鈥淚f you had to choose between eating tacos every day or being skinny for the rest of your life, would you choose hard or soft tacos?鈥� This quote can be and Etsy, and, while it seems innocent enough, the implication is that tacos are tasty, yes鈥攂ut also unhealthy. When in fact, tacos can be a healthy food.

The idea that cultural foods (i.e., not Westernized cuisine) are not up to healthy standards and should be treated as 鈥渃heat鈥� meals is not regulated to Mexican foods. Many different cultures also believe the foods that they eat aren鈥檛 up to par. , a dietitian based in Trinidad and Tobago, says that people in her country regard Caribbean foods as unhealthy or bad, a result of misinformation about the cuisine. 鈥淚n the health and wellness spaces, we don鈥檛 see our foods represented, and if they are, maybe they鈥檙e on the 听鈥�red list鈥櫬爋f foods,鈥� Charles says. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 out there are foods that are 鈥�American鈥� or European, and we struggle to see how we fit into health spaces, and how to use our foods.鈥�

So, What Is a Healthy Food?

There tends to be a black-and-white mentality when it comes to eating healthy food, especially here in the States: some solely imagine whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables when they think of the phrase. While foods that are hailed as 鈥渉ealthy鈥� do provide much-needed nutrients for the body, oftentimes they conform to Western food standards, leaving other cultures feeling as though their foods are inferior. 鈥淚 often hear that our cultural food doesn鈥檛 have many vegetables and that many of our staple foods are unhealthy, like rice and corn,鈥� says , a Latina dietitian based in Los Angeles. 鈥淥ften people only count green leafy vegetables and overlook some of the other really healthy vegetable options we have in Latine food, or they think that vegetables have to be their own side dish to count.鈥�

This viewpoint disregards other aspects of eating that go beyond macro and micronutrients, including autonomy, culture, preference, ancestry, and variety. A between food and ethnic identity in a group of Mexican American women names food as an important part of culture and of cultural expression. , a dietitian based in Kansas City, Missouri, defines healthy eating based on what it is not: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not restrictive, punitive, or rigid,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not disrespectful or dismissive of individual needs, taste preferences, or cultural practices.鈥�

What Happens When You Label a Cuisine 鈥淯nhealthy鈥�

Framing a cultural food as 鈥渦nhealthy鈥� indicates at least a couple of assumptions: that health is the primary motivator for its consumption, and that the food would be more acceptable according to Western health standards if it were modified and improved. No matter what the intention, attempting to 鈥渋mprove鈥� and 鈥渉ealthify鈥� a culture鈥檚 food, especially when you are not of that culture, is troubling鈥攜ou are saying that you set the standard when it comes to health and healthful eating.

Take the decades-long misconception that MSG (monosodium glutamate), a flavor enhancer used in many different cuisines, is unhealthy and even toxic. This prevalent thought can be traced to a bad review of MSG from the 鈥�60s when a physician reported getting sick after eating Chinese food. This spiraled into a negative association with the cuisine and perpetuated racism against Asian Americans, even though there actually isn鈥檛 strong scientific evidence linking MSG consumption to the ingredient鈥檚 alleged side effects. (Once more, most of the glutamate we consume is found naturally in foods such as anchovies, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, potatoes, seaweed, and walnuts.) 鈥淚f you hear something enough times, you start to believe it,鈥� Harbstreet says. 鈥淚f you constantly hear that white rice is inferior, or that MSG is toxic, you eventually start internalizing that message.鈥�

There is room to add nutrients to cultural meals, but again, this doesn鈥檛 mean that the culture as a whole is 鈥渦nhealthy,鈥� or that even the dish needs to be completely altered. As a dietitian, I think there are ways to improve the nutrient density or nutrition composition of any recipe through different cooking techniques or ingredient swaps. Still, 鈥渋t鈥檚 important to have competency with cultural humility before ever attempting this, and is likely best done on an individual level,鈥� Harbstreet says.

Once more, when broadly labeling a cuisine as unhealthy, you also ignore wider systemic barriers that can contribute to health鈥攊t doesn鈥檛 only boil down to what we are eating. Factors such as safe housing, education, income, access to healthcare, and literacy skills, among others, also play a role in our overall health and quality of life.

How We Can Celebrate Culture

Recently, I attended a retreat in Tulum, Mexico, a destination with a vibrant history and amazing food. But instead of celebrating this, the retreat decided to 鈥渉ealthify鈥� the meals: corn tortillas were replaced with grain and seed bread; white rice was swapped for brown rice and beans. These changes weren鈥檛 listed as an option for allergies or intolerances鈥攖o me, it seemed like they were decided on because Mexican food was not considered nutritious and needed to be healthified.

