Tuesday, May 8, 2012

What Is "Healthy?"


I'm back on Weight Watchers and trying to eat more "healthy".  "Healthy" is such a funny term.  I think we all have different definitions of "healthy" - even at the personal level.  At one point in my life, "healthy" was eating frozen Weight Watchers dinners for every meal of my life.  To some, "healthy" is eating all organics.  For me now, my "healthy" is trying to eat as many Weight Watchers power foods a day as possible (which, for the non WW people - is sort of like eating around the perimeter of the grocery store).  I really don't think there is a solid definition of what "eating healthy" really is.

I was fartsing around the grocery store yesterday and thinking that I'm healthy in so many ways - yet unhealthy in so many more.  Here's some things I was pondering in my head:

-  I eat at least 2 or 3 servings of fresh fruit every day.  As do my kids.  However, 95% of the time, these fruits are not organic.  We love pesticides and growth hormones.  And yes, canned fruits packed in juice count as fruits to me.  As do frozen fruits thrown in smoothies.

-  Everyday, I eat at least one salad.  Instead of cucumbers, I put a lot of sliced pickles, banana peppers and jalapeños on it.  So the extra sodium probably doesn't help the body even though I'm "being good" and having a salad.  

-  Passing through the frozen foods isle, it dawned on me that I haven't bought a frozen pizza in probably well over a year.  But we order pizza once a week.  If you're going to go for it, it might as well taste good.  Frozen pizza sucks.  

-  I haven't eaten a piece of chocolate since Easter.  Which is "healthy", right?  Nope.  I can't even tell you how many Hot Tamales and Starbursts I have consumed in the past 3 weeks.  Too many is the best guess I have.  My justification:  At least they're fat free.

-  We all drink 1% milk.  I use Fat-Free Half & Half in my coffee.  Better than whole, but not organic.  

-  We love eating lean cuts of meat.  I only buy 90/10 or higher ground beef, only buy boneless/skinless chicken breast and we really dig pork.  On the flip side - I have no idea where this meat comes from.  Organic?  Heck no.  What do the animals eat?  I don't know and honestly don't really care.  

-  I enjoy making meals with rice and pasta.  I've tried to force myself to like brown rice and whole wheat pasta and you know what?  I can't do it.  Brown rice sucks.  Whole Wheat pasta sucks.  If you like those things - well great.  It's just not in my blood to like them and no matter how I prepare a dish, I can't get over the taste of those two products.  Should I feel guilty that I'm eating a homemade stir-fry full of vegetables and chicken because it's sitting on a 1/2 cup of white rice?  Nope.  Not going to happen.

-  I take a multi-vitamin everyday.  They are adult gummy vitamins, probably full of a lot of great artificial flavors and colors.  You can find them at BJ's.

-  I'm not even going to touch on artificial sweeteners vs. sugar.  I'm guilty of consuming way too much of the fake crap.  

So the moral of this story?  Unless you're Amish - you suck and eat like crap in one way or another even if you think you are "healthy".  You just have to get over it and enjoy life.  

1 comment:

Nancy G said...

Glad to read that you continue to take steps to eat healthy....it's a journey for sure.
I'm one of "those" that like brown rice.....