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‘I just want to eat healthy,’ is a common refrain. But what determines ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ food? There seems to be more ‘right’ ways to eat than can be counted. Whether the advice comes from a dietitian on TV, coworkers who are excited about their new eating plan, a social media influencer, or a healthcare professional, sorting out how to eat healthfully can be confusing.
Unfortunately, there is no agreement about what’s “healthy” and “unhealthy” when it comes to food.
Take the following contradictions, all of which come from current popular trends:
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- Heavy on animal products vs. no animal products whatsoever
- Lots of whole grains vs. no grains at all
- Dairy is fine vs. no dairy allowed
- Low fat vs. high fat
- Fruit is encouraged vs. no fruit allowed, due to natural sugar content
The advice can be even more specific, such as avoiding nightshade plants (like eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes). Another trend is to take dietary requirements that are appropriate for a medical condition, such as a gluten-free diet for people with celiac disease, and assume it applies to the general population.
Even something as seemingly noncontroversial as eating fewer processed foods turns out not to be so clear-cut. How is ‘processed’ defined? Freezing, canning, packaging, and grinding grains into flour are all examples of processing. Moreover, even popular diet programs that admonish followers to only eat whole foods and simple ingredients have difficulty following their own rules. Ironically, one of these popular programs includes the following ingredients in a branded product available for purchase: natural flavors, acacia gum, dipotassium phosphate, sunflower lecithin, and gellan gum. A lot of processing must be done to a sunflower to produce lecithin. And needless to say, there is no such thing as a gellan tree or a dipotassium phosphate bush.
Judgment words are often used in marketing and other areas to influence and persuade. They sell products as well as an identity and sense of belonging. This is evidenced by the passionate camps of people devoted to specific ways of eating.
Consequences of “Healthy” and “Unhealthy” Food Terms
The discrepancy between what is deemed “healthy” or “unhealthy” extends beyond food. Similar to other judgmental words like “good,” “bad,” ‘super,’ or ‘junk’ food, one’s diet confers the characteristic of the food to the person themselves. Just as a person who eats a “good” or “healthy” food sees themselves more positively, they are also likely to see themselves as “bad” or “unhealthy” when they eat a cupcake – or maybe even a banana.
Labeling foods negatively is likely to create cravings for that very item, and increases the likelihood of overeating and possibly bingeing. One study found that when some restrained eaters (AKA dieters) were given milkshakes to drink before they helped to test ice cream flavors, those who had more milkshakes also ate more ice cream.
“Healthy” and “Unhealthy” Food and Diet Culture
‘Healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ food labels are ultimately diet culture masquerading as health. When people talk about getting healthier, they largely expect that they will lose weight. Diet culture tells us that thinner = better, even when a larger person’s health markers are within normal range, and a thinner person has compromised health. Diet culture assumes that both weight and health are within personal control, and that low weight and good health signals personal virtue. However, evidence points to the larger role that social determinants play in our health, such as cultural stigma, access to healthcare, and trauma.
Moreover, interventions to curb the ‘obesity crisis’ and ‘childhood obesity crisis’ repeatedly fail. A 5-year longitudinal study of adolescents found that dieting ultimately led to weight gain. Most people who lose weight regain it, plus some more. And beyond what the scale says, emphasizing a thinness adds to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem in children.
It is time to stop with moralistic judgments. It is not a moral imperative to eat so-called ‘good’ or ‘healthy’ foods, or to seek weight loss. Going forward, the concept of health should be much broader and inclusive.
