From what I can tell, there is one massive problem with “healthy eating”-

No one really knows what the hell it is.

Stabbing at a goal without definition is frustrating, and makes the goal itself almost impossible to reach.  “I’m eating healthier!” said no one ever with a smile on their face.

Ironically, people who actually do eat “healthy,” in a way that they and their bodies thrive from, never actually say they are eating “healthy” because there is no distinction there.  You are just eating.  And thriving.

There are several directions this topic can go, the most prominent of which is the connection we as a society have with body image and health.  Is this connection is valid?  Yes.  But not nearly as valid as it used to be, or that we give it credit for, because of the roll exercise now plays in our lives.

Here’s what I’m talking about.  Take a person who is morbidly obese; is that person unhealthy?  We can probably say yes with relative certainly because we know enough about the human body to understand the relationship between extra weight and the stress it’s putting on the body’s systems, etc.

Now take someone who is considered fit.  Is that person healthy?  Hmmmm.  Here’s where the lines have become blurred.  Is the person healthy, or do they just have what society currently defines as a desirable body?

Are those two synonymous, and just as relevantly how did they attain that body?

It used to be a person’s weight was pretty much directly determined by how much they ate, especially for women; so the body was a direct reflection of eating habits (and if you go way back, social status).  However we have now learned to combat the overabundance of calories available in our society with exercise.  That’s good, because with the rise of technology and cubicle jobs in conjunction with the current availability of calories, we need it.

My version of healthy. Homemade bacon and bread, with avocado slathered on top. A good mix of fats, proteins, and carbs, and perfect for my body.

But is the bikini bod in the cubicle next to you actually healthier?  Sure they look great in everything they wear, including the thousand mental daggers you’ve just shot at them, but when they’re 60 are they going to be on ten different medications dodging diabetes and heart disease?  If they’re using exercise to hide a shit diet, then chances are the answer is, yup.

Here is where this topic converges with the Food Pillars– we have become so disconnected from our food now that we’ve dumbed it down to calories, while ignoring what those calories mean or may provide.

We’ve forgotten that, shockingly, 1500 calories of fast food cardboard is not actually the same as 1500 calories of real food.  1500 calories of *pick your poison* in the frozen food section with labels slapped all over them as “healthy” is not the same as real food.  I’m not sure it’s food at all frankly, rather just filler like those little packing peanuts you find in mailing boxes…  whose sole purpose is to make you think you’re full.  How much money are you spending on that illusion just out of curiosity?

So what is healthy?  We all have our different definitions, and here are the most important things to absorb with this topic:  There is no magic pill that works for everyone the same way, and your body can’t handle absolutes.

Everyone’s body is different, and finding the relationship with food that suits you the best is a process, not a patch slapped on with mail-order food or X diet.  It takes time to learn how to listen to your body, and how you react to certain things.  A vegan diet may fit the bill for some people, for others it may not work at all.

And, any diet that absolutely forbids something probably isn’t the way to go unless you’re getting those nutrients from another source.  The exception here, of course, being processed junk.

The point is, instead of shoving a square peg into a round hole, pay attention and find out what type of food actually does make you feel good.  Disconnect the idea that body image and health are as related as you think they are- work out for the health benefits of working out, and eat for life.

Most importantly, don’t allow anyone or anything else to define what healthy eating is for you.  Grow a pair and discover it for yourself.