The Pitfalls of Labeling Food as ‘Good’ or ‘Bad
Labeling food in a dichotomous way (good/bad, healthy/unhealthy, etc.) misunderstands how nutrition influences one’s health or specific goals.
Nutrition influences your health, positively or negatively, over the long-term – your consistent dietary pattern, not isolated events (e.g. eating one chocolate bar, eating a fast food meal, etc.).
A better approach: view positive or negative changes on a sliding spectrum, between Ideal and not Ideal; and understand that extremes on either end are not reality.
See the following infographics that highlights this better: “quotation marks” are used in the following examples to describe subjective terms.
Takehome Message
Start thinking of your nutrition as a representation of your consistent efforts, not isolated events. Thinking this way will help you understand that food isn’t inherently good/bad, healthy/unhealthy.
As the saying goes: “It’s the dose that makes the poison.”
In the case of positively impacting your health, “It’s the consistent dose that improves your health.”
Positive Nutrition Habits For Health
Here are some positive nutrition habits that if consistently done will improve your health immensely:
- Adequate caloric intake for weight management (the following habits will help with this).
- Adequate fibre intake (25g/day for females, 38g/day for males). This includes regular consumption of fruits & vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds.
- Adequate protein intake (at minimum 0.36g/lb, higher for different goals – e.g. 0.7g/lb for building muscle and strength training).
- Mindful eating. Practice mindful eating by paying attention to your food choices, chewing slowly, and savoring each bite. This can help prevent mindless eating and promote better digestion.
- Limit Added Sugars and Sodium. Be mindful of hidden sugars and sodium. Opt for naturally sweetened options like fruit and limit your intake of salty snacks and high-sodium foods when possible.
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