The Debate Surrounding “Healthy” Foods

Posted: Sep 14 in Weight Loss Blog by Staff

What does it mean to eat “healthy?” For some people, the idea of eating healthy means lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. For others, it means cutting out sweets. Still for others, healthy means lots of fiber or vitamins or protein. Technically, none of these answers are wrong. But then how do you know which way of eating healthy is right?

The average person holds a lot of confusion surrounding healthy food choices, and for good reason. The food industry is a massive one. There are a lot of companies out there who make a lot of money year after year by marketing and selling their packaged food products. The longer the shelf life and the more appetizing the food item, the more money the company will make.

Just take a look at a recent opinion survey taken at the Tufts School of Nutrition Science and Policy. They compared public opinion surrounding certain food items with the opinions of nutritionists and found that there is actually a huge disparity between a lot of commonly thought of “healthy” foods. For example, 71% of the public thought of granola bars as a healthy food choice, while only 28% of nutritionists agreed. Frozen yogurt had a similar result, with 66% of the public thinking of it as healthy and only 32% of nutritionists agreeing.

So when eating healthy and losing weight are common goals that millions of Americans share, it is pretty much a common sense choice for food companies to market to that population. The result is thousands of misleading statements regarding the health of different food items, and a lot of confusion on the part of the consumer.

Ultimately, a lot of people hold their own opinions on what is actually healthy versus what is not, and sometimes those opinions are flawed with mistaken information regarding nutritional facts. Crash diets promote themselves as healthy ways to lose weight thanks to the magical power of one nutrient or additive, but those weight loss plans are never the healthy option.

Instead of trying to make sense of the weight loss industry on your own, or spending hours in the food store trying to decipher the actual healthiest foods for you and your family, the best thing you can do is to talk to an expert about what actually constitutes healthy foods, and what foods are going to be the best option for you. Your weight loss surgeon can help set you up on a meal plan that makes sense for your personal health needs, putting you on the road to weight loss success.