What is Healthy??

So I think we've established that I read a lot of blogs. I also have a serious addiction to Pinterest. And you know what I've found? Another pet peeve. Some of you are not surprised.

But this one is at least a good one, you know, for the good of others. At least half of it.

Yes there are two parts.

The first part has to do with the language of something. I DETEST when people use the word "Healthy" to describe a meal. "This chicken salsa is so Healthy for you."

I know language changes, and maybe healthy has, but for me it hasn't. Think about the opposite of healthy. Sick (and not in a "that's sick man! You blew that out of the water. You're amazing" kind of American Idol way.). I mean pukey sick. So would you ever refer to the meal as sick (not disgusting, but as in not-well)? If food can't get sick, then food can't be healthy. The word you're ACTUALLY looking for is nutritious. And good nutrition keeps a person healthy (because a PERSON can get sick...).

Okay that's the first part.

Here's the second. It bugs me that in North America we don't know what constitutes a nutritious meal. I read so many recipes where the person will say "it's healthy (ahh!) for you. Well, except for the cheese." Cheese is not non-nutritious people! Milk, and butter, and sour cream does not make a recipe terrible for you. In fact, all the low-fat substitutes you're eating are so full of chemicals, they're doing your body way more harm than good.

But then there is the other side of it. People also seem to think that if a recipe has lettuce or any form of veggies it's automatically nutritious. Who cares that it's full of pre-produced packaged "food" or that the sodium or sugar levels are crazy? It has a cucumber so now it's guaranteed to be "healthy!" I notice this one on Pinterest the most. The tag will say "a really healthy meal" (which makes me think that they must be referring to the portion size because that's a really wrong statement...) and then when I click I realize there is grated carrot on top of a bunch of canned and boxed slop. Which, hey, I eat it too, but I don't kid myself that it's good for me.

So for the record:
-The more "from the natural source" your food is (think fresh, non-packaged) the more nutritious it is.
-The less processing it endures (this includes things like decaffeinating, and taking out some of the fat) the better it is for you.
-Milk fat does not equal fat on you. It's good fat. I know you heard for years that saturated fat (butter!) is bad for you. There has been new research and really, trans-fat (margarine) is bad for you. We have to change our thinking. Everything in moderation people. A spoonful of 14% sour cream isn't going to kill you. Sure, don't eat the whole 1 liter carton, but the spoonful is probably better for the than the processed spoonful of "alternative" you're eating.
-Fruits and veggies ARE good for you. In their most natural state. But adding one to a dish doesn't cancel out all other non-nutritious ingredients.

Does this bother anyone else?? Let's learn a bit more about our food, shall we?