Last week, I came across an interview with Michael Pollan from Active.com. Despite hearing or reading the same message about food and responsible eating, I never seem to tire of getting the message again and again. I always seem to find something new that gets me thinking.
Rolled oats
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Chopped walnuts, pecans and almonds
Unsweetened, shredded coconut
Sprinkle of mascavo sugar
This time it was the phrase, “an unhealthy obsession with healthy food.”
For a long time before I even had ideas for this blog, as I was studying nutrition and creating my own path to health, I felt that an obsession with healthy practices was as negative for wellness as not caring about what you put into your body. I remember verbalizing this thought to those around me at the time. Addiction comes in many forms and those related to overeating can easily be transformed into under-eating and counting every calorie, gram and milligram.
This phrase really brings about two different thoughts for me and today I’ll concentrate on the first one.
When we become so concerned about what a food will do for us, or how it will affect us we stop enjoying the food. Often in our society it feels that we are so desperate for perfect health that we’ll pay any amount of money and believe any bull to get it. So we’ve reached this point where we’ve forgotten about food, the art of making it, the benefit of eating it together and eating slowly.
Food is a thing, a thing that can make us fat or thin, disease-ridden or disease-free. A thing that must be consumed when our stomach growls, when we are stressed or when the clock strikes a certain hour.
The irony is that even when we have health as our number one priority those foods, those things, we are obsessing about aren’t even healthy. (Preservative-filled, artificially sweetened, artificially-thickened, fat-replaced yogurt, anyone?)
Sadly, the unhealthy obsession with healthy foods that I’ve battled from time to time made me miss out on some great stuff. The one thing that stands out in my mind is that I avoided some truly healthy foods because they were high in calorie only to eat fake foods with lesser nutritional value.
What was I thinking? Well, I’ll be easy on myself and say I was thinking what society and food companies wanted me to.
Nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, whole grain cereals and bananas are all examples of food that at one time or another I ate very little of because of the calories they contain. Instead I ate fat-free yogurt, low–fat crackers, processed cereal bars, frozen diet meals and light ice cream.
Just think about all those calories I was saving! Funny how my struggle with carrying a few extra pounds never changed. Not to mention the fact that I was getting very few nutrients when I could have been getting a multitude of vitamins and minerals, protein and heart-healthy fat.
An obsession in any form can be damaging to wellness, but can be especially so when directed at what the food industry and society convince us is healthy. An unhealthy obsession with so-called healthy foods can cheat us of both the enjoyment of food and of eating real food all together.
When we eat real foods, there is no need to obsess because health will naturally fall into line.
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Muesli is one of those foods that I knew about years ago, but wouldn’t eat because of the fear of calories, despite the fact that it is packed full of nutrients. Fortunately, we were re-introduced to it at a hotel breakfast while traveling around SE Asia last October. I’m so glad my views on healthy food have changed! Now I’m making my own and breakfast has never been better.
My Muesli
Rolled oats
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Chopped walnuts, pecans and almonds
Unsweetened, shredded coconut
Sprinkle of mascavo sugar
I’ve seen a lot of people with “an unhealthy obsession with healthy food” and they certainly stop enjoying food and focus on the food is fuel side of things. I don’t think its helped when marketing cooks-up so many incredible benefits and you get crazy names like “muscle milk” for soy milk.
I’m going to generalize here, but we hang out with a fairly athletic group and they are certainly focused on how they are doing with their calorie budget and what ingredients bring the most attributes to the table. To me its a healthy combination of all and if you do not enjoy it what’s it really bringing you in the end. Life’s too short!
Have you read How Cooking Made Us Human – Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham? Great book and talks about the different diets. Totally off topic but if you really want to raise eyebrows at the book store, ask for his first book, Demonic Males.
