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Before I dive into the food frenzy that WIAW brings, I wanted to address a post I read last week that really rubbed me the wrong way. I have nothing against the blogger behind this post as I am not an avid reader of her blog, but when it came across my Twitter feed and I saw the praise it was getting I couldn’t help but take a look for myself. What I read shocked me….but maybe it shouldn’t have.
The post outlined a list of “health” foods that maybe should be considered “unhealthy”…a few that made the list:
-nuts
-dried fruit
-WINTER SQUASH
-avocado
-real food bars (YOU KNOW how I like my bars people!)
And host of other foods that I would consider to be perfectly healthy! It’s one thing to make a list of foods that make false health claims (i.e. sugar filled cereals that claim to be ‘made with whole grains’ or reduced fat peanut butter <—what the what?!)…but another entirely to make a list of PERFECTLY HEALTHY WHOLE FOODS and highlight why it’s important to limit these foods. It made me really upset actually.
[now we’re stressing about healthy foods!!]
I agree that going overboard on anything can be a bad thing…whether that’s oreos or kale! But the message I felt the post conveyed was one of restriction and obsession. It mostly focused on how these foods have more calories/fat/carbs than comparable foods and how portions of them should be monitored.
The fact is, we NEED calories to survive. And calories coming from these foods are good for us! If we start monitoring every little thing that goes into our bodies, soon enough everything will seem to warrant restriction and stringent guidelines on how much or how little we should eat of it. It’s one thing to be mindful and another to start labeling foods as good and bad. It’s lists like these that instill guilt in people and create ‘fear foods’. I can just imagine an impressionable person reading a list like this and thinking to themselves “gosh, I love eating avocado/squash/insert healthy food here…but maybe I shouldn’t be eating as much as I am?”. Monitoring your squash intake should be the least of your worries, people! Honestly, with all the nutritionally deficient foods out there on the market, eating a whole food from the earth should not cause you any guilt or emotion in general…unless that emotion is utter delight (cause that’s how I feel while I’m eating kabocha! 🙂 ).
Similar to attacks on fruit I’ve seen, posts that start to nitpick at healthy foods lead people (who maybe have disordered tendencies as it is) to more disordered eating habits and poor relationships with food. Soon enough, everything will be off-limits. Anyone up for the air diet?! But wait, we mustn’t breathe too much! Wouldn’t want to overdo it!!!
[is this what we’re moving towards?]
Okay, that last part was a little facetious. But you get my point. Strictly analyzing your consumption of healthy foods should be the least of your worries. I don’t necessarily mind lists that offer healthier alternatives or advocate ways you can ADD healthy foods to your diet, but ones that discuss removing, limiting, or watching consumption are not my favorite.
************
And now with all this serious talk about food…how about we show some actual food!! It is WIAW after all!!!
[pear with laughing cow and cinnamon]
[red cabbage and shredded chicken salad, tortillas with banana and peanut butter] 
[mac and cheese with kale, pea, mushrooms, and penne, roasted veggies, Japanese sweet potato and peanut butter] 
[seitan-kale saute salad, toast and corn muffins with feta]
[casher carrot fig Thunderbird Energetica bar]
[green pumpkin pie smoothie]
[ugly food prep from the weekend: curried eggplant and baked beans]
[sprouted lentil salad, crackers with peanut butter and banana]
[seitan-feta kale chips, roasted veggies, roasted kabocha]
[homemade pesto with penne and roasted red peppers] 
[mint chocolate protein muffins with orange slices]
[sweet potato fries]
[kelp noodle mac and cheese with steamed veggies]
[enjoying some tortilla bubbles pre topping….one of my #strangebutgood habits]
[garbanzo bean crust pizza, roasted kabocha]
How do you feel about labeling certain healthy foods as good or bad?
Do you find your eating habits being influenced when people suggest reducing or increasing intake of certain foods?
Kaila
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Todays’s Healthy Help: Donated some money to the Philippine aid efforts!!
Never too late to start Lending a {Healthy} Hand for this weeks round-up! Tell me what you’ve done to help someone else lately!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Healthy fats like nuts and seeds are probably my favorite foods! I couldn’t go a day with out my nut butters and raw unsalted nuts! And squash! If i didn’t have that in my life I would be one sad sad person. And I was that person once, but by eating these wonderful whole foods I feel so good and my body thanks me for it everyday.
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
If squash is unhealthy, then I should be DEAD right now!
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com says
Right?! I’m actually typing this up from my grave. My squash, nut butter, prune grave.
