Food and Fitness: The Case for Letting Go of Extremism

We live in a society where many people tend to gravitate toward "black and white thinking" and extremes. The nutrition and fitness industries are fraught with examples of extremism in many forms. Everyday a new headline pronounces a certain food as "bad and ruining our health," while exalting another food and praising it's "amazing benefits." These lists of proclaimed "superfoods" and "harmful foods" seem to change on a weekly basis- leading many people to be confused as to the mixed messages they are receiving. Further, popular fitness posts tend to favor a "black and white" mentality towards exercise, which leads many individuals to falsely believe that only a "intense workout" is beneficial for the mind and body. I would argue that this extremist viewpoint towards nutrition and fitness is harmful for everyone. For instance, within the last few years, it was widely publicized that coconut oil had some health benefits. Many purported health fanatics went crazy in terms of eating an incredible abundance of coconut oil with every meal. However, eating any one food in excess can be unhealthy. Further, food is neutral and should not be labeled as "good" or "bad." In Diet Recovery 2, author Matt Stone dispels the myth of "good or bad foods." Stone states, "Pizza is extraordinarily nutritious. It's almost a calcium overload. You don't have to drink kale juice all day to get adequate nutrients, and if you did you would obliterate your thyroid gland (kale is a goitrogen)." This d...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news