What exactly is a "healthy diet"? To some people a healthy diet means no animal proteins, to others it may mean high fat and low carbs, but yet to others it may mean no sugar, at all.   As registered dietitians we have our own definition for what a healthy diet should look like, and while we may not all agree as nutrition professionals what exactly a "healthy diet is", we do all agree on one thing and that is that servings and food groups aside; YOUR healthy diet should be enjoyable and sustainable, otherwise how healthy is it really?  We also agree that healthy eating isn't perfect, and that perfect eating isn't healthy.

Some more words of wisdom; It's ok to eat peanut butter. And, lots of it.

 

It's ok to pick the cake over the apple.

 

It's ok to not have all the food groups on your plate at each meal (in fact, it's probably best not to, that's hard to do!).

 
Resources/Show Notes
Imperfect Health Podcast - One of Gina's favorite podcasts! Two dietitians talking about how living a healthy means so much more than perfection; discusses food, exercise, mental health, and more.

Dietitians Unplugged Podcast - Check out episode 66 for more on "embracing imperfect eating"

Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020 - It's no wonder Americans are confused! Granted, these aren't meant for the lay public, per se, the idea is that you find a nutrition professional (ahem, a Registered Dietitian) to help you make sense of these and mold the recommendations to fit you.  We suggest the new 2020 dietary guidelines integrate intuitive eating and the importance of having a good relationship with food.  No counting, no tracking (at least not long-term), food should be fun and not stressful.

Nicole's (PreventionRD) Breakfast Superfoods Cookies (Gina's favorite new recipe. Modifiable too. Gina made these with raisins instead of cranberries, unsalted butter instead of coconut oil, chopped nuts instead of pepitas, oh and she added dark chocolate chips!  Another option is to use about 3/4 cup pumpkin puree instead of banana.)