Food is not bad for you. In moderation, absolutely no actual whole food is likely to make you fat, sick, or tired (unless you're allergic to it of course). However, when I peak into people's grocery carts, I am left to believe that most Americans have no clue what "food" is. Hint # 1: if it comes from a plant, it might be food. If it was made in a plant, it probably isn't. Hint # 2 - if it says it's food, it probably isn't. If it doesn't say anything, it probably is. If you are confused, it's not entirely your fault. A lot of money goes into making it hard for you to define food. Example: Today at the pool, I walked by the concession stand and saw a bag that said "Swedish Fish: A Fat Free Food." But last week when I was at the farmers market, nothing in the produce section claimed to be anything other than what it was: an organic carrot, a gala apple, a navel orange. In case you aren't clear, Swedish fish are edible fish-shaped rubbery things; they are not by any means "food."
But wait! The cereal I saw in aisle #5 said it was "cholesterol free" so it must be healthier for me than the raw almonds I saw in that weird unmarked bin that required me to pull a lever and get my own bag, right? Actually, you can thank the food company that made the cereal for insulting your intelligence because only animal products contain cholesterol so neither cereal nor almonds contain cholesterol, but only the major food manufacturer profited from telling you that (because "no cholesterol" sounded better than "processed, fortified and laden with sugar to mask the lack of any natural nutrients or flavor"). Next thing you know, they will be selling you "gluten-free" string cheese and "diary-free" rice cakes (if they don't already). For another blogger's take on the lies food manufacturers tell, check out this excellent post by Fooducate.
The question I get most often from people is "Is _____ bad for me?" As long as the word in the blank is an actual food, my answer is one of the following: "Not in moderation" or "Only if it is a 'trigger food' for you." We all have those foods that we can't eat in moderation - for some it's nuts, for others it's cheese or dark chocolate -- and my advice is this: if you are trying to lose weight, it makes sense to completely avoid those foods that trigger you to overeat. This doesn't mean it's a bad food, it just might be a bad food for you.
I also like to draw a distinction between "weight-loss foods" and "maintenance foods," meaning that if you are trying to lose weight, some foods that may not be "bad" in my book still do not belong on a sensible weight-loss plan. Some of these include fresh French baguettes, huge baked potatoes, nice hunks of brie, fruit smoothies, dark beers, etc. These are all foods you can eat in moderation if you are maintaining a healthy weight, but if you are trying to drop weight, stick with foods that are higher in nutrients and lower in sugar, calories and saturated fat.
When deciding if a food is bad or not, it's also helpful to ask yourself "Is it worth it?"For example, I do not consider there to be anything bad about a gorgeous blackberry cobbler made with seasonal fruit, natural sugar and real butter. Do I think you can eat half the pie and not feel and look the worse for it? No, but do I think you should have a piece if your neighbor brings you one fresh out of the oven? Absolutely. Even if you are on a diet? Maybe, if you are willing to make a concession the following day or two. It just might be worth it. However, I would not say the same about that box of Oreos at a kid's birthday party. Even if edible food-like substances like Swedish fish or Twinkies appeal to you, there is no reason to justify inflicting them on your poor digestive track which is not designed to deal with them even if your modern mind thinks it's a good idea. There is not enough good to outweigh the bad. Not enough pleasure (beyond 3 seconds) to mask the potential pain non-food inflicts on your health over the long-term. To put it simply, our bodies have not evolved to handle the junk most of us are putting into it. If they had, we wouldn't have a serious obesity crisis on our hands.
Finally, when asked if certain foods are bad, I like to reference my "when in Rome" eating philosophy. It goes like this: if you routinely order takeout from a pizza chain, you are compromising your health because it's full of preservatives and unnatural flavors and fillers as most fast food is. But if you go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Naples and you don't sample the world's most famous pizza, you are a CRAZY person. So even if it's full of fat and high in calories, if it's something you might get to eat once in your life and it's famously good - eat it! But if it's something you can get at any convenience store or any town with a strip mall, skip it.
To sum up: if you do need to lose weight, think about your history with that food and whether it's worth it before deciding if it's a "bad" food. If you don't need to lose weight, just eat actual food that comes from the earth in reasonable sized portions, and you can't go wrong. For more clarification on what's food and what isn't, check out "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan or "Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking With Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair.
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