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Is there such a thing as good food and bad food? No. There is no such thing as good or bad food, since all these connotations are used when we talk about the frequency of consumption and quantity.
We have several tools to evaluate the amount of each food, for example the Harvard Healthy Pyramid! As you can see, here are foods that are recommended to be consumed daily, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, as they are very nutritious and provide benefits for the proper functioning of our body.
But there are other foods that the recommendations warn that they should be consumed sporadically, as would be the case of most ultra-processed foods such as industrial sweets, soft drinks, sauces, ready meals ... (If you want to know the method of the plate, the Harvard dietary guide, click here).
But finally, it is the individual consumption and the overall diet that determines whether a food will be healthy or not for the person. For example, a person who is intolerant to fructose will not be able to consume more than a certain amount of fruit, or a person allergic to fish, no matter how many benefits it brings, will not be able to eat it.
We have come to make food more complex than it really is. For example, the invention of the term "detox foods". These “purifying foods” do not really exist because they are a marketing strategy to promote nutritional products or services. The reality is that we already have a series of internal organs that are responsible for eliminating toxins by themselves and we can improve their functioning by avoiding toxic habits such as smoking or drinking alcohol.
Food radicalism generates a state of anxiety and control, which in the end does not favor health either: weighing yourself every day, counting calories, blaming yourself for eating junk food... The basis of a healthy diet is to vary the consumption of whole foods and reduce those ultra-processed foods that we have mentioned, consuming them sporadically.
Why? Then... they are bad!
No! Eating ultra-processed foods on special occasions does have a mental beneficial health impact on you, since they transmit pleasure and pleasantly enhance meals, such as eating cake the day you decide to go to a celebration or decide to eat a pizza on a weekend that you do not want to cook.
They are usually mostly products rich in fat, sugar and salt. And it also has additives that improve the appearance, color, and texture of the product that make them so much more delicious! Components that when mixed together generate a lot of pleasure producing a series of complex reactions of neurotransmitters, among them is an increase of dopamine and serotonin, responsible for providing welfare.
If we consume these products daily, we will fill our diet with non-nutritious foods and they will replace the consumption of other foods that do serve for our good functioning, impoverishing a part of our quality of life and impoverishes our mental and physical health. Moreover, regardless of their nutritional value, a diet based on ultra-processed products makes us overeat. (If you want to know more about this topic, you can read here our article reviewing the interesting study by Dr. Kevin Hall)
In addition, eating healthy food is also a treat. You just have to cook it with art! (In our App you can see different and creative recipes)
But we must not forget that health is not only governed by food, as there are many factors that intervene in it: how we relate to our social circle, if we practice daily physical activity, how we sleep …
Professor Robert Waldinger is the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This is one of the largest social studies in history, consisting of the analysis of the lives of 724 American men for 75 years. Throughout all these years, they had interviews that looked like press conferences in their living rooms, they explored their medical exams, brain scans, blood tests, they even talked to their wives....
All to try to find out who the men were who had finally achieved a prosperous life and what they had in common! The lessons learned after so many years was that neither fame, nor work, nor money, nor impeccable medical examinations ensured this long and happy life.
The conclusion was that good relationships maintain happiness and health, drawing three lessons:
Food is an important part of our well-being, but it is not the only one. Enjoy a sweet or a "junk food" from time to time and eat healthy in your routine to improve this aspect of your life!
Article written by Laura Guinovart Martín, certified Dietitian and Nutritionist; Specialized in TCA, Obesity and Food Development and Design; Nº Col:CAT002123
