Everybody likes to say that a dish is "healthy". The term is a popular buzzword that has gone cliché. Now, it's a completely meaningless term. Yet, people still believe that if something is described as "healthy", then that something is automatically good for you.
Wrong. In this myTake, I will show to you that food that seems to be "healthy" is, in reality, a type of junk food, and some of the foods really boil down to portion sizes and food preparation.
1. Homemade Food
Many people think that if something is "homemade", then that means it is automatically "healthy" and thus can be eaten in great quantities during a short time frame. Wrong.
The most unhealthiest type of homemade food is food that is deep-fried and drenched in oil and then smothered in excessive amounts of salt and store-bought sauces that contain a long list of weird ingredients. This is not something that you would want to eat on a daily basis. But if you eat this type of food maybe once a month in relatively small portion sizes, then you may still be fine.
2. Vegan or Vegetarian Food
Many people falsely associate veganism with "healthfulness" and beautiful images of fruits and vegetables. The truth is, the only way veganism can be healthy is by having a lot of whole fruits and vegetables in the diet. Having whole fruits and vegetables in the diet is not necessarily vegan, because people have been eating whole fruits and vegetables long before veganism was coined and developed in the 20th century as a political strategy to mediate the pressing animal cruelty and environmental problems of our time.
Because veganism's core focus is based in animal cruelty, it is actually possible to eat unhealthy vegan meals. Solid margarine made with vegetable oil contains trans fats, because it is essentially vegetable oil that has been hydrogenated. Eating too many trans fats is actually not that healthy in the long run. Vegans can consume sugar (from sugar cane) and maple syrup (from maple trees), but eating too much sugar is also not a healthy way to live.
Vegans who do not eat enough foods that are fortified with vitamin B12 or contain vitamin B12 naturally will be malnourished or nearing death in the long run. Well, at least reducing the human population is one way of protecting the environment. If everyone dies due to an unhealthy form of veganism, then the human race will be wiped out, and the world may be a better place . . . at the expense of the existence of humans.
But don't worry. You can find lots of YouTube channels featuring vegans who prepare actually nutritious, balanced meals.
3. Food That Is Rich In Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber seems like a good thing...until people start overloading their plates with too much fibrous, indigestible material or promoting rawfoodism. For some reason, people think that if something is healthy, then that means it's good, and if something is good, then more should be eaten. A lot more. Although everyone should have some dietary fiber to regulate digestion, too much dietary fiber is really a health hazard, producing symptoms such as cramping, diarrhea, constipation, intestinal gas due to a sudden increase in fiber intake, and intestinal blockage due to not consuming enough water along with the fiber.
Raw food contains fiber or indigestible materials. Eating some raw food, like uncooked celery with peanut butter, may be a healthy snack. But eating raw food all the time is overdoing it. Plus, if the animal has been infected by a parasite, then it's not a good idea to eat the animal's flesh. In the wild, many animals eat the flesh of other animals and get parasites. Humans have invented cooking, which helps kill the pests and makes the indigestible materials digestible. Why would anyone want to eat like wild animals, become susceptible to pests, and live a short life?
4. Brown Rice vs. White Rice
Thanks to the emphasis on brown rice over white rice, many people believe that they should always eat brown rice all the time. Some people would even choose quinoa instead of rice. Personally, I believe that people are taking the health benefits out of context. I believe that foods are only healthy or beneficial within a certain context. In that light, white rice may actually be healthier than brown rice. White rice has a longer shelf life in the pantry than brown rice. At least you won't be eating spoiled food in a year.
Also, when cooked, white rice is more digestible than brown rice, so all those glucose molecules may be readily absorbed. Lastly, people claim that you don't receive many nutrients or fiber from white rice. While that is true, that is not relevant to actual eating habits. I don't think many people would find white rice great-tasting. White rice tastes bland. People normally eat white rice with fibrous and nutritious vegetables and protein-rich tofu or meats.
5. 100% Fruit Juice
Juice may seem like a healthy, sweet drink. But the nutritional contents of fruit juice are more concentrated than regular fruit, because it takes a lot of fruits and vegetables to make a glass of juice. Fruit juices make overeating fruits and vegetables extremely easy, and any type of overeating is unhealthy.
Eating a whole fruit reduces the chance of overeating, because of the fiber.
6. Lean Meat vs. Fatty Meat
People always recommend lean meats over fatty meats as healthier choices of meats. But I think context is important. Certainly, in Western culture, people eat a large piece of meat, called steak. If the meat is fatty, then the steak is extremely high in calories from the high fat composition. Therefore, the meat must be lean (more muscle than fat) in order to be lower in calories.
However, I do not think eating fatty meat is always unhealthy. In this context, "unhealthy" really depends on the portion size of the meat and how meat is consumed. Fatty meat can be divided up into extremely small portions, about the size of one's thumbnail or less. Given that pork and beef and fish tend to be more expensive than vegetables by the pound and that a small size of meat can supply a lot of calories, it is possible to include some meat in the diet (not too much) as a calorie-enhancer, flavor-enhancer, and cooking oil for the vegetables. So, is fatty meat bad? Well, it really depends on how it is used and consumed.
7. Lard and Butter vs. Margarine
Lard and butter are undeniably from animals. Margarine can be made from animals or plants. If vegetable oil is hydrogenated, then that adds trans fats into the food product, making the food product very unhealthy. So, it may be better to use butter or lard instead of margarine.
8. Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda
The main difference between regular soda and diet soda is that diet soda has significantly lower calories and sugar amount than regular soda. Yet, it tastes just as sweet. The reason for the sweetness must be the use of indigestible artificial sweeteners. Sucralose. Aspartame. As far as I know, people with PKU (phenylketonuria) must avoid food products with aspartame and other things with high amounts of phenylalanine. The acidity of soda is just as bad as the amount of sugar. The acidity of soda is bad for the teeth and bones, making them wear away and become weaker. Soda can be made for vegans; that is just an example of how veganism is not necessarily linked to good health.
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