I know the title of this post sounds silly. We all know what Healthy is right? When you see a meal you will just know if it is healthy or not. Ok you might not know every ingredient or how it was prepared, but you would think we could look at a meal and say this is healthy or this is not healthy.
The problem is depending on who you talk to, there are inconsistencies with what "healthy" is. Let's look at my breakfast this morning. I had 6 whole eggs, kale, mushrooms, tomatoes, cooked as a scramble with coconut oil. I also had two pieces of whole wheat toast with a little butter and jelly. This is actually what I ate. Well, Davis had some too, but I ate most of it. So is this a healthy meal? Well if you talk to a vegan, then no this is not healthy. If you talk to someone who is anti-gluten then again I'm eating an unhealthy meal. How about the 6 whole eggs? Many will say this is unhealthy too. And butter? What was I thinking?
So how do we tell if a meal is healthy? This is harder than it sounds. This is why nutrition is such a complex topic. There are so many unknowns (even though most are convinced they know everything) so it is hard to make a healthy decision. I have always been a middle of the road fitness coach. Maybe I'm more boring, but until I'm definitely proven wrong I will be stubborn here. You will love this next point. There really are no bad or unhealthy foods. The problem arises when we consume too much of certain foods.
I sent an article out in our newsletter a few weeks ago on detoxes and cleanses. One point was made that if you consume enough bok choy it can be toxic. Does that mean bok choy is unhealthy? Of course not. But if that was all you ate all day, then yes you will have problems. Instead of thinking of good vs. bad or healthy vs unhealthy, think if you have meet your limit for certain foods.
Start with your macronutrients. These are your fats, carbs, and proteins. You may have to play around with this some depending on what your fitness goal is, but you should have an idea of what much of each you should be consuming. For example, if you are trying to lose weight you may want to try eating 40% of your diet from carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat. Once you have gotten your macronutrient ratios correct, then you can look at micronutrients. These are things like vitamins and minerals. If you are following certain diets you may be deficient in certain micronutrients, and over consuming others. Then you will want to focus on foods higher in the micronutrients you are missing.
And finally we want to see how you are feeling after consumption of certain foods. If you ate the same breakfast I had this morning and felt great, then this may be a good breakfast choice for you. If you felt terrible, then maybe there is something you should be avoiding like gluten or eggs. But you can't say something is definitely healthy or unhealthy just by looking at the meal and nothing else.
Hopefully this changed your perspective a bit on how you eat. Here is a "healthy" recipe that Emily and I came across. See if it fits your healthy nutritional habits.
2 teaspoons Olive Oil, divided
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup salsa, your choice of heat
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Directions:
1
Heat 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 3 minutes.
2
Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, cumin, and beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick.
3
Mash the bean mixture slightly with a potato masher.
4
Remove from heat; stir in the cilantro and goat cheese.
5
Spread the bean mixture evenly over 4 tortillas; top each with 1 tortilla, pressing gently.
6
Heat 1/4 teaspoon olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 quesadilla, and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the procedure with the remaining olive oil and quesadillas.
7
Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Serve with fat-free sour cream and 1/2 cup salsa.
You Stay Healthy San Diego,
The problem is depending on who you talk to, there are inconsistencies with what "healthy" is. Let's look at my breakfast this morning. I had 6 whole eggs, kale, mushrooms, tomatoes, cooked as a scramble with coconut oil. I also had two pieces of whole wheat toast with a little butter and jelly. This is actually what I ate. Well, Davis had some too, but I ate most of it. So is this a healthy meal? Well if you talk to a vegan, then no this is not healthy. If you talk to someone who is anti-gluten then again I'm eating an unhealthy meal. How about the 6 whole eggs? Many will say this is unhealthy too. And butter? What was I thinking?
So how do we tell if a meal is healthy? This is harder than it sounds. This is why nutrition is such a complex topic. There are so many unknowns (even though most are convinced they know everything) so it is hard to make a healthy decision. I have always been a middle of the road fitness coach. Maybe I'm more boring, but until I'm definitely proven wrong I will be stubborn here. You will love this next point. There really are no bad or unhealthy foods. The problem arises when we consume too much of certain foods.
I sent an article out in our newsletter a few weeks ago on detoxes and cleanses. One point was made that if you consume enough bok choy it can be toxic. Does that mean bok choy is unhealthy? Of course not. But if that was all you ate all day, then yes you will have problems. Instead of thinking of good vs. bad or healthy vs unhealthy, think if you have meet your limit for certain foods.
Start with your macronutrients. These are your fats, carbs, and proteins. You may have to play around with this some depending on what your fitness goal is, but you should have an idea of what much of each you should be consuming. For example, if you are trying to lose weight you may want to try eating 40% of your diet from carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat. Once you have gotten your macronutrient ratios correct, then you can look at micronutrients. These are things like vitamins and minerals. If you are following certain diets you may be deficient in certain micronutrients, and over consuming others. Then you will want to focus on foods higher in the micronutrients you are missing.
And finally we want to see how you are feeling after consumption of certain foods. If you ate the same breakfast I had this morning and felt great, then this may be a good breakfast choice for you. If you felt terrible, then maybe there is something you should be avoiding like gluten or eggs. But you can't say something is definitely healthy or unhealthy just by looking at the meal and nothing else.
Hopefully this changed your perspective a bit on how you eat. Here is a "healthy" recipe that Emily and I came across. See if it fits your healthy nutritional habits.
Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Goat Cheese Quesadilla:
Ingredients:2 teaspoons Olive Oil, divided
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup salsa, your choice of heat
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Directions:
1
Heat 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 3 minutes.
2
Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, cumin, and beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick.
3
Mash the bean mixture slightly with a potato masher.
4
Remove from heat; stir in the cilantro and goat cheese.
5
Spread the bean mixture evenly over 4 tortillas; top each with 1 tortilla, pressing gently.
6
Heat 1/4 teaspoon olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 quesadilla, and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the procedure with the remaining olive oil and quesadillas.
7
Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Serve with fat-free sour cream and 1/2 cup salsa.
You Stay Healthy San Diego,
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
