Are there good foods and “bad” foods?

We often put foods into good and bad, but there are no bad foods and the idea of this can be damaging for our relationship with food. Categorising foods into good; raw, pure, fresh sustainable, and bad; calorific, junk food, processed can be influenced by the packaging, as well as accessible information through the media.^1,2

Many diets that are promoted as healthy or to aid weight loss involve restricting one particular food group or having a list of rules to follow.

Although being in a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, dieting has actually been linked with long-term weight gain instead. This is due to restrictive diets not leading to sustainable changes in overall diet; instead making life-long dietary changes should be focused on⁴.

Cutting out a certain food group can lead to nutrient deficiencies and may even be bad for your health long-term. For example, the Keto diet is a very low carbohydrate diet that’s been promoted for weight loss; however, this may lead to a low intake of vitamins, minerals, fibre (which can negatively impact our gut health) and also cause fatigue⁵. Following any kind of restrictive diet should only be done under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Clean eating is a broadly used phrase for many diets- across social media platforms. However, there’s no clear definition of what ‘clean eating’ actually is, with some people advocating reduced consumption of processed foods, whereas others focus on restrictive diets that eliminate certain food groups (e.g. wheat and sugar)⁹. There’s a concern that ‘clean eating’ diets may lead to obsessive eating habits in some women (10) and may even mask eating disorders9. If you think you’re struggling with your relationship with food, don’t hesitate to reach out to Beat.

As the definition of clean eating is so varied, it’s hard to say what the impact on our gut health short or long term would be. One aspect that’s often encouraged in clean eating trends is reducing or avoiding the consumption of ultra processed foods. There’s been some animal research that suggests high intakes of these kinds of foods have negative effects on the gut microbiota and increased risk of inflammatory diseases, however more human research is needed¹¹. More research is also needed into how restrictive diets may affect our gut microbiome.

The key thing to takeaway here is that it’s all about eating foods in moderation. Having a healthy diet throughout life is associated with a lower risk of diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer¹².

Looking at our whole diet is vital in making sustainable healthy food changes that we can stick to long term, rather than focusing on a single food or food group⁴.

There are specific foods that should be limited due to connections with poor health. In the Western world it’s been shown that we’re generally consuming too much salt, sugar and certain fats that are negatively impacting our health. In fact, the World Health Organisation highlights that our dietary choices and lack of movement is now one of the biggest risks to our health¹².

The intake of salt, sugar and fat in the UK is generally too high, due to a high intake of ultra-processed foods like baked goods, crisps, sugary cereals, and ready meals. There’s the need for people to make conscious choices to decrease intake, due to an increased risk of health concerns such as obesity and cardiovascular disease linked to an excessive intake of these nutrients¹³. Ultra-processed foods have been found to take up to 60% of daily energy intake in some countries, highlighting the importance of encouraging a move to more home cooked nutrient- dense meals¹⁴.

However, ultra-processed foods can still be enjoyed in small quantities as part of a healthy diet. Some ultra processed foods such as bread and baked beans are a staple in many UK households, in these cases swapping to more nutrient dense versions such as wholemeal/wholegrain bread or low salt/sugar baked beans can improve the nutritional quality of these foods¹⁶.