Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Over the weekend, a friend was telling me about a recent trip to a farmers’ market where she bought an organic doughnut. Was this healthy?

I often get asked whether certain foods are healthy or not and to be honest I often hesitate before answering. It’s a simple question. But unfortunately the answer is often complex.

When I was training, I was told there’s no such thing as a bad food. Just bad diets. I don’t agree with this statement now – a BBQ Meat Lovers pizza with cheese filled crust can never be a “good” food. However, it does hint at the complexity of the answer.

Most foods have good points and bad points. Most foods provide some nutrients, but not others. Most foods have ways in which they are “healthy”, but also reasons why you shouldn’t eat too much of them.

Take blueberries. They’re high in antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, low in fat and are considered a super-food. BUT a diet just made up of blueberries is obviously not a healthy diet. However, a diet where blueberries are your only fruit is also not the best way of eating.

Even healthy foods have limits and you can eat too much of them.

The health of a food is relative to the rest of your diet. A healthy diet is about variety and moderation.

A healthy diet can even include the occasional organic doughnut.

07 May, 2007