Yesterday I wrote about getting fitter with food. My final conclusion was, that everyone is just up to a happy life, and healthy nutrition could be one cornerstone when reaching for that. But, what is healthy?
The non-existing final definition – which is impossible to give, by the way – must be the key reason for huge food- or nutrition trends. There is always a new group of people, which finds out, that there is a new way to eat which suits them better than anything they have previously tried. They feel better, look better, and it just naturally suits them.
The problem with traditional recommendations is, that they are always tailored to a huge group of people. One fits all is rarely the best solution on an individual level. And then there are always the outliers.
When defining healthy nutrition, there are at least these assumptions, also combined in different ways:
- Low fat
- Low calories
- Low carbs
- Low in chemicals
- Lots of fats
- Lots of greens
- Lots of fruits and veggies
- Lots of protein
- Vegan
- Mostly plant-based
- No red meat
- No dairy
- No glutein
- No white wheat
And well, the list goes on. The problem is, that there are as many opinions or definitions of healthy as there are human beings. That for two reasons:
- Only something, that we can use to form a habit, will work long-term. Self-discipline works for a while, but it is like a muscle: It gets tired and exhausted.
- Individuals react differently to the same food for example. This can be dependant on body type, lifestyle or for example hormone levels. One might also have short term different needs than long term, and what worked well when you were 17 might not work any more when you are 28.
How to find, what works for you? Listen to yourself – this is important, but also extremely different. Do trial and error. Monitor, how you feel after eating.
During the following day’s, let’s dive deeper in what your healthy could be and why it maybe is something else than you expected.
fitterforlife 