What Is Healthy Eating?

[Damir Elezi]

Alright, so I'm gonna ask you THE most basic, but still not very clearly answered question when it comes to nutrition. What do you define as eating healthy? I think everybody agrees, that it's not good to eat fast food and junk food and that vegetables are good for you. But beside that, I see discussion about almost everything. Is fruit healthy to the body or is fructose also a dangerous/unhealthy thing? How much carbs does the human body really need and are low-carb diets useful? What role do cereals, especially wheat play? Are meat and animal products harmful to the body? Is it a good idea to change your diet to something like vegetarian, vegan, paleo, or even raw-vegan? 

All in all - what does "eating healthy" mean to you? 

Just wanted to hear some opinions

[Dan Arnautu]

10 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

What do you define as eating healthy?

There is still no clear definition for it. Maybe food that promotes health and prevents disease. But what is health? What is disease? See where I'm going? Everybody is going to say something different.

10 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

Is fruit healthy to the body or is fructose also a dangerous/unhealthy thing? 

Excess of everything is dangerous, including fructose. 2 pieces of fruit a day should be the perfect amount for a healthy body.

10 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

How much carbs does the human body really need and are low-carb diets useful?

It depends on the human being. A muscular dude may need 300-400g of carbs per day and a skinny person may need only 150g in order to maintain their weight. Metabolic rate also differs from person to person. Someone may start to get fat on 2700 kcal per day and someone else may still not be able to put on weight on 4000 kcal per day. 

Low-anything diets are harmful. Low-carb diets lower your testosterone levels and energy levels, energy which is the main fuel for exercise. Low-fat diets are also harmful because fats regulate your hormones and when they are low, they also kill your testosterone levels. Without protein you also can't recover properly from exercise.

10 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

What role do cereals, especially wheat play?

They usually are high in fiber (you need at least 30g of fiber per day to prevent gastrointestinal issues) and are a good source of carbohydrates.

10 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

Are meat and animal products harmful to the body?

Again, in moderation, no macronutrient is harmful to the body (meat is mainly protein + some fat). Excessive fish eating may result in iron poisoning.

10 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

Is it a good idea to change your diet to something like vegetarian, vegan, paleo, or even raw-vegan? 

If you are still able to get all your needed macronutrients from those diets (it's harder and more expensive to get your protein intake from plant based diets), go for it.

 

[Prabhaker]

11 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

What do you define as eating healthy?

Man is the only species whose diet is not predictable. The diet of all other animals is certain. Their basic physical needs and their nature decides what they should eat and what they should not; how much they should eat, how much they should not; when they should eat and when they should stop. But man is absolutely unpredictable, he is absolutely uncertain. Neither his nature tells him what he should eat, nor his awareness tells him how much he should eat, nor his understanding decides when he should stop eating.

For a right diet the first thing to remember is that it should not create excitement, it should not be intoxicating, it should not be heavy. After eating rightly you should not feel heaviness and drowsiness. But perhaps all of us feel heaviness and drowsiness after our meals – then we should know that we are eating wrongly.

Some people get sick because they do not get enough food and some people get sick because they get too much food. 

If a man experiments for a few months with awareness, he will certainly find out which is the right food for him, which food gives him tranquility, peace and health. There are no real difficulties but because we do not pay any attention to food, we are never able to discover the right food. 

Eat with awareness. People are simply throwing food into their mouths, not even chewing it, just swallowing it. People who are suffering from obesity, fatness, cannot resist eating more and more. No doctor is going to help them, unless they become aware while they are eating, if they become aware. A few things happen as a by-product of awareness. Their eating will be slowed down. They will start chewing, because unless you chew your food you are putting an unnecessary burden on your whole system.

The man of awareness eats only as much as his body needs. He immediately feels that now there is no need; the hunger is gone, he is content.

11 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

Is it a good idea to change your diet to something like vegetarian, vegan, paleo, or even raw-vegan? 

Only if you are a meditator than vegetarian diet will be helpful. Else you need milk, eggs , fish to supplement your vegetarian diet.

11 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

What role do cereals, especially wheat play?

Wheat and rice are staple food in many countries. It provides carbohydrates, wheat is source of fiber. 

11 hours ago, Damir Elezi said:

All in all - what does "eating healthy" mean to you? 

Food which can keep you alert, energetic and happy all day.

[pluto]

Fruit is the most natural food there is IMO. The youngest looking and healthiest oldest people are mostly raw fruitarians or vegan/vegetarians. Nature is far more intelligent than man, it has been perfecting life for billions of years. Fruit won't kill you, the human being evolved from nature, when you ingest fruit there is a synergy that occurs beyond modern sciences understanding. Nature understands nature. Its intelligence far exceeds our comprehension.

Fructose and fructose from fruit itself is completely different when it comes to this deeper understanding but from a chemical and scientific standpoint its quite similar. So as long as your fruit and veggies are organic and grown without the use of chemicals and preservatives, eat all that you want.

Meat and Animal products are not initially designed for human being consumption but we can adapt to tolerate them although we function much better on more plant-based focused lifestyle although everyone has their choices and should not judge one another about it.

This is why dairy and many animal products are fermented so we can digest and absorb them better.

Wheat is wheat, its not better than vegetables but its not harmful from time to time especially if its wholegrain/wholemeal, sourdough, but there are many other flours and grains much healthier and richer than wheat like rye, buckwheat, millet, barley, sprouted breads, and so on. White wheat flour for example i would completely avoid.

Eating healthy to me means becoming a better person, cleaning your system, using optimal fuel for your system, so you are properly nourished and can function as a mature balanced-minded human being to spread more love and light into this world and when the system is clean and healthy you can express your truest form and creative self in its highest light and be the change you wish to see in the world.

Taking care of the internal world will ultimately shape and harmonize the external world.

my 2 cents

Edited May 18, 2017 by pluto

[sheenp24]

I personally try to eat as much organic fruits and veggies as I probably can! Fruit is pretty healthy, but too much added sugars in your diet can be quite risky in the long run. I consume a lot of carbs for energy because of the type of strenuous exercises that I put my body through. I use to eat any and everything in college but I played college football and was in great physical shape! During that time when I use to get my annual check ups including bloodwork. The doctors always said that I was in phenomenal shape as far as what showed up in my blood results! Even though I didn't care what I ate, I was still in great health. I say all of that to say this, I would definitely not advise eating fast food every day, I personally stay away from it, but enough exercise can definitely help regulate a lot of things you ingest.

[Damir Elezi]

@Prabhaker Very nice comment, thank you. But what do you mean by "Only if you are a meditator, then a vegetarian diet will be helpful"? 

[Prabhaker]

1 hour ago, Damir Elezi said:

Only if you are a meditator, then a vegetarian diet will be helpful"? 

I live in India , India has more vegetarians than the rest of the world put together. The earliest record of vegetarianism comes from Indus Valley civilization as early as the 7th century BCE. We have experienced that vegetarian diet is missing something that is necessary for intelligence. So we have included milk and milk products in our diet.