Finding YOUR Version of “Healthy”

“Is that healthy?”

It’s a question I hear all the time from clients, customers, and well-meaning friends and family as their go-to Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner and Health Coach.

Regardless of the product or practice in question, my answer is almost always (much to their frustration): “Well, it depends…”

The thing is, everything – whether it’s a certain food, diet plan, exercise regimen, supplement or medication – has its uses. It largely depends what you are hoping to achieve by incorporating it; What are your goals? What potential benefits/outcomes are you hoping to see? Is there another alternative to which you are comparing it? For how long are you intending to use it?

And, as I’ve said many times before, every body is different. What is “healthy” for one person may not be “healthy” for another. It’s very rare that we ever see a food, product or practice with the blanket label of “healthy” that’s applicable to every single person on the planet. Depending on your unique genetic makeup, lifestyle, personal history, gender, goals and health conditions, your “healthiest” life could look very different from that coworker or influencer who told you the Keto diet changed their life.

Let’s take intermittent fasting as an example of a practice that can result in healthy weight reduction, increased mental clarity, reduced inflammation, and even (allegedly) better longevity for some. When we delve further into the research, however, we find that most of the clinical studies on intermittent fasting have been done on cisgender men, because the hormone fluctuations that occur at different points during the female cycle make it difficult (but not impossible) to obtain results.

But women are not just small men, and we now know that, for someone who struggles with Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome, for example, or blood sugar imbalances, intermittent fasting can wreak havoc on hormone regulation.

Even a concept as widely-sold as eating less and moving more will not necessarily benefit everyone indiscriminately. Someone with a history of disordered eating behaviors or overexercising may find themselves triggered by a conversation with a well-meaning friend who is trying to “get healthy” on a new workout regimen. For the former, eating less and moving more may not be a “healthy” practice at all, and may even result in a relapse, severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (loss of the menstrual cycle), infertility, or osteoporosis.

And setting aside for a moment the matter of bio-individuality, it’s worthwhile to question what we really mean when we use the word “healthy”? Are we discussing weight? Nutrient status? Mental Health? Hormone regulation? Or perhaps simply a balanced and happy life?

The question it ultimately boils down to, is: what do you value most in a healthy life?

Wellness Culture and social media (certain platforms in particular, which shall remain unnamed) have made it easy for unqualified individuals to champion blanket “health” advice that is purely based on their own experience rather than clinical studies or meta analyses (which are not perfect either), or, even worse, a brand that is paying them to promote their product.

While the easy access to information that social media provides is an inarguable blessing to our modern world, it’s always in our best interest to pay close attention to the source of the information we are seeking, whether that’s an individual and their education/qualifications, or a brand sponsor or other vested interest.

It’s also important to maintain a clear view of the specific goals we are looking to achieve. We may come across an ad or sponsored video touting the benefits of moringa powder (of which there are, unarguably, many), but are they conducive to the results we as individuals are looking for? Moringa may be an excellent antioxidant, but it won’t necessarily help you lose weight, if that’s your goal.

It would do us all a service to ask the necessary questions to unearth for ourselves our own unique definition of “healthy”; What does your healthiest life look like? Do you want more energy? A stronger body? Better relationships? More food freedom? Maybe for you, a “healthy” life involves buying organic produce and preparing most of your meals at home, but still having the flexibility to accept a spontaneous invitation to a girls’ night out.

There is enough color, space, and plasticity in this world for us each to find our own unique version of “healthy”. I would love to get a conversation going about what “healthy” means for you! Let me know in the comments below, and we can share in inspiring one another and celebrating the many routes that exist to a “healthy” life.