Ashley @ AlmostVegGirlie says
It always drives me nuts to see these arbitrary lists of supposedly unhealthy foods, especially when they have no real reason to be deemed unhealthy. Sure, dried fruit and avocados are high in calories, but like you said, we NEED those calories to live, and those things are a much better choice than candy bars or fries. But at the same time, I am completely influenced by these suggestions. For instance, when paleo became popular, and grains among other things were demonized, I started to question my grain intake–which wasn’t even high to begin with, and it was made up of all healthy, whole grains–and started limiting them in my diet, which is hard to do as a vegan! I’d like to feel more comfortable eating grains again, but it’s hard when there’s so many other opinions out there on almost every food we eat.
Healthy Helper says
I think its great that you are able to realize how you’ve been influenced! That’s the first step in trying to counteract those thoughts!! Grains are delicious and nutritious 🙂
Laura says
So true…if you think about it, oxygen is toxic and slowly decaying our bodies (which is why antioxidants are getting all of the hype right now)…but we need air, obviously! Everything in moderation, and aim for an overall healthy lifestyle. We are getting too caught up in labels and titles and forget to look at the big picture!
Healthy Helper says
I agree…too many labels and criteria to consider when we should just be eating, enjoying, and fueling right!
Carrie Skoll says
OMG – that’s awful. Food is food. It’s all good (as long as it’s real food).
Healthy Helper says
Agreed!!
Jenny @ simply be me says
That list is ridiculous and unfortunately there will be impressionable people out there who will take it to heart. But at the same time, to each their own, food is such a personal choice these days and I, personally, couldn’t live without nuts in my life 🙂
Healthy Helper says
Yes that is the biggest part that worries me…so many people are bound to be negatively influenced by lists like this!
Jess says
I read that blog post and my main issue with it was that the woman in question is a ‘health coach.’ Um, no. She should not be let anywhere near ANYONE while her approach to food is so very wrong. Now, I actually agree that the foods she listed can be binge triggers – aside from avocado and squash, they are for me too. I won’t eat nut butters regularly because it takes so much willpower not to overdo it, and I won’t eat dried fruit because they’re too concentrated in sugars. However, I don’t believe these foods are inherently unhealthy: it’s my attitude towards them which is, and that’s a crucial difference. I would never write a post with such condemnatory language towards these foods – just because they’re no good for me, it does not mean that other people can’t thrive on them. That blogger was projecting her own insecurities onto those foods and misadvising her readers – it’s a disgrace that she should make any money from her blog or transferring her neuroses to other people via supposed ‘health coaching’ (and don’t get me started on that whole business…crudentials my arse). Sadly I suspect some of the same people who praised that post will comment here to the effect of ‘oh no! How awful!’ because the vast majority of the blog world are just a bunch of yes men (or women) and don’t even have the ability to comprehend which particular post you’re referring to.
Bottom line: I’m afraid of most of those foods too. But I don’t deem them unhealthy just because I don’t have the self-control to stop myself from bingeing on them. You do need to watch portions of calorie-dense foods if you need to lose weight, but at the same time eating ONLY voluminous foods doesn’t really work either, because it gives you an illusion of fullness but ultimately makes you hungry again a few seconds later. I’m still trying to work on not stuffing in too much volume and ultimately consuming more caloires in the long run.
xxx
Healthy Helper says
As I told you on Twitter, I agree with everything you’ve said here and I think you’ve said it much more eloquently than I ever could! I feel that for different people foods can mean different things and produce different results in their bodies…but to label these foods as totally unhealthy is just going too far.
Ksenija @ With An Open Mind says
Dietary recommendations make me soooo sad. There is way too much rubbish in all of these magazines and diet books out there and for those who really need help with a healthy diet they pose such a risk on their health and mental well-being. There is a reason behind many health bloggers history of ED and though psychological issues contribute to it, most of us got into it by following some stupid diet and restricting food which is perfectly good and healthy for our body.
Instead of focusing on restrictions I find it most helpful to focus on great, real, happy, healthy food. To eat as much of it as our body asks for will always be the best approach to health in my opinion.
Healthy Helper says
I have the same philosophy! Whole, real foods are awesome!!
MIZ says
Im a cynic these days and often wonder if the posters of thede lists even believe it or if it is alll for traffic.
Healthy Helper says
I often wonder the same thing 😉
Amanda @runtothefinish says
YESSSS i’ve been saying this forever! I think you have to find what foods work for your body and then eat those, vs simply cutting out whole groups because the groups to cut out change every week!
