Good vs. Bad Food
We often like to label food as good or bad, but it is not as simple as that. Have you ever stopped to wonder who gets to decide if a food is good or bad? Many factors can contribute to negative results to food: current health, activity level, stress, social settings, how much, and so many more factors.
Food is fuel and so much more. We eat the food, we digest the food, we then have energy for the mind and body. It’s actually really cool to think that the food you eat is then transferred into that workout you do, the busy work day or even the house chores you have been putting off all week. It is also used in so many daily body operations at a microscopic level. The food you eat can improve your immune system, repair muscles, build DNA, and so much more. There are so many nutrients and micronutrients in everything we eat. This all to explain that food is important for our bodies.
Here’s the new way I challenge you to think of good vs bad food: on a continuum.
What you choose to eat in the moment, there will always be a not as good option and a better option. That’s with every choice we make in life, and with every choice comes a lot of factors that play into that choice. Our goal should be to eat more of those good and better foods to help us function to our best capacity. Those not as good foods should then be eaten in moderation. (Usually when we are deprived completely is when we then over binge it when the opportunity comes).
Some simple things to move your food choice to the right of the continuum include:
Add a veggie or fruit
Choose a leaner meat
Control your portion size
Have a glass of water
Find a fiber
Swap for a healthy fat substitute
There is a lot more that goes into our food choices other then what our food is made of. We have social and emotional ties to the food we eat as well. That’s why it is easy to know what foods have a lot of benefits for our body but its hard to chose to eat them. Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding what foods to eat:
How will I feel while eating this?
How will I feel after I eat this?
Do I have a better option available right now?
This is not as good compared to other options but will this make me happy?
Precision Nutrition takes this approach in a similar manner by thinking of food as a green light - yellow light - red light option. It is a similar idea that all food can and should be eaten. There's just lots of benefits of eating those better/green light foods.
So eat the food, fuel the body and mind, give the body what it needs, enjoy life, and make choices that will make you happy. Both in the moment and later after you have already eaten.
Best wishes and thanks for reading!