We can start to undo this type of mentality by realizing that all food still provides nutrition, and that cultural foods aren鈥檛 inherently unhealthy or in need of fixing. 鈥淓mbracing your cultural foods is the greatest form of resistance against a society that鈥檚 constantly asking you to change how you eat and adopt other food cultures,鈥� Alexis Charles says. As an individual, you might want to focus on altering one or two ingredients or foods in a meal鈥攂ut this is vastly different than putting a culture as a whole in an unhealthy category.

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The questions surrounding what to eat鈥攁nd when鈥攊n our society are abundant: Did we exercise enough to earn our spaghetti dinner? Did we eat less before an extravagant meal so that we can feel less guilty enjoying it? Almost everyone has probably heard, or uttered, phrases like, 鈥淚 deserve this meal because I went to the gym earlier.鈥� But you don鈥檛 have to earn your food, and a meal should not just be a reward. Calories are necessary for our bodies鈥攅ven without exercise鈥攁nd food is a vital connection between people, their communities, and their heritage. So it鈥檚 time we started thinking about it that way. Here鈥檚 why.

You Need More Calories Than You Think

In simple terms, calories are units of energy that our bodies need to function. If we eat 400 calories of food, that is 400 units of energy that our body can then use. Our bodies don鈥檛 just need calories for movement and exercise. We need them for everyday living. 鈥淥ur body uses more than 50 percent of its calories for basic life functions, such as keeping your heart beating and lungs breathing,鈥� says performance dietitian . On average, the brain uses 240 to 320 calories a day (and a tiny bit more if you鈥檙e doing focused work), the liver 200 calories, the heart 440 calories, and both kidneys 420 calories. That鈥檚 1,300 calories total, more than some diets allow for a daily limit. How we utilize calories also depends on numerous factors, including the type of food we eat, the body鈥檚 metabolism, and our gut microbiome.

Why Should We Talk About the Term 鈥淓arning Food鈥�?

鈥淲hen we believe that food must be earned, we create a negative relationship with food, exercise, and our bodies,鈥� says Jaimee Cooper,聽a performance dietitian based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This leads to us viewing food in a hierarchical way, and in doing so, we associate a moral value to ourselves we when eat, categorizing foods into good and bad groups instead of recognizing that it provides more than just nutrients. This can also apply to our relationship with movement: oftentimes, we see exercise as an activity that earns food, instead of an activity that can make us physically stronger and supports mental health.

We should also remember that food represents much more than fuel to our bodies. Our meal choices are based on individual preferences, cultural heritage, finances, accessibility, and more. 鈥淢y hope is that people can connect with the benefits of exercise and recognize that eating enough food is the way to get the most out of those benefits,鈥� says , a dietitian based in Brooklyn, New York.

What Should Active People Eat?

Diversifying your plate is both a simple and proactive聽way to think about how to eat. Different nutrients are going to come from different foods. Some foods, like animal proteins (beef, poultry, oysters, etc.) and plant-based foods like fortified cereals, beans, and spinach, provide us with iron, which is crucial for maintaining healthy red blood cells and enhancing performance by preventing dizziness and fatigue. Carbohydrates provide sustained energy for physical activity. A variety of foods in our diet is going to provide us with different antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and can also help support our gut microbiome, which is important for the immune system and heart.

Have the urge to skip a meal due to inactivity? Think again. Eating every three to four hours helps keep blood sugar consistent and optimizes stomach digestion, prevents lethargy, and could guard against heart health issues. 鈥淵ou need to eat more food than you think,鈥� Cooper says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a popular myth that training fasted will burn more body fat. While the body may burn fat as fuel, it will also break down muscle as fuel too. Training with food can help your body work more efficiently to get you to push your body further.鈥�

Practice Makes Perfect…Sort Of

There is no such thing as perfect eating because our needs as humans are individual鈥攚e are not going to have the same needs and preferences as the person next to us. Our own nutritional needs will also change daily due to our different movements, hormones, and lifestyles, which is completely normal. Tsai encourages people to tailor their nutrition to the type of exercise they are doing that day鈥攁 three-hour run will require different fuel than, say, a 45-minute yoga class. 鈥淭rial and error is one of the best ways to understand which foods work the best for you before and after you work out, and can make you feel the most confident,鈥� Tsai says. And if you are still confused, a professional performance dietitian could help.

Most importantly, establishing a healthy relationship with food is essential for all of us. This means viewing food as fuel, but also celebrating its social and cultural aspects as well.

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