Food Cliches...Are You Guilty?

I just read a really good article in the Huffington Post entitled "8 Things Nutrition Experts Wish You Would Stop Saying About Food".  (Click on the link to check it out).  It was very informative and I found myself questioning how I look at food.  I was guilty of a few of those "8 things".   So take a moment and click on the link above and read the article.  I am just going to summarize the article and give my two cents in today's blog.

The author of the article is correct when she said that nutrition "rules" change on a moment's notice.  What you thought was good and healthy, now turns out to be bad and forbidden.  It's the same in the fitness world.  But you have to remember, play it smart when it comes to nutrition (and exercise).  There is no "magic pill" or "magic rule".  Just use your common sense and choose wisely.

One of the 8 things listed in this article that I find myself guilty of is using the term "clean eating".  Now I know what clean eating means to me...it means to cut out the processed/fried/fatty foods and choose more organic, healthy foods.  Clean eating to me may mean something different to someone else.  I try to choose locally-grown foods, non-GMO foods, and fresh-from-my-garden foods, but I cannot get all of my nutrients and ingredients in this manner.  I have to go the grocery store and purchase items from the inner-aisles.  The author of this article quoted a couple of Registered Dietitians and here are a few statements from both of them.  Julie Upton, MS, RD, CSSD, states that "...many athletes refer to 'clean' as eating natural, wholesome, real foods and fewer processed options. I think that makes sense, but I don't know why we need to call it 'clean' instead of healthy eating".  Then Elizabeth M. Ward, RD, states "...but I have a hard time with the clean-eating label because it makes me think that if you're not eating 'clean' then you're eating 'dirty.' Also, clean eating doesn't necessarily equal a balanced diet. As much as I've tried to embrace the clean eating term, I sense some shame in it. For example, people may feel bad that they can't 'eat clean,' because the cost is prohibitive or it's inconvenient".   So true!  Why place a stigma against clean eating?  Let's drop that label and just continue to eat healthy with fewer processed foods!

Another point brought out in this article was about eating "Gluten Free".  I previously wrote a blog on "Who Really Needs to Eat 'Gluten-Free".   Go back and check out that blog.  There have been few, if any, studies proving that people who do not have celiac disease will benefit from eating a gluten-free diet.

The final "thing" I will comment on from this article is about the word "detox".  I am guilty of doing this.  There are times when my nutrition habits are sub-par.  It happens to everyone...I don't care who you are or what your background is.  During those times, I think to myself, "I need to do a detox".  Usually the next words in my train of thought are "clean eating".  See a pattern here?!  Well, truth-be-told, all I am doing is getting back to a healthier way of eating.  Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN, CNS, was quoted in this article as saying "the best way to help your body get the toxins out is to put fewer in."  Duh!  (Did you hear the forehead slap I just did?)  It couldn't be any more simple than that!!

So my final thoughts...Choose your food wisely.  Know where it comes from and how it was grown and processed.  Take action in your community to allow everyone access to fresh fruits, vegetable, and meats grown from local farmers.  Join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) group to take advantage of the yummy stuff your local farmers grow and harvest.  Most importantly, get rid of the labels of "good vs bad" food and "clean eating".  Keep it simple and healthy and your body will reward you tri-fold!