There is no such thing as GOOD or BAD Foods….
Here’s a quote I hope you remember which can transform your relationship with food “there is no such thing as good or bad foods, only a bad diet that precedes it”.
When we break down Nutrition, it’s clear to most how it plays an imperative role in how we perform, feel and look.
How Nutrition is marketed (at times) can be complicated, misleading and certain companies will thrive on consumers naivety when it comes to the latest diet trends or fads and falling for the best way to “burn fat”.
This got me thinking about what it means to be “healthy” and how certain individuals create their perception of this, albeit often ambiguous.
IMO Nutrition can be made simple, it’s just about breaking it down in the right way.
For the most part, I believe many people envision a healthy diet as consuming all of the “clean” foods (greens, veggies, fish, non-refined grains, lean protein sources etc etc), barely touching a drop of alcohol, drinking plenty of green tea and always voiding yourself from your typical array of processed foods such as pizza, cakes and deep-fried chicken (to name a few). Essentially living the life of a monk or in total isolation (the irony writing this in current times in uncanny) and being this way because you feel you HAVE to, not because you WANT to.
In my opinion there is a confusion between what it means to be healthy and unhealthy, especially with regards to body composition and health.
When it boils down to it, instead of labelling foods as good or bad, I believe we can separate them into two main divisions : -
On one side of the spectrum we have our Nutrient-dense foods. These are foods typically grown from the earth which have a high nutrient profile (macros, fibre, minerals, vitamins) within them and we’ll generally give us a high response in terms of our energy, cognitive function, mood and supporting a healthy immune function. As good as these foods are for us, they don’t tend to be too great (subjective) on the taste and texture front.
Examples of these foods include Broccoli, Leafy Greens, Berries and Quinoa
One the other end, we have Calorie-dense foods or “processed” foods. These are typically high on the calorie front, highly refined within a factory and are usually manufactured in a way to give us vasts amount of hedonistic pleasure with their hyper-palatable (giving our brain a massive sense of reward) taste and texture.
Quite often these foods are dense in sugar and fat and demonised by many in the health and fitness space.
Examples of these foods include Donuts, Pizza, Milkshakes, Cookies, Waffles to name a few.
Foods Broken Down (Simply)>
Nutrient dense foods will typically be lower on the calorie front, higher in terms of nutrition but not as pleasurable in terms of taste and texture.
Calorie dense foods will typically be high on the calorie front, lower in terms of nutrition and highly pleasurable when it comes to taste.
You then have foods which fall in-between these two divisions which will have a little blend of both. Examples include : Salmon, Feta Cheese, Dark Chocolate and Multigrain Bread.
What is imperative to creating a healthy diet is understanding the ‘difference’ between the two ends of each spectrum and how this can impact how we perform day-to-day and how this plays a role in how we go about our daily behaviours.
If you’re one to forever eat nutrient dense foods (24–7) which are bland and quite frankly boring, it’s inevitable you’re going to want to binge at some point later down the line and go mad with your favourite pizza. This can likely lead to self-sabotage and we don’t want that!
If you’re one to constantly eat ultra-processed food, it’s likely you will be more susceptible to overeat, lack good energy sources and generally feel a bit shit, which won’t serve you if you’re seeking to feel better about yourself and be more active. It’s also a lot easier this way to get fat and pick up unwanted health implications (type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease etc) as a result.
So how do we manage this and create the best results?
I would argue that for most part, we want to be eating nutrient dense foods for health and performance reasons, as well as maintaining a good body composition, but not to the extent where you completely remove yourself from the foods/drinks you enjoy and hate yourself for it. This is where long-term people develop unhealthy relationships with food and yo-yo-ing between binging and being overly restrictive.
The Nuts & Bolts of it
It’s ultimately about restoring a blend of mainly nutrient-dense (to keep us feeling good) with a little bit of calorie-dense (in moderation) to keep us sane and not take the enjoyment out of food. I refer to this as an 80/20 split. 80 ND/20 CD.
This when done on a long-term basis, creates sustainable and successful dieting strategies which can help us maintain a healthy, strong and fully functioning body and mind.
Alongside installing the right system of habits and behaviours, you can set yourself up to win at life.
Who doesn’t want that?
Social Events.
When we look at social events/gatherings, eating food and drink with friends and family should be a joyous occasion and not one where we feel like we can’t ever do that.
Healthy Foods — When it comes to Body Comp
Importantly if you’re someone who eats all of the supposed “healthy” foods, but you over-consume on your total amount of calories, you will put on weight and if done to the extreme, be in an unhealthy state regardless of the quality of the foods that enter your mouth.
When we look the ridiculous increase in Global Obesity over the last fifty years, it’s irrelevant how many greens, flax seeds, matcha teas and fibre you’re having if your calories are too high for the amount you move. Worldwide, most people are eating too much and being far too inactive.
There was a study released in 2019 that showed people over-consumed by up to 30% on the foods they “perceived” to be healthy. This to me shows where consumers are mislead and confused when it comes to nutrition and how the wrong information circulates through the media.
Pro Tip : Recognise that if you’re wanting to stay healthy and feel good, it’s likely you’ll have to be mindful of portion sizes and not go to excess at every given opportunity, whilst remaining active and not being chronically stressed.
I would also consider it healthy (from a psychological standpoint) to do something you enjoy and not feel a huge strain of guilt for it the next day.
