What is Healthy?

How do you answer that question? 

Seriously, take a moment and think about your answer. 

Did you mention your weight when you answered? What about managing a current disease or preventing one from occurring? 

Whatever your answer was, the truth is you’re right. Let me explain.

How the FDA defines “healthy”

The Food and Drug Administration is fraught with gray-area jargon and “yes, but no”-isms, so it may come as no surprise that their definition leaves a lot to be desired:

“(1) (Products that) Are not low in total fat, but have a fat profile makeup of predominantly mono and polyunsaturated fats; or

(2) contain at least ten percent of the Daily Value (DV) per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) of potassium or vitamin D.”

Now, to be fair, their reasoning for that definition is to prevent illness or disease that have been linked to either too much of or a lack there of those nutrients (mono & polyunsaturated, potassium, Vit. D). However, practically, it really doesn’t help guide your fruitful endeavors of good health.

How I define “healthy”

If you’ve read carefully up until now, you may have gathered a hint as to how I may define the term “healthy.” 

What is my answer? 

It depends. 

I don’t mean to sound ambivalent, but based on your goals, it really depends. Are you just starting out in making changes in your lifestyle? Did you have a bad injury or get some bad test results? What about spending the past two years indoors? All of these circumstances are also going to affect what healthy really means to you.

“But, Kyler,” you may be asking, “how am I supposed to guide my decisions in a way that would be deemed healthy regardless of my starting point?” 

To that I say use the following guidelines:

For food, look at the nutrient & caloric density and the ratio between them. Calories are not intrinsically linked to health, they are just a form of measurement. However, if you can get more nutrients in less food, that is a “healthier” food than something you need to eat a lot more of for the same amount of nutrients.

For lifestyle, make big goals and then make smaller goals to help you reach your bigger ones. Why? Look, you may be starting out as an elite athlete or you may be starting out as a middle-aged adult who hasn’t had the time or energy to actively keep up with every aspect of your health. Either way, it’s okay to start small, and by starting small you can more easily stay motivated, stay smart, and stay healthy. You don’t have to jump when two hops or ten steps do the same thing. 

As always, if you have questions, want to hone your goals, or want to get serious about your nutrition with the guidance of expertise & experience, don’t hesitate to reach out to me either in-person or over email. Additionally, join our ever-growing community of Nutrition Program members in accomplishing your goals and feeling great while you do it anytime in-person or online.

-Kyler | kyler@ballardhealthclub.com

Cert. Nutrition Coach, CPT

Source(s):

FDA Guidelines on using the term Healthy for manufacturing products.