{"id":5319,"date":"2018-07-25T04:55:53","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T04:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eatrightpa.org\/?p=5319"},"modified":"2021-10-30T03:37:52","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T03:37:52","slug":"redefine-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/25\/redefine-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Redefine Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Does \u201cHealthy\u201d Mean to You? It\u2019s Time to Redefine This Complex Word <\/u><\/h3>\n

By: Robin Klein<\/em><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Health and Wellness Coach, the word \u201chealthy\u201d gets thrown around quite a bit in my company. It\u2019s true, \u201cdiet\u201d and \u201chealth\u201d are part of my title, and there are expectations and judgments that go along with it \u2013 an experience that so many dietitians share. At a gathering recently, I had just taken a bite out of the most delicious brownie when someone I\u2019ve only met a handful of times reminded me that I\u2019m a dietitian and shouldn\u2019t be eating dessert, as she looked at me with the most horrified expression.\u00a0 While I took that as an opportunity to offer a food-neutral and \u201cno guilt or shame in eating any and all types of foods\u201d approach, it demonstrates how insidious and pervasive diet culture is, and the negative impact it has on so many of us. Chances are, she wasn\u2019t the only one thinking that, she just happened to be the one that decided to comment. In a time when foods are constantly labeled good or bad, right or wrong, healthy or not, and there\u2019s always a new plan\/diet\/protocol\/detox or \u201cway of eating\u201d that promises you everything you want to hear, it can be difficult to know how to be \u201chealthy.\u201d What does that mean anyway?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Before I list a few ways to help you find the \u201chealthy\u201d for you, I think it is important to note why the comment made to me at the gathering was problematic.\u00a0 The problem was NOT the fact that I was eating dessert, rather:<\/p>\n

a)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Our society\u2019s idea of what is \u201chealthy\u201d vs. \u201cunhealthy\u201d has gotten completely unrealistic and, let\u2019s face it…unhealthy.<\/p>\n

b)\u00a0\u00a0 People (family, friends, acquaintances, strangers) think it\u2019s OK to comment on what other people are eating and drinking, which often leads to feelings of guilt or shame, a negative relationship with food and, more importantly, our bodies.<\/p>\n

