“Healthy” – The Definition Isn’t Yours…But it Should be
Posted by PhilifeFeb 10
What a disaster!
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Brad and I were on a conference teleseminar with the FDA and realized that the definition of the words “healthy” and “healthful” are actually controlled to a large extent by the FDA.
It’s probably no surprise to you that there is some government involvement in these words as they get used to promote all kinds of products from food, to supplements, as well as drugs and exercise program and equipment.
But in order for a government organization to control the marketing use of a word they must first define that word…this is where their efforts fall woefully short of meeting the mark.
In reality there is no universal definition of the words “healthy” or “healthful”. This definition must be a personal one and one that matters to you.
In this podcast we’ll discuss the limitations of trying to define these words and how to come up with your own definition that works for your life.
John
12 comments
Comment by Ron on February 10, 2010 at 8:07 am
John & Brad,
Great podcast. I experenced the whole going out to eat and having someone not eat just yesterday. Heres what happened. Yesterday was my fasting day. My ex-wife called me to see if I could take my daughter to the eye doctor. After her appointment she told me she was hungry so I took her next door to get her a hamburger. The clerk took our order and looked puzzled when I didn’t get anything but a water cup. The person that brought our order to us had the same puzzled look. To top it all off the Manager came by and asked if I didn’t like the food served at the restraunt. To which I told him I did very much but that I just wasn’t hungry and thats why I wasn’t eating. So I experenced it from the other side of the table so to speak.
Comment by Philife on February 10, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Ron,
That’s an amazing story!
It has almost become socially UNACCEPTABLE to NOT eat just because you aren’t hungry! Like that isn’t a valid reason to not consume food. Crazy.
B
Comment by Terry O'Carroll on February 10, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Yes, I have found that with women especially they get annoyed with you if you won’t eat when they are eating! It’s as if they feel pressured not to eat or something! Or maybe I’m just a socially inept misfit?
Comment by Lachlan on February 10, 2010 at 4:51 pm
It’s crazy how much flak i cop at work about the way i go about my diet ESE style, almost instantly being labeled unhealthy when i tell them how little i eat during the week but recharge a little on the weekends. They can’t seem to understand its not WHAT its HOW MUCH. I dont bother trying to change people anymore because everybody wants to be the expert on ‘healthy living’. It frustrates me how simple diet is yet people dont want to accept it. i guess its like john said, some people just dont want to change or do anything now that the answers infront of them.
I actually asked a few work mates what they thought the word healthy means (after grilling me for the way i personally maintain myself). They had to think for a bit but gave very random answers, most of them relating to food and rules of food.
Comment by Victoria Arnstein on February 10, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I find it so funny in a bad way that almost every social event includes eating foods. My husband and I rarely eat out because we mostly eat raw fruitss and veggies and no fat, so just ordering an over priced salad plain is just to weird for both sides. The waitress gets confused and pissed off(b.c she wants you to order more for a big tip and you for actually going out of your way to have someone put lettuce and tomatoes in your plate and pay a huge amount when we could easily have eaten 2x that amount at home and socialized somewhere that there was no food. Sometimes we find a couple like ourselves and have a lot of fruits and veggies around and we get together for game night.
I also fast on just water if I decide to eat a meal that is high in salt and fat and I tend to be full up until the 20th hour and stick it out till hour 24 and break it on fruit. Let’s see how that goes for the next couple of months..So far, I like it, but need to stay away from salt and fat more, that is a bad combination for me even if I am fasting for 24 hrs afterwards.
Comment by Alan on February 11, 2010 at 1:50 am
Great pod-cast. Just last Sunday I had a similar experience. My partner (her idea) and I took out son his wife and kids out for lunch. Unfortunately I was fasting that day but we went anyway and she was miffed that I sat there watching. It was interesting listening to the chatter before the food came. “Oh I can’t wait for it to get here” “I’m so hungry I’ll be sick if I don’t eat soon” “I’m starving” .. “How come you’re not eating, how can you not eat lunch”? They were even more amazed when I told them I hadn’t eaten since the night before and didn’t plan to eat until dinner. I felt no hunger. They wolfed down their burger and chips and were complaining of hunger two hours later, me, no different. I think you just have to defy convention and do what is best for you regardless of others.
Comment by Chris R on February 11, 2010 at 3:45 am
Ha! Ironically my wife never ate on our first date!! In fairness to her, we were supposed to go out ‘for a drink’. We went out at about 8pm and she had finished dinner earlier in the evening. I worked late and hadn’t had dinner, so I ordered an appetizer and ate it while she watched me! Fortunately I didn’t shoot any food out of my mouth or get anything gross stuck in my teeth (at least if I did she’s never told me). It was love at first site and that was 8 years ago!
Comment by Gazza on February 11, 2010 at 11:38 am
Oh, I’ve had those stares about not eating quite a bit. I was pretty anal about it two years back and would eat or drink when meeting mates for a ‘burger and beer’ night. It was because it wasn’t food I deemed healthy and I didn’t want to put on fat. Looking back it’s pretty funny, and to be fair my mates were pretty good about the whole thing. Now I pretty much do what I want. If there’s food being ordered I’m in there. And if I go overboard I just skip a meal or fast. What’s funny now is if I decline dessert when eating with family at home… They’ll give me a hard time about being a health fanatic, while I defend myself (yes, defend myself because I hate that label) by saying I eat more food at dinner then them and eat burgers and pizza whenever they get it. Truth is I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and dessert doesn’t always float my boat.
Bottom line to me is kinda what Brad said, don’t eat alone… You’re going to be in social situations almost everyday, where invariably people will end up eating, so you may as well accomodate that by only eating when you’re really hungry or with friends. And then you can just go all out and not worry.
Comment by Jefferson on February 11, 2010 at 1:51 pm
As pointed out by John and Brad, helthy eating involves more than how much carbs, protein and other nutrients, it’s also psychologial.
I know what it is to see how people get amazed and sometimes angry when we are on a fast day and don’t want to eat – been there too. However, this is only valid if you’re totally comfortable with not eating, I mean, you’re not pushing yourself to do something you really don’t want.
I usually exercise on Mon, Wed and Fri and do my 24-hour fastings on Tue and Thu, on the off days so that I try to get the most of the GH that is released during fast. I do that 95% of the time, but I’ll be honest that if I’m on a fast day and I’m invited for lunch by relatives or friends and I really feel like doing it well, then I’ll accept the invitation, go out and have a good meal, try not to go crazy like eating everything I see and making good choices and plan my fast to the next day.
ESE taught me not to be a slave of food, but I also don’t want to be a slave of any methods, or diets if you like, as well.
Any thoughts on that?
Greetings from Brazil!
Jefferson
Trackback by pligg.com on February 12, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Phi Life Blog – The Definition of “Healthy” Isnt YoursBut it Should be…
Health Podcast – The FDA regulates the use of the words healthy, and healthful. But these are words that only work with a personal definition….
Comment by Joe on February 14, 2010 at 12:53 am
You just blew my mind.
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