The term «healthy» in the nutrition world has, in many cases, come to be a euphemism for morality with food. You’re «good» if you eat vegetables and you’re «bad» if you eat cake. The word «healthy» is also used as a way to describe and categorize bodies. You’re body is considered healthy if it looks a certain way and unhealthy if it doesn’t fit neatly into certain categories. The word healthy has been oversimplified and misused by media and so-called health gurus, and the word is practically meaningless to us now. No wonder we’re confused about what the word healthy actually means!
I argue we should reclaim this word and use it in the way it’s intended: the word simply means promoting good health.
When you think of it that way, it’s easy to see how broad the definition of the word health really is. There are infinite things in life that are health-promoting: a walk on a summer night after a long work day to unwind, sipping hot chocolate while watching your loved ones open gifts during the holidays and even roasting marshmallows over an open fire while camping with your family. When we think of the word «healthy» for what it truly is, it’s easy to see how reducing it down to good and bad, right and wrong with specific foods is doing a serious injustice to the word. There’s so much more to it!
There is no one food that promotes health. Consistently providing your body with a wide variety of foods in balance with each other is when a person can enjoy a health-promoting way of eating.
Healthy means so much more than just what we put in our mouth—it also encompasses what we allow to dwell in our minds and how we engage in our own self-care. For that reason, sometimes eating foods that others may deem «unhealthy» might just be the healthiest choice you can make in that moment, because maybe enjoying that food in that moment is a chance to connect with someone you love, or enjoy a pleasurable eating experience. Connection and pleasure have a time and place with eating and can enhance our health when those values are in balance with other values around food such as balance.
The word healthy is not the way your body looks or the size of your jeans. Healthy is not avoiding certain foods and only eating foods deemed «good». Healthy is not obsession and rigid food rules in the name of obtaining a certain body size.
Healthy is keeping all areas of wellness and life in mind as you navigate your self-care and time spent on important tasks. Being healthy means you carve out time and energy to find hobbies, people and work that fulfills you, uplifts you and enhances your ability to be the best person you can be. Being healthy includes a balanced way of eating, but there’s more to promoting good health than food alone.
There is so much more to health than pursuing perfect nutrition (side note: it doesn’t exist). Getting caught up in nutrition and eating as the end-all, be-all of health is a seriously short-sighted way to view such an important and encompassing concept.
We do ourselves a serious disservice to boil down the definition or criteria for health to food alone. Sure, our choices about what we eat over time can positively or negatively affect our health. But, just like it’s pretty laughable to call ourselves healthy for eating a cucumber one day, it’s also pretty laughable to call ourselves unhealthy for eating some cake one day, too.
Resist the urge to oversimplify health. Allow it to be the messy and complex concept it is and take your time to discover what it looks like for you. Find ways to balance the things in life that make you feel whole and well, and notice how much easier the facet of health called nutrition and eating becomes when life is in balance in all areas of health that enhance your well-being.
This article was originally published on ksl.com
#health #cooking #nutrition #positivenutrition #bodypositivity
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] A[/dropcap] few weeks ago I had a little ‘rant’ about my view on natural sweeteners. It generated some great discussion in the comments which I loved.
It also made me really think about the term healthy eating and what it means to me.
But before I get to that…
I have to tell you about this weeks recipe. It’s really a keeper! Citrus and fennel is a match made in heaven. Trust me, you need to try this one.
Anyway back to ‘healthy’.
The biggest lesson I’ve had from teaching people from around the world in my online cooking classes over the last 6 years is that there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
We all have our individual biochemical quirks.
For example some people, like me, have poor insulin sensitivity so having lots of carbs causes big problems with blood sugar. Whereas someone else may have excellent blood sugar control and can happily eat carbs without gaining weight or becoming diabetic.
It’s super important to experiment and find out what works best for you.
So with that in mind, I thought I’d share what works in my world…
What ‘healthy’ means to me
– Low carb / high fat
– Gluten-free
– Grain-free
– Real food (NOT processed / packaged)
– Full fat dairy, meat fish & eggs
– Lots of vegetables
– Mostly savoury
BUT!
While I eat like this most of the time, I’m a huge believer in the concept of ‘never say never’. So when I’m at an amazing restaurant, I forget all about health and just go for pure indulgence.
If there’s a food I really love, I can always find space for it at some point.
Although that being said, I find the more healthy food I eat, the less I crave treats or the ‘treats’ that I crave actually fall into my definition of healthy. It’s a beautiful thing.
Now over to you…
I’d love to hear in the comments below…
—————
Need some help with eating more healthfully?
Well you’re in luck!
Registration for my online cooking program ‘The Healthy Meal Method’ is still open for a few days.
It’s a 6 week online training program that teaches simple healthy cooking habits.
It arms you with simple tools and strategies to help you make real lasting changes to your life so you can ‘eat well, be well’ with minimal effort.
