“Healthy” is a word that gets used and overused on recipes, food packaging, and in marketing. It’s also a word that many of us strive for but what do we really mean when we use the term. And how is our belief about what “healthy” really means impacting our relationships with food and how we feed our kids? We’re diving into all of that today.
You can download this episode from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn Radio, or wherever else you get your podcasts. or listen to it here! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or tips we referenced.
Meet MaryAnn Jacobsen
Maryann is one of our favorite experts for great advice for feeding kids. She’s an RD, an author, and her books are where I turn first to trouble shoot any feeding difficulties with my own kids. She helped us think through how we use the word “healthy” on this week’s podcast episode.
Being healthy is not about what you do, it’s about how you feel about what you do.
She also mentioned that when she’s feeding herself, she thinks about nutrition, satisfaction, and how the food makes her feel—which are all so sane and reasonable, but definitely things that many of us busy moms forget to even think about!
What “Healthy” Means On Food Packaging
And this was news to me—here’s what the USDA definition of “healthy” is on food packaging:
“…that individual meat and poultry products bearing the claim “healthy” (or any other derivative of the term “health”) must contain no more than 480 milligrams (mg) of sodium; and that meal-type products bearing the claim “healthy” (or any other derivative of the term “health”) must contain no more than 600 mg of sodium.”
Though I’m quite sure that sodium isn’t the first thing that any of us think of when we see that term on a package of crackers!
Links from the Episode
Here’s the link to the post Virginia wrote about her Reese’s experiment, and her book if you want more info on her answer to our listener question at the end of the show.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this podcast episode, so please comment below or reach out to us at comfortfoodpodcast@gmail.com.
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