4 ms·

Can we decouple the idea of "healthy" from calories? Calorie density doesn't make a meal unhealthy.

• thehappypm 6y ago
  In a very real sense, calories are the only thing that make a meal unhealthy, too, though.
• suprfnk 6y ago
  > Calorie density doesn't make a meal unhealthy. That's right. > Can we decouple the idea of "healthy" from calories? Not completely. While calories themselves don't make a food healthy or unhealthy, healthy foods definitely skew towards low caloric density, and unhealthy foods definitely skew towards high caloric density. No causation, very strong correlation.
• grecy 6y ago
  > Calorie density doesn't make a meal unhealthy Can you list a five things that are calorie dense that are healthy, and five things that are not calorie dense that are unhealthy?
  • thotsBgone 6y ago
    1. Olive oil, red meat, avocado, beans, nuts. 2. There are no unhealthy foods, only unhealthy diets. Even a bowl of ice cream isn't unhealthy if you're getting all your nutrients and not eating too many calories.
    • grecy 6y ago
      on 2. , I think every doctor on the planet would say you should never eat/drink McDonalds, Coca-cola, red bull and other "food that isn't food" items.
      • thotsBgone 6y ago
        "Every doctor" would be wrong. The guy from the Fat Head documentary showed that you can lose weight and become healthier on an all-McDonalds diet. Also, the food pyramid (which, admittedly, is so incorrect that it should cause you to question any healthcare professional who quotes it) does include a small layer for fat, oil, sugar, and sweets, implying you can have them as an occasional treat but not all the time. No doctor is going to tell you to never eat at McDonalds, only to make it a rare treat.