What is a “healthy” diet?
This is the question I receive most often from folks when they hear I am a dietitian. They usually ask, “How do I eat healthy?” or “Which diet is the most healthy?”
I usually respond with two questions:
What is your definition of diet?
What is your definition of healthy?
What do you think of when you hear the word diet? Do you think about weight loss dieting? Do you simply think about what you eat in a day? For the purposes of this blog, we are going to use the definition of diet as, “the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.” As a dietitian, I am more focused on eating patterns as a whole rather than the popular definition of diet that is often used interchangeably to refer to weight-loss dieting.
I am an anti-diet dietitian, meaning I do not prescribe weight-loss dieting. Why is that? The simplest answer is rooted in body politics. No one’s body is wrong, size diversity is inherent to human existence, and one’s body shouldn’t be judged according to size (or any other physical attributes while we are at it). While holding that truth from above, we also know that we haven’t found a long-term, sustainable way to reduce weight. In fact, the most common outcome of weight loss dieting is weight regain. Additionally, we have learned that weight cycling has possible cardiometabolic outcomes that are harmful to health. Weight cycling is exactly what it sounds like; losing weight on a diet, regaining the weight, deciding to go on another diet, and so on and so forth. Dr. Janet Tomiyama, the lab director of Dish Lab at UCLA, has multiple publications on the failure of weight loss dieting and the dangers of weight stigma, if you would like to read some of the lab’s publications on these topics.
All this to say, we know weight-stigma is harmful, we know that dieting leads to weight regain, and weight cycling which has negative cardiovascular consequences.
Therefore as dietitians we pivot our focus from the things we cannot change (body size) to health behaviors. And let me be clear, it is no one’s moral obligation to be healthy or engage in health behaviors. In fact, as an anti-diet dietitian, I sometimes help people reduce certain health behaviors that have become harmful, like over-exercising, or even too much fiber!
For those who are able to work with a dietitian on improving their health there are many avenues we can look in to, but they are all individualized and based on you, your life and your personal definition of health. Which brings me to the second question I always ask when someone approaches me about “healthy eating.” What is your definition of health? No, really, I want you to pause before you continue reading and think of your personal definition of health.
My definition of health is evolving as life changes and I get older. As a college student I probably would have told you my definition of health meant being able to keep up with my teammates on the cross country team without injury and “normal labs.” Now, my definition of health is a little more holistic. My current definition of health has evolved to understand that we can’t hold onto our health status forever. We are all going to have health problems arise throughout life, it is just a matter of when. Assuming we can be healthy forever, or assuming we can fully control our health status, is rooted in individualism and ableism.
Health isn’t merely the absence of disease. We have to consider the body, mind, social and physical environments, and so much more. When someone requests to work with me to address a specific health issue, we come at it from a place of self-compassion, free from blame. For my clients, a “healthy diet” is the “diet” that allows them to live into their values and engage with life in the way they want to. We keep things realistic, holding onto the understanding that their definition of health could change in the next month or year.
In summary, a “healthy diet” can be defined as your habitual eating patterns, rooted in your values, which support you in engaging in the activities you love.
Let’s throw out the idea of “good” or “bad” foods and instead pursue a sustainable way of eating that matches your lifestyle and goals. There is no such thing as bad food. Unless of course you are allergic. Or it’s inedible and moldy. You catch my drift. Working with a weight-inclusive dietitian such as myself, can help you unpack your definition of health and thereby pursue health behaviors that are appropriate for you and your lifestyle. No person’s approach to eating will be the same.
