What Does Healthy Eating Really Mean?
As writer and professor Michael Pollan said: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”.
The great thing about that phrase is its simplicity. It really says everything you need to know about healthy eating in 7 words.
When it comes to what actually goes on your plate, though, you probably need some more information. Here I’ll share with you the basics of healthy eating, in a few more than 7 words.
What is a Healthy Eating Pattern?
Many people think they need to get the specific details of nutrition exactly right. They think that they need to put numbers on their eating – eat this many calories, with this percentage of carbs, fats, and proteins, at this time, they need to eat no added sugars and less than this many grams of sodium…
That makes things way too rigid and complicated, and the research doesn’t even support the idea that there is one “right” way of eating in the first place.
For most people, the basics of healthy eating are more than enough to help them lose weight, feel great, and protect their health.
I like to call these the “big rocks” of healthy eating. In other words, these are the most important healthy eating priorities. If you get these “big rocks” in place, you don’t have to worry about the details, they’ll fall into place on their own.
Focusing on these guidelines also gives you flexibility. It allows you to create your own healthy eating pattern that you’ll actually enjoy and can stick with for the long-term.
For even more details, including a unique system for assessing how processed your food is so you can make healthier choices, download my FREE Guide To Healthy Eating eBook.
The “Big Rocks” of Healthy Eating:
Eat mostly a variety of whole, minimally processed foods
Eat less ultraprocessed foods
Keep an eye on portion sizes to prevent overeating
Balance your meals
Focus on consistency and long-term commitment, not perfection
Eat More Whole, Minimally Processed Foods
Minimally processed means that the food is pretty close to the form in which it was grown, without extras like sugar, salt, flavorings, and preservatives added to it.
Whole vegetables and fruits, whole grains, dry beans and legumes, and proteins like whole cuts of fish and meat are usually minimally processed.
These foods are nutrient dense. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, as well as healthy fats, slow digesting carbohydrates, and protein. Per calorie, these foods provide you with more beneficial nutrients than calorie dense foods.
When you eat mostly nutrient dense foods, you provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function well, protect your health, and manage your weight. These foods are also very filling so you’re less likely to overeat.
It can sometimes be hard to tell how processed a food is, but if you mainly eat foods that have a very short and easy to understand ingredient list (or no ingredient list at all!), you’ll be well on your way to a healthy eating pattern.
Eat Less Ultraprocessed Foods
Those are junk foods (you know what they are), fast foods, ice cream, cookies, cakes, pre-made microwaveable meals, and anything else with a long list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
This also includes many products that are marketed as “healthy”, like many protein bars and other snack products, which are often full of sugar and other additives. Truthfully, if a product has to sell itself as healthy, it’s usually not a whole food and not as “healthy” as the food company wants you to believe.
When these processed foods are produced, some things are added to them and others are removed. Fat, sugar, salt, and preservatives are often added. Nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants are often removed or diluted in the process.
This leaves the food with a lot of calories but little nutritional value. Our bodies don’t handle those types of foods very well, and they are linked with weight gain, poor health and increased risk of disease, digestive issues, and other problems.
I believe that making the switch from mostly ultra-processed foods to whole foods is the single best thing you can do to improve your eating, and will have a huge impact on your health.
Note that I said you should “eat less” ultraprocessed foods, not eliminate them. You should aim to eat mostly healthy, minimally processed foods each day, but allow yourself some flexibility to eat the not-so-healthy foods that you enjoy most.
Portion Sizes and Overeating
What you eat is important, but so is how much you eat. Learning to regulate your portions is a skill, and it’s not as straight-forward as many people think.
Part of this skill is listening to your body’s natural hunger signals. Your body has a built in system for regulating how much you eat and telling you when to stop eating. For a variety of reasons, many of us have lost touch with that system and can’t depend on it to help us control our food intake anymore.
To learn more about the many factors that might make you overeat and get tips to keep portions in check, read my full article on Why People Overeat And What You Can Do About It.
There are a lot of strategies you can use to help you control your portion sizes, but a good first step is to use a 1-10 scale to gauge your hunger, with 10 being the hungriest you've ever been and 1 being so full that you feel sick. A 5 or 6 means you’re not hungry or full.
Eat when your hunger is a 7 or 8. If you feel like eating but your hunger level is a 6 or lower, stop and figure out why. Don't wait until your hunger is at a 9 or 10. They hungrier you are when you start eating, the more likely you are to overeat.
As you eat, take a break every few minutes and assess your hunger level. Stop eating when you're satisfied but not stuffed, which would be a 3 or 4 on the hunger scale.
Balancing Meals
A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of minimally processed foods across these 6 food groups:
Vegetables
Fruits
Lean Protein
Whole Grains
Dairy (if you tolerate it well)
Healthy Fat
You need a mix of different foods from each of the food groups, which ensures that you get all the nutrients your body needs. Any diet that tells you to completely cut out a whole food group is not likely to be a healthy or sustainable choice.
Ideally you should be aiming to eat healthy foods from several groups in each meal, but you can also balance them across the day. If you eat a protein-heavy breakfast, for example, you could incorporate more whole grains or vegetables with lunch.
Consistency and Long-Term Commitment
If you were told that you'd never be able to eat your favorite meal or dessert again, what do you think would happen? You would start to crave that food, feel deprived, and give up pretty quickly.
You can absolutely indulge in not-so-healthy foods occasionally. In fact, you probably should. Food contains nutrients, but it also provides enjoyment and social connection.
Eat less-than-healthy foods that you really enjoy (in moderation), just be mindful about balancing them with healthy foods.
Even more importantly, find healthy foods that you enjoy. Healthy food can be delicious, and it only takes a little effort and experimentation to find ways to prepare healthy foods that you like.
Putting It All Together
Now that you know the basics of healthy eating, it’s time to start building your own healthy eating pattern.
That starts with a mindset shift. When it’s time to decide what you’ll eat, don’t think about calories or carbs, think about the “big rocks” of healthy eating:
Is what you’re about to eat minimally processed or ultraprocessed? Are you eating it because you’re actually hungry and can you stop when you feel satisfied and not stuffed? Does your meal have a variety of nutritious foods from different food groups? Is your healthy meal one you’ll actually enjoy?
I know most people want to know exactly what they should eat, but the truth is that your healthy eating pattern is unique to you. The best way to get there is to start where you are and make small, sustainable shifts in the right direction.
For even more details, including a unique system for assessing how processed your food is so you can make healthier choices, download my FREE Guide To Healthy Eating eBook.