Healthy Helper says
Thanks Amanda! Glad you could relate to my perspective!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
It drive me nuts when people cut out entire food groups for no good reason. Like fruit. I wrote a whole post on why you shouldn’t be scared of it. Different foods have different benefits. Unless you have an allergy, there’s no reason to be scared of good, clean east!
Healthy Helper says
Yeah the fruit fear really grinds my gears too! I just don’t get it!
Eating 4 Balance says
Interesting. What foods/type of diet exactly WAS the blogger promoting? I can see where too much of any of those foods would not be good (for example, 1 cup of nut butter, gazillion squash, 5 avocados in a row….) But in normal amounts I can’t really see how they would be bad unless you were allergic. And I’m guessing this blogger wasn’t.
I thought we’d gotten past the whole fear of healthy fats and natural sugars?! I mean, if she wants to abstain from grains or meat or dairy, etc. because she feels better without them, fine. But those are fruits and vegetables up there mostly! I really don’t understand…
Healthy Helper says
I thought we were past that whole phase too! Unfortunately it seems we aren’t though! Which is a shame because they are so healthy and integral to a good diet.
Brianna K. @ Hungry Gator Gal says
I recently had my body composition analyzed, and the person said I needed to cut back on carbs, starches, and sugars to minimize the fat around my mid section. I try my best to stay away from added sugars, and I eat whole grains and other whole foods. I’m perfectly content with my body, but I still felt myself wondering whether I should follow this person’s advice. It’s amazing how one comment can begin to change your thinking!
Healthy Helper says
I say if you’re content and happy with your body then you should stick to whats working for you! Don’t let others influence how you see yourself 🙂
Brittany @ Little b's healthy habits says
I think it all depends on what your goals are. I don’t know the context of the post you were referring to, but if perhaps she was aiming her post to competitors or even someone that just wants to be in really really great shape, then I have to agree that fruit, bars etc. are not going to be conducive to their goals whatsoever. Now, for the normal person that is just trying to live a healthy life and not really worried about aesthetics, then those things would be fine. It’s all about the context and goals.
Healthy Helper says
I agree! Unfortunately her post wasn’t directed at people that needed to be strict with their diets or competitors…just regular everyday people (or at least that’s how it came across!).
Kitty says
How do you know who her post was directed at? None of you are reaching regular everyday people with your blogs. The people who read your blogs are other healthy living or running or otherwise orthorexic food obsessed bloggers in a big circle jerk of healthy eating. You advertised THIS post on twitter as a “controversy!” to draw in views. Who do you think reads your blog? Who do you think reads Bird Foods blog? You’re all just blogging for each other. None of you are “helping” anyone except for the people who are like you, who want to feed off the food and healthy living obsession.
Healthy Helper says
Hi Kitty! I think healthy living blogs reach a wide variety of people from all walks off life…a lot of which, in this case, that could have been negatively affected by the content of the post I was referencing. Obviously you’re not very interested in my blog or what the other blog has to say but you still found yourself visiting and commenting. So it just goes to show you that a host of different people read blogs for different reasons. I don’t think we can ever really pin point who is reading and what individual people are going to get out of it.
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
Well, you know, the air we breathe IS pretty polluted, so maybe it’s a good idea to cut back on the amount of breaths we take 😉
I read that post too, but it’s getting a lot harder for me to get worked up over people’s dietary beliefs these days. I’ll agree that it’s possible to go overboard even with healthy foods — heck, I have to watch how much squash I eat or I get a stomach ache — but to call them unhealthy diet saboteurs and cut them out of our diets is a little much. It reminds me of those people that claim that a 100 calorie cardboard snack pack is better than eating a banana because ZOMG SUGAR. Just… no.
Healthy Helper says
Oh don’t even get me started on those dang 100 calorie packs! I think I could write a whole post on my disdain for them!! Same goes for people who berate BANANAS!! So wrong.
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com says
Wow. I can’t believe someone actually did a post like that. Thank you for bring to light the problems this could cause. I agree everything in moderation, but if you’re going to over do it on something, it’s better it be a jar full of nuts/ huge squash/ 3 whole food bars than a package of cookies or something else processed. I think you do a fabulous job at showing people what eating healthy is all about, without restricting and counting everything down to a T. Keep being a great example 🙂
Healthy Helper says
Thank you so much Heather! I agree…you’re better off overdoing it on something that at least has some nutritional value rather than something filled with transfats and no nutritional benefits!