We’ve changed how we’ve eaten in the same way. I used to eat a Lean Cuisine everyday for lunch not instead I get a hearty homemade soup that is much more satisfying
I love this post! And it’s totally true. One thing I’ve noticed as well is that sometimes people do substitutions with the thought that it’s healthier when it isn’t (instead of eating a candy bar everyday they eat a Clif Bar). Yes technically a Clif bar is healthier than a candy bar BUT it’s still a processed item with preservations and so forth. One every blue moon is fine, but one everyday is not. Oh so many things I could say but I’m not gonna eat up your comment space. 🙂
I read that same article, it was a great article! I too once had a an unhealthy obsession with healthy food, but I hope that is in the past now! 🙂 That muesli looks wonderful!
I definitely struggled with an unhealthy obsession with “healthy” food. I avoided avocados and pasta like they were going to make me gain tons of weight. I’m so much happier with those things back in my life.
A lot of the foods I’ve started making since I started my “healthy food” blog are a lot less “healthy” than the stuff I was eating before…but it’s better for me! Healthy Choice meals and Lean Pockets smell really bizarre now, because I know what real food should smell like.
i love this post…i think it’s so incredibly relevant these days and was something i really needed to hear! it’s so easy to just believe what people tell you rather than listen to your body. the benefits of eating REAL food is so great, and that’s something i need to focus on.
thanks for the great post!
When I was younger I did this a lot – I would buy “light” bread, fat-free yogurt, etc. etc. thinking I was being “healthy”…oh how times have changed! (Thank goodness!)
Thank you for being so honest with your past obsession. I have a family member that suffers from orthorexia and can’t go out, travel or even visit other people’s home for dinner because she is so restrictive with her diet. Balance is good.
This is why I can’t ever go on any kind of diet, I really just love to enjoy food. Of course, we have our standard substitutions, like skim or light for all dairy products & good butter substitutes, and mostly bison for beef, but occasional exceptions are always allowed 🙂 and otherwise we do just eat small portions and enjoy.
Ahhh, thank you so much for this post. It’s so refreshing to hear. There are so many misconceptions about what healthy foods really are. I was eating an avacado the other day and was told by my co-worker that she “loves avacados but had to stop eating them because of all the saturated fat”. She carried on eating her Lean Cuisine. 🙂
omg… totally loved this post. I used to eat splenda and sugar free soda and all this artificial junk like it was going out of style. I ate lean cuisines, baked doritos and fat free cheese and thought I was the healthiest person alive. Didn’t realize the junk I was putting in my body.
Beware the Healthy Food Fundamentalists!
I like this post very much! I will be interested to hear the other point you want to make!
I could eat this for breakfast every day!
Great post! Sadly, advertising and the media have convinced many people that processed crap is “healthy” food. Once your body and taste buds get used to real food, there’s just no going back:)
I have been there “obsession with healthy food”, and I can tell you I was miserable, counting every single calorie of food. And really not having fun. Now I just try to eat real, good food, and everything in moderation. I need to get Michael Pollan’s book. The muesli looks great. 🙂
You are so right! Nuts and peanut butter are great examples. PB on a 100% whole wheat slice of bread can be very filling – stave off hunger and temptation to eat sugary snacks.
I also like what you said about “the benefit of eating it together” that is a whole other topic. When I was a kid we ate nearly every dinner as a family around the table. TV snacking or Fast Food on Sunday nights was a fun treat, but just that a once a week treat.
I just read an article on this in a magazine (i believe it was Fitness). I couldn’t agree more! I really miss sitting down to a nice family dinner. My mom made sure we did this as many nights a week as possible when I was growing up. Your Muesli looks fantastic. I’d like an over night bowl with extra yogurt please 😉
You were describing me! I became so obsessive with calorie counts that I lost the joy of eating. My approach has changed (for the better, I hope) and I am definitely enjoying myself now that I’ve realized that it really is all about balance. Of course, I’ve gone the other way and absolutely lost myself in hedonistic pleasure by gorging at the breakfast buffet during our recent vacation, but I’m getting back on track!
I’m all over this muesli!
great post and great blog you have here.