For more details go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/hmm/
Note: Registration closes 19 August 2016.
—————
Citrus Roast Chicken & Fennel
Inspired by the Citrus Braised Fennel in the Cornersmith Cookbook. I love that their recipe said ‘make this one!’ And was so glad I followed their advice. I’ve added chicken to make it a complete meal and swapped to cooking in the oven instead of the stove top so it’s less labour intensive but still just as delicious!
enough for: 2
takes: 60 minutes
1 large bulb sliced 1cm (1/2in) thick
juice & zest 1 lemon
juice & zest 1 orange
6 chicken drumsticks
green salad, to serve
1. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Place fennel in a baking tray, preferably so it sits flat in one layer but don’t stress if you need to overlap a bit. Sprinkle over zest and juice of your lemon and orange and top with chicken. Add 1/2 cup water and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with a big pinch of salt.
2. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
3. Uncover and turn chicken. Roast for another 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and fennel is tender.
4. Taste cooking juices and add more salt if needed. Serve with green salad on the side.
Variations
porky – replace chicken with thick pork sausages. Or cook fennel on its own with the citrus and serve with BBQ or grilled pork chops.
vegetarian – replace chicken with a drained can of chickpeas tossed in for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve with roasted almonds or pine nuts.
other chicken – use breasts or thigh fillets and remove when cooked (will take 30 mins or less) or serve fennel as a side to a classic roast chook.
herby – toss in a few springs of thyme.
carb lovers / more substantial – toss in cooked rice, quinoa or couscous to soak up the citrusy goodness.
other citrus / lower carb – try lime instead of the orange.
Big love,
Jules x
ps. Not sure if The Healthy Meal Method can help you?
Here’s what Martha and Cynthia said about their experience…
“HMM has really given me the tools to eat healthier and cook for myself at home more.”
Martha, Healthy Meal Method Student.
“After doing HMM I’m starting to simplify, I now realize we don’t have to have 4 dishes for dinner during the week. If I can get a veg and a protein into a simple and healthy dish, that’s all it takes! I didn’t realize that cooking with so few ingredients could be so tasty…and it’s so easy.”
Cynthia, Healthy Meal Method Student.
pps. Here’s the link again:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/hmm/
Note: 2016 registration closes 19 August. No exceptions.
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What The Word «Healthy» Means To Me
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What the word «healthy» means to me
Jul 23, 2018
In what feels like the past few years, an underlining topic has been lingering everywhere. From all types of media to advertisements on the side of the road, to new apps, to inspiring businesses — you name it. Fitness and health have been on the rise in trendiness, now more than ever.
Everyone has a different perspective when health is mentioned, especially when working out and eating «right» are involved. With the media slowly seeping this life-altering idea into our everyday lives, I believe now is the time to make that difference in your life.
Personally, I believe that for a change to take place in anyone’s life, that person has to want the change to happen, both short term and long term. For example, anyone could force themselves to eliminate greasy fast food a few times a week from their diet or to do that juice cleanse you just saw the Kardashians swear by. Although, just by changing your diet for a week to complete the challenge, you won’t really cause your life to be healthier overall. The same goes for exercise. If you finally find that gym groove in your busy schedule but don’t change unhealthy eating habits, overall your lifestyle won’t magically change. To truly put in all the effort that goes into eating healthy and working out, your body will love you and you’ll love it back. There just seems to be an unmentioned misconception lately that if you buy the latest health membership or promotion, you’ll automatically live healthier.
For me, two main things I want from living a healthy lifestyle are to look toned and feel good about how I look. In high school to stay active, I joined the Cross Country team and the Track team and ran all four years that I could. This quickly became my new life. Starting my summer before freshman year I began waking up early and meeting my team just when the sun came up to run a few miles and soon I realized I could eat whatever and however much I wanted. This glory soon ended.
When I got to college, I wasn’t running or working out nearly as much as I was before and I realized that this was not the life I wanted. I wanted to eat healthily (but still have a little room for fun in my diet), stay active, and like being in my own skin. So I made a change.
Luckily, my dad is a little bit of a gym freak and can explain dieting and exercising better than that of the media’s fake juice cleanse or «click here for an easy 10-minute workout from your couch» articles. So I devised some easy meals that I could make at college and gathered information from him that would keep me on the track to stay feeling healthy.
The most important thing I learned about my health habits in this shift to college was that at any time in my life I may need to make adjustments, but as long as I am listening to my body, it will tell me what to do to take care of it. I believe this goes for anyone — however old.
Staying active and happily living in your own body can sometimes be difficult. Luckily, now more than ever there are so many resources around that can kickstart that change or reignite that old motivation.
I advocate for living the healthiest lifestyle possible and taking care of my body because you should take pride in your body and take care of yourself to be the best that you can be.
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