Over the last few years, the healthy eating trend has grown more than Chris Evans in Captain America, and I love it! The more delicious, minimally processed, whole food, quick food options, the better!
The trend of ‘health’ foods has been accompanied by the concept of 'healthy' treats. I’m referring to any of the bars/balls/cookies/slices that are typically made from a mix of minimally processed, natural ingredients such as dates, cacao, coconut (plus all its by-products), nuts, seeds, superfoods etc. and then slapped with a rousing name such as ‘All Natural Heavenly Super Bliss Bites’.
I once made the mistake of searching for ‘healthy high protein balls/bites’ on Pinterest and lost half a day looking at hundreds of recipes!
There is a recipe for every dietary method followed. Even our paleo caveman brethren were apparently pounding ingredients with a bone and then rolling them into healthy morsels to be carried in their animal skin pouch.
I’m a big advocate of eating a diet composed primarily of whole foods. Naturally, one would assume that I would be a big fan of these ‘healthier’ treats and I admit that I’ve eaten (and still do) my fair share.
There are a number of positives in consuming them over other more processed, nutrient-sparse options. More nutrients, fibre and protein than their ‘junk’ food counterparts being the main ones.
However, there are a number of issues that many may be unaware of or have forgotten in the current health haze. These issues have the potential to negatively affect those with weight loss goals and as a consequence their health too.
FOUR ISSUES WITH 'HEALTHY' TREATS
1. AN UNDUE FOCUS ON QUALITY RATHER THAN QUANTITY.
Does this sound familiar - “I don’t understand it! My diet isn’t bad. I eat mostly 'clean' foods and rarely eat junk!” Often however these same people are unaware of how much energy they’re consuming.
Total energy intake (kilojoules/calories) is king.
I’m not stating that the quality of food in someone’s diet isn’t important or doesn’t play a role in body composition…BUT, it's not the greatest influence.
While these natural treats will likely contribute slightly more from a nutrient perspective many also contain just as many and sometimes greater calories than so called “un-healthy” snacks. You can consume a diet from 100% whole food, thats sugar free, low carb, paleo, vegan etc. Hell you can even type #cleaneating after every meal you share via social media, but if you are taking in more energy than you expend you’re going to gain weight!
Before the #cleaneating crowd turns away in disgust it’s important to note that one of the benefits of having a diet rich in whole foods is because they are more satiating and tend to be harder to overeat.
2. REPLICATING WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO REPLACE!?
There is a reason you have never heard anyone say “Dude! I had the biggest bowl of cacao powder last night! Probably why I’m looking a little flabby!”.
Overeating foods in their natural state is reasonably hard, with the exception of nuts perhaps.
One of the reasons we grow tired of eating minimally processed foods is because our brain grows tired of the monotony. Once we start mixing flavours, adding fat here, something sweet there, letting our inner Mr. Oliver take over and TADAH! That bowel of cacao powder is now a mug cake which kicks the palatability level up substantially but unfortunately, the energy content too.
Fat and sugar makes food awesome! It’s a fact that chefs and food scientists have known and profited from for centuries. Essentially when we toss all these minimally processed foods such as nuts, dates, seeds etc. into our food processor and blend them until they resemble a thick, sticky batter before rolling them into individual bite size pieces we are creating an energy dense, easily consumable, delicious snack!
But hang on a second… isn’t that exactly the problem with the processed foods we so love to hate? Often the only difference between the two is the nutrient content which in the grand scheme of things may not be such a big deal because…
3. THOSE MORE LIKELY TO CONSUME ‘HEALTHY’ TREATS ARE THE ONES LEAST LIKELY TO BENEFIT.
One of the few ways any food can be considered “unhealthy” is if it displaces more nutrient dense options by providing so called “empty calories”. As I mentioned above, often “healthy” treats are more nutrient dense.
However, the primary consumers of these treats tend to be health conscious individuals who are more likely to be consuming a more nutrient dense diet than the majority of the population.
There is no evidence to suggest that as long as the majority of your diet is comprised of whole, nutrient dense foods that we can’t hit our nutrient needs while enjoying some “empty calorie” foods. Studies have indicated that roughly 15-20% of an individual’s total energy needs would have to come from refined sugar before it became impossible to meet their daily nutrient needs (1,2).
To put that in perspective, if someone were consuming 2000 calories per day, they would have to consume more than 400 calories from added refined sugars (100 g) before they could no longer hit their bodies nutrient needs.
4. THE ‘GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD’ EFFECT.
Studies have shown that when compared to the actual energy content of a food, “healthy” foods are perceived as having lower energy content.(3)
We also know that people are prone to consume more of a given food when it is advertised or seen as “healthy” (4).
This can contribute to increased consumption during the actual feeding period with justification along the lines of “well they’re healthy so I can consume more” or later during the day; “well I’ve eaten well all day, because I had those healthy snacks earlier I can afford to eat more/treat myself now”.
Admittedly, this has little to do with the snacks and more to do with the mindset of the consumer. The point is that due to the perceptions of these snacks being “healthy” there is also the possibility of increased consumption because it is seen as conducive to health or void of negative consequences.
I’m not telling anyone to eat one way or another but trying to bring attention to the fact that there is a choice and we shouldn’t label individual foods as “healthy”, “clean” or “unhealthy” without considering the diet as a whole.
If you enjoy making healthy treats and feel better consuming them then that’s perfectly fine.
However, if you’re feeling like you have to constantly eat “healthy” or avoid “junk” foods then realise that you may not need to be so restrictive. Consuming those “empty calorie” treats you’ve been avoiding is perfectly fine in moderation and likely healthier from a psychological standpoint.
If your diet has enough satiating power to keep you satisfied and happy, then there’s nothing wrong with also consuming some less-filling indulgences. If you really want that Snickers then go ahead and revel in the joys of chocolate, caramel, peanuts and nougat.
“Remember any food can be damaging in large enough amounts. The real question is whether or not these foods damage your health in the amounts they are normally consumed. In the majority of cases the scientifically valid answer to this is no."
— Armi Legge
REFERENCES
1) Gibson, Sigrid A. 2007. Dietary sugars intake and micronutrient adequacy: A systematic review of the evidence. Nutrition Research Reviews 20 (2): 121-31.
2) Gibson, Sigrid, and Alison Boyd. 2009. Associations between added sugars and micronutrient intakes and status: Further analysis of data from the national diet and nutrition survey of young people aged 4 to 18 years. British Journal of Nutrition 101 (1): 100-7.
3) Carels, Robert A., Jessica Harper, and Krista Konrad. 2006. Qualitative perceptions and caloric estimations of healthy and unhealthy foods by behavioral weight loss participants. Appetite46 (2): 199-206.
4) Provencher, Véronique, Janet Polivy, and C. Peter Herman. 2009. Perceived healthiness of food. if it's healthy, you can eat more. Appetite 52 (2): 340-4.