside with all the necessary micronutrients? Does that sound “healthier” to you?! This is the only way to make your body function at its best, thanking you with good health, a strong mind and body, and a shape you always desired. 

Alongside with the nutrient balance you also have to make sure that you are consciously choosing the right ingredients. And again, right? What are the right ingredients? This one might be even easier to answer than the first question:

-Almost- anything low fat low carb, gluten and everything free, just think about it what they had to do in order to create those products.

They make them in factories, involving several chemical processes and artificial substances to get them carbs out of that whatever may be. Apart from that, usually when they take something out of a product they add an other something to it instead.

See low fat products with a ton of sugar. But the important thing is that it’s low fat, right? Not like your body actually needs that fat…

Then on top of that they wrapped them in -most of the times- non recyclable plastic that ends up in our seas, killing the ecosystem. Or the ready made meals. Same. Full of artificial flavorings and sodium. Yes it is easy, yes it is quick, and it may even have a green label that makes them look healthy. In reality you’re poisoning yourself when you consume these often for a long period of time.

Cost and time are really are excuses. My clients prove that every single day, and I am extremely proud of them. And yea, some of them have high positions and a family with a newborn baby. Put yourself first to be able to be there for others. 

Back to our topic- if all these are harmful for your body then what should you eat? Eat natural. Anything that close to its natural form when consumed is considered to be good for you. Whole foods baby. That is the answer. You might be thinking salad and fruits now, right? However any food that is close to its natural form at the time of consumption, as described above, is a whole food. 

So you can make pizza, burger, cakes, cool instagrammable buddha bowls and whatnot out of them. Simply with a little more time and with a little different ingredients. And sometimes if you fancy a ready made lasagna from Iceland or a deep fried whatever just go for it.

If you base your diet 90% on whole foods, a weekly or monthly treat will not hurt you.  Just be conscious about it. Eat all the foods. Don’t avoid any of the macronutrients. Your body needs them. 

So that concludes my opinion about healthy. Have a different opinion? No problems, you are entitled to that. Feel free to contact me and chat about it!