Eating less bad is not the same as eating more healthy

I was reading an article on http://www.diet-blog.com/ called “Obese Americans Claim To Eat Healthy” and this quote struck me.

A recent telephone survey of 11,000 people found that more than three-quarters of obese people say they have healthy eating habits.

How is this possible if eating healthy and excercise are the keys to weight loss?

I then made the realization that I used to think that I ate healthy. I knew that cutting back on junk food or ordering smaller fast food portions is less bad for your health. I assumed that since it was less bad that is had to be more good. I was wrong.

Eating healty and eating unhealthy are mutually exclusive. That means that doing less or more of one does not effect the other. So, if you are eating less junk food by eating smaller portions, you are just eating less junk. You are still eating unhealthy foods.

To eat healthy, you need to eat only healthy foods. Some unhealthy stuff is ok sometimes, but I would say that at least 90% of what you eat must be healthy foods to be considered a healthy eater.

I realized that i was eating unhealthy even though I thought I was eating healthy. I consiously examined the foods I was eating and thought to myself if it was healthy or not. I didnt look at the portions I ate. I just looked at the foods. I found i was primarily eating fast food and processed microwave type foods. They are not healthy foods. Once I knew this I changed my diet to one where I ate mostly fruits, veggies and lean meats. Now I can say I am eating healthy and I actually am.

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