Megan (The Lyons' Share) says
Good points here. I read the post, too, and it honestly didn’t rub me the wrong way – I got the point that some foods “add up” (not in a purely caloric way) quicker than others, and like you say “too much” of ANYTHING isn’t a good thing – whether that’s kale or trail mix, both of which are “healthy.” But it would be a lot easier to eat “too much” trail mix than it would to eat “too much” kale. Like you, I don’t believe anything should be off limits (aside from things your body just doesn’t tolerate), and I see how lists like this one can trigger people to start putting limits on things that are really good for them. But I don’t think it was intended in that way! Hopefully I’m allowed to like both the original post and this post 🙂
Healthy Helper says
You certainly are allowed to like both posts!! I think they offer different perspectives to different people.
Ange @ Cowgirl Runs says
Oh my goodness. It’s posts like the ones you referenced that caused me to go on my “healthy living” rant yesterday because OH MY GOODNESS! Can’t we just eat food and be done with it?!
One of my best friends from high school left me the following comment: we live in a society where the emphasis is about what diet you are on or what you don’t eat. Food is the fuel for our body.
And it’s SO TRUE.
Healthy Helper says
I love what you’re best friend said! It’s so true…and so sad.
Kaitlin says
This is a very interesting discussion indeed. People tend to think they known what healthy/unhealthy is, when really it can be defined differently by each individual. I fall into a trap of following certain trends (no sugar, low sugar, etc), but then just try to go by the “whole foods” idea – or at least as many fruits and veggies as I can. I don’t like telling people what is right or wrong, because just like anything else, we all are different and we all have various reasons for eating or acting in certain ways. Just my thoughts 🙂
Healthy Helper says
Thanks for sharing Kaitlin!! I think that everyone is different as well…I just don’t like when strictly ‘good’ or ‘bad’ labels are put on foods.
[email protected] says
Loving all the roasted kabocha! Need to stock up on kelp noodles, I just love em! And your mint chocolate protein muffins look so darn cute!
Healthy Helper says
I like them too!! Now that I know a proper way to prepare them!! 🙂
Sandra Laflamme says
There may be some potential risks of overconsumption of some healthy foods depending on your own personal health but this seems to be going too far. I would never be able to eliminate avocados from my diet.
Healthy Helper says
Same here! Love me some guac 🙂
meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles says
I saw the post you are referring to and really thought the same thing. Anything can be eating in moderation and labeling healthy, whole, nutrient dense foods as problems isn’t fair, especially when you have readers who are learning to switch from processed foods to real foods, as well as readers who are eating disordered, disordered in eating or somewhere in between. Maybe she didn’t get her ideas out the way she intended? I don’t know.
Healthy Helper says
Love what you said here! Especially about people who are just starting to eat healthy! This could be very off putting to them. They are just trying to figure out what foods are healthy and then are hit with the possibility that they’re new choices aren’t good either! It’s like a total slap in the face!
Jen says
I am not a fan of labeling foods “good” or “bad.” Food is fuel. You can choose high-octane fuel to power your high-performance machine or you can choose to eat less-dense foods with fairly little nutritional power that clog your engine. Both types of fuel have their place in my diet. Sometimes I really want ice cream, or pie, or cheesy potatoes…..nothing wrong with that. You can bet your bippy I eat the crap out of a sausage pizza…….and then face the consequences of being a bit more sluggish, needing to run a few more miles, and retaining water the next day.
It’s an intake vs output equation. People who analyze food beyond that are complicating the equation. It’s as simple as taking in and burning off…..anything else is personal preference. I could eat cake all day and burn it all off if I wanted to. I may not have the greatest looking skin, teeth, or hair after doing that, but it would be my choice.
Healthy Helper says
AMEN. Like you said, there is room for ALL foods in someones diet. These lists people are making are totally useless! What you choose to eat is just that…YOUR CHOICE. You live with how those choices make your body feel and people shouldn’t feel compelled to force their own food opinions on others! Thank you for your insight!
Andrea @ pencils and pancakes says
First time I’ve been to your blog…great post!
Healthy Helper says
Thank you Andrea!
Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli says
I couldn’t agree with you more, Kaila! And as someone who is still battling with the old mindset of good vs bad food, I can’t help but shake my head at these kind of people. I mean, like you said, it’s one thing when it comes to processed foods, but to try to discourage people from eating whole foods (especially those like avocado, nuts, and squash that have SO many beneficial ingredients), that is just sad!
Healthy Helper says
Thanks Heather! I agree….it is very sad.