c)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We live in a society that is OBSESSED with labeling specific foods\/nutrients as healthy vs.\u00a0not, without actually looking at the big picture of each individual\u2019s lifestyle, needs, food preference, mental and emotional health\/well-being, medical history, etc.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So, how can we find what \u201chealthy\u201d means for our own bodies?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First, think about what \u201chealthy\u201d means to you. Contrary to what you hear so often, there\u2019s no right or wrong answer here. When do you feel your best both physically and emotionally? Are you practicing self-care? Are you spending time with friends and family? Are you being kind to yourself? Are you listening to what your body needs and how your body feels? Are you feeling engaged and energized in your life and in your relationships? Are you able to eat all types of foods without feelings of guilt? Are you sleeping instead of exercising when your body is telling you it needs rest? Or, are you restricting yourself to point of obsessiveness? Isolating yourself from social gatherings if you don\u2019t think you can eat or drink anything at that event? Are you letting news, social media influencers, family, friends, or others dictate what is best for your body? Take a moment to consider this. As you may have noticed, for every article stating why you should eat \u201cx\u201d food, there\u2019s an article stating exactly why you shouldn\u2019t. Same with diets and \u201cplans.\u201d For every article stating why eating \u201cx\u201d way is best, there\u2019s another article stating that \u201cy\u201d is better. Let\u2019s be honest: it\u2019s REALLY confusing \u2013 even to those of us with degrees in nutrition! So, what is one to do? Learn to honor your own inner dietitian and your emotional health and well-being. Whether you have a degree in nutrition and dietetics or not, we all are the experts of our own bodies. We know our food likes and our preferences. We know if something doesn\u2019t agree with us physically or even emotionally. We know if we are truly enjoying what we are eating or if we are not. While it can be helpful to enlist the help of an expert for some additional support when needed, there\u2019s no specific food, lifestyle, or plan that is the \u201chealthiest\u201d for everyone. It just doesn\u2019t exist. Be wary of overgeneralized statements and claims. You are the expert of your body.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Remember to consider your mental health and emotional well-being. When people think of \u201chealthy,\u201d they often think of a certain weight or pant size, particular foods to eat or avoid as well as \u201cx\u201d amount of exercise, but many forget about emotional health and well-being. This is a huge part of the equation! If you\u2019re avoiding an entire food group because you think it\u2019s \u201cunhealthy\u201d while filling up on foods and beverages you really don\u2019t enjoy, but consider \u201chealthy,\u201d it won\u2019t be sustainable for long, and you won\u2019t be or feel \u201chealthy\u201d as a result. You will feel tired, irritable, frustrated, angry, and jealous that others are eating the foods you\u2019re obsessing over now that you\u2019ve completely cut them out of your lifestyle. Diets lead us down the path of labeling ourselves as the problem for \u201cnot being able to stick to the plan.\u201d It\u2019s critical to remember that having an unrealistic, rigid, and unsupportive plan is the problem. While there are some guidelines that have been linked to better health and well-being, it\u2019s not an exact science, and what that looks like for you might be completely different than what it looks like for someone else. If you neglect to consider your mental and emotional well-being, it will take a toll on you. A food-neutral approach can be life-changing, even if it takes a while to get there. Prioritize your mental health and well-being. It is often overlooked, but so incredibly important.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Get to know yourself better. Hush the noise as listed in #1. If you want to know how your body responds to foods and\/or a particular way of eating, take inventory so you can gather data about yourself. This is not a time to be judgmental or to tell yourself you\u2019re a bad person for starting your day with a certain food or beverage over another. This is a place in which you can become the best student of yourself \u2013 the most avid learner and masterful researcher that is within you. While I no longer recommend that people carefully monitor their calories, fat, protein, etc., I do think it can be helpful to take note of how you\u2019re feeling after eating certain foods if you are wanting to make changes to obtain a higher level of health and wellness. Journaling can feel a bit scary at first if you\u2019re used to journaling as a means of tracking calories, points, or macros. \u00a0What I\u2019m speaking of is different \u2013 it is truly a way for you to get a deeper understanding of how you feel when you eat certain foods from every angle. You may find this is the easiest way to feel liberated from all the harsh food rules you created for yourself when you find that you LOVE starting your day in a certain way, or that a particular food really doesn\u2019t agree with you (physically or emotionally). Whether these are foods that you currently or previously labeled as \u201coff limits,\u201d allow yourself to remove the rigidity and feel the liberation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Unfollow social media accounts that aren\u2019t feeling supportive of your needs. I\u2019ve had many clients tell me they feel bad about themselves after seeing certain posts online. If you find yourself feeling a lot of \u201cshoulds\u201d (meaning, I should be eating that, I should avoid that, I shouldn\u2019t drink this, I should drink that,\u201d etc.) as a result of seeing social media posts, then unfollow and move forward. You have the power to create the social media platform that\u2019s the most supportive of you. Use it to your advantage, not to your detriment. Sometimes, it\u2019s even helpful to take a break from social media entirely and focus on yourself without distractions and noise.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Shift your self-talk to become more positive. Reframing your thinking can be incredibly empowering and motivating. Instead of saying \u201cI am being bad and eating \u201cx\u201d food,\u201d consider saying \u201cI am really enjoying this ___ right now. I enjoy incorporating all types of foods into my lifestyle.\u201d Or instead of \u201cI ate the whole bag of chips so I might as well finish the ice cream,\u201d change it to \u201cwhat is going on in my body right now and what am I feeling? I know an all-or-nothing mentality isn\u2019t supportive, so what is<\/em> the most supportive of me in this moment?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to being “healthy” and it’s important to find the balance in your life that feels best to you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Write your own rules and feel the liberation.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \"\"<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Robin is a Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition, and Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She is currently working as a Supermarket RD in addition to seeing private clients in Philadelphia. It is Robin\u2019s passion to help individuals transform their relationship with food and their bodies. You can follow her brand new accounts on social media @RobinKleinRD (instagram and twitter) or email robinkleinRD@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            What Does \u201cHealthy\u201d Mean to You? It\u2019s Time to Redefine This Complex Word By: Robin Klein   As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Health and Wellness Coach, the word \u201chealthy\u201d gets thrown around quite a bit in my company. It\u2019s true, \u201cdiet\u201d and \u201chealth\u201d are part of my title, and there are expectations and judgments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5319"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10539,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5319\/revisions\/10539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}