How many times do you find yourself pausing your doom scrolling when you come across a little delicious looking recipe that says “healthy cookie dough!” or “high protein pancakes just like the ones you really love!”? Yeah all the time. Because in today’s era of information, we are FLOODED by all these suggestions of what is “healthy”.
It seems every other week a new health trend or diet pops up claiming to be the elixir of life. But it really grinds my gears. Why? Because it seems that Instagram’s various influencers and photoshopped-rippling-six-pack PTs are intent on pushing their own individual narratives and agendas about what “healthy” food is. And they’re all very different. Which is EXTREMELY frustrating if you’re someone trying to find a way to improve your health, because when EVERYTHING is labelled as a “healthy recipe”, you’re no better off!
So let’s look behind the curtain of “healthy” when it comes to recipes and food and try and give ourselves more knowledge and more power when it comes to choosing our recipes for health.
1. Diet vs Health Labelling
It’s amazing how interchangeable the words for “diet” and “health” have almost become interchangeable. While the world starts to fight back against diet culture, food producers and educators have been very clever in their manipulation of language. Where before, you might have seen “skinny” “diet” or “lighter” options smothering the shelves, now we have a billion other labels which are confusing us into buying them thinking they too will be “good for us”.
Let’s dissect some of the popular labels:
- Low Fat: Once considered the key to weight loss and heart health, the low-fat craze saw fats removed from many products. However, fats were often replaced with sugars to keep taste palatable, leading to unforeseen consequences like type 2 diabetes and its associated consequences. The once assumed link between saturated fats and cardiovascular disease has now been busted, but the outdated “wisdom” still lingers and for some, low fat still equals good health.
- High Protein: One of the latest fads is the high protein craze. Perhaps brought about by the fear of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) as we age and the promises that protein can help you lose weight while keeping you full and muscular, people have become obsessed by upping their protein intake to gain the long term body of their dreams. While proteins are vital for muscle growth and repair, the Westernised diet is often plenty high enough (and in fact over-rich) in protein and focusing solely on this macronutrient can again lead to deficiencies in other essential nutritional components of fats and carbohydrates.
- Low Calorie: Low calorie foods are assumed healthy based on the longstanding – and INCORRECT – assumption that health = weight loss. For many people, weight loss is not a pathway to health and focusing only on the calorie content of a food leaves so much health on the table! It pays zero attention to nutrient content and does not look at a full body picture of what health actually means.
2. A Holistic View on “Healthy”
What’s often overlooked is that being “healthy” encompasses a broad spectrum of nutritional needs. A truly healthy diet offers a balance of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and a plethora of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) vital for optimal body function. The danger with focusing on one particular narrative is the exclusion of essential nutrients and health benefits outside of that narrow window.
The World Health Organisation defines health as more than one thing, more than the absence of disease. If you go and read the various definitions of health and health promotion by numerous organisations, the common theme is balance. It’s the ability to remain fulfilled and able to cope with life. And for every single person, there is acknowledgment that that is different.
Equally, when it comes to nutrition, there is no one dietary pattern food and nutrition scientists agree as being “the best”. But what more and more evidence is showing, is that the approach that improves health outcomes for so many, is a whole food approach, which focuses on REAL foods vs ultra-processed foods. It focuses on feeding the whole body and nourishing vital systems like the gut, which not only feed our physical form, but have important interactions with our mental health and performance too.
3. Individual Needs and Circumstances
Anyone who tells you everyone should do the same thing to achieve the same outcome simply isn’t right. Yes, calorie deficits ALWAYS lead to weight loss. Deficiencies will ALWAYS lead to the same symptoms eventually. But as we’ve just pointed out, health isn’t merely the absence of disease and it certainly isn’t solely focused on weight.
Every individual is unique, and so are their nutritional needs. A high-performing athlete is going to need a very different nutritional profile compared with a breastfeeding mother. A self-employed builder with their own business is going to need a different approach to a sedentary office worker who plays badminton once a week. Your circumstances and your goals will all alter what a “healthy diet” means to you. As will your health conditions; the keto diet for example was founded for kids with severe epilepsy. Those with diabetes of any type will need to be way more considerate of their carbohydrate intake.
A “healthy” recipe for one person, might not fit for another. And this is the problem with blindly following one influencer’s approach – if it isn’t right for you, it isn’t going to be as healthy as it’s advertised!
So IS there a “healthy” approach we can all adopt??
In the world of nutrition, there’s no one-size-fits-all. So, next time you come across a “healthy” label, delve a bit deeper. Ask yourself if it’s truly healthy for you given your unique circumstances, needs, and goals.
The real recipe for health lies in embracing a varied and balanced diet, listening to your body, and continuously educating yourself. It’s about understanding what works for you and what doesn’t. But there is one thing we can all focus on, and that’s putting whole, less processed foods in the spotlight and working our way to resolving the emotional hang ups we have with food.