What is healthy eating to you?

Jupiter

Full Member
I've been thinking about the label 'healthy eating' and wondering what it really means and if it is what I am REALLY doing!

Certainly I have cut down on a lot of foods that make me fat but is what I'm eating actually healthy?
Switching to low cal and diet versions of things is obviously going to take me in the right direction but am I going to be any more healthy than before?
So many diet and low cal foods contain additives and artificial sweetners etc etc none of which are actually healthy but just happen to make things taste better and make up for the lack of fat.
Is it better to take healthy eating literally and stick to all natural foods or to treat it simply as a way to lose weight and make the calorie/fat content of food the most important thing? For example, am I better off having a small amount of butter (natural food) or using an extra light spread (additives etc etc) and allowing myself a little more?
What do people think?
 
For me, healthy eating has been re-evaluating a) the fat/sugar/other 'risk' factors in the foods I eat and b) my portion sizes.

I do indulge in a spot of calorie counting but only to ensure I'm not going over the recommended allowance because yes, I do want to lose weight!!

But really I'm striving to try and get a good overall balance of key nutrients. I use a calorie counting website (search calorie count about on a search engine to find it) which gives me an analysis report of my daily intake - shows me which nutrients I've overindulged in and which are 'too low' etc. I find it very helpful.

I guess it's a healthy balanced diet I'm striving for with everything in moderation... :)
 
to me healthy eating is cutting out most of the sugar and fat. and having more fruit and veg. Less "bad" carbs and more of the whole or brown carbs. But healthy to me also includes a treat once in a while, normally for me, 1 packet of crisps a week and 1 pizza or takeaway meal.
 
as much fresh fruit and veg, plenty of water, avoiding too many sugary treats....
 
We eat 'clean proteins' i.e. unprocessed meats and fish; i try to choose foods that have had the least done to them and therefore as naturally as possible like fruit and vegetables. I make all our meals from scratch where possible so that you know what’s in your dinner. I would eat butter if i needed it and NEVER eat marg' i once read that if you leave marg out in the open with the lid off that not even flies are attracted to it and it goes stale but never goes mouldy because it is a complete chemical! (think about it) We eat foods with good fats like oily fish, olives and avocados. At the moment i heavily limit the amount of bread, potatoes, rice and pasta we eat because i have found that by leaving these things out our weight loss is gradual and regular however when we eventually get to our goals i will willingly be introducing small amounts of wholemeal carbs back into our diets to maintain a healthy weight. We have always eaten healthily (so why am i soooo fat i hear you say) because i have discovered that our love of carbs was our absolute downfall. Big granary butties, large pasta bakes and rice dishes made me the girl i am today. To ensure we have a balanced healthy diet we have beans and pulses to make up the carb deficit in a more natural way. We have dairy in the form of ss milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. I believe in occasional treats, drink red wine and buy low cal foods where the fat is not needed, am useless at drinking water but only drink decaff. However i do think everyone has a different idea of what healthy eating is and nobody’s perfect. Some i agree with on the forum and some i don’t! But at the end of the day if you feel properly nourished (different from stuffed, bloated), think about where your food is coming from and feel healthy inside, you can’t be going too far wrong can you! x x
 
I generally am of the opinion that the natural food is better - if there's a diet version of it then the original food is probably not *too* healthy to begin with, and I don't eat diet foods at all really.

I also try to follow the 3 Rs, as advocated by Marissa Peer (the therapist on that Superskinny show) - foods that grows or ROAMS, foods that you could eat RAW and foods that you can RECOGNISE as natural food - this is pretty much interchangeable with the no CRAP rule in my signature! I do allow myself a little treat (or two) but that's only once a week, and if I want it. If it doesn't adhere to one of the 3 Rs then it's not going in my belly! Although I do make exceptions - low fat cheese for example, and processed soups! But I'm trying to find time to make my own soup and with the weather improving it's nearly salad time anyway :)

I don't restrict anything as long as it's within the 3 Rs :) None of that low-carbing, fat trimming, skimping on salad dressings for me - but I do try to stay within my calorie goals for the day.

I would also NEVER touch margarine for the same reason as AuntyPasty - I read exactly the same thing about the flies!!! GROSS! I do however have benecol reduced fat olive spread instead of butter but now I'm wondering if that would do the same as marg!?!? ><
 
for me its...
just cutting out the crap the majority of the time like crisps/cakes/biscuits/chocolate/white bread/sugary cereal bars and all that, but allowing it once in a while as a treat as long as i eat healthy most of the week. also choosing wholegrain carbs like brown rice and wholewheat pasta over the white varieties. and including fruit and veg and stuff like yoghurt, chicken, fish and beans. just following a balanced diet really.
 
I see it as more of a common sense thing. If someone gave me the choice of an apple or a cake, my mind registers the fact that the apple is what is better for my body. I've found it hard sticking to diets in the past because of restrictions, for example... I used to do slimming world which was great but I struggled because I liked to eat out a lot and it wasn't always practical. By 'healthy eating', I'm setting my own rules which gives me the freedom and control and I just find it easier to stick at. I can go to restaurants and have a meal from the 'under 600 cals' options and not feel guilty. I can pick up a salad while I'm out and generally eat whatever I want (within reason!).

My main rules are that I balance my meals and make sure at least one third of my meal/plate is made of veg/salad/fruit, I control my portions, I don't eat unless I'm actually hungry and I think logically about what I'm putting into my body and how it'll effect my weight. I've found when I'm on a restrictive diet, I'm constantly thinking about food. Literally, all the time. Nowadays, I have my moments but the freedom of it means I don't really have to think about it. It's weirdly liberating!
 
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