The H Word

According to the Oxford Dictionary:
Health·y (adj.): In a good physical or mental condition; in good health.

Now, if you ask a vegetarian what they think a healthy diet is, they'd tell you it's a diet that's full of veggies, grains and animal by-products, and they'd also tell you that meat is unhealthy. If you ask a vegan, they'd only portray grains and veggies as healthy; meat and animal by-products would be the enemy here. If you ask someone who's Paleo, they'd tell you that grains are the devil, and meat is the way to go. If you ask your average dieting women, chances are one would demonize fat and praise 'good' complex carbs while the other would tell you that fats are good for you but carbs are definitely not.  if you ask a body builder for example they'd only have one word for you: Protein.

When I first started 'getting healthy' it wasn't, in fact about health at all. I wanted to lose the weight and I was not informed, I had the common impression that fat is bad and low calorie = healthy. I wanted to lose the weight full stop, and fast forward a couple of months into my journey, I loved feeling fit and strong...I seriously wanted to be healthy. However, I had really distorted views about what that word meant. Granted, I did lose the weight at first, but my hormonal profile was out of whack and I was almost orthorexic. Orthorexia Nervosa is when you take it too far, shunning food you deem as unhealthy and developing real stress over what you should or shouldn't eat. So, it's basically an eating disorder. I avoided some foods like the plague just because they were high calorie and/or unhealthy. I'm not particularly proud about it, but it has shaped my balanced views today.
I truly believe now, after so many episodes of trial and error, that healthy is what makes you thrive overall...your sweet spot. For example, what makes me thrive is real food. A.k.a nutrients found in grains, meat, fruits and veggies. I also eat dessert almost everyday.
Is my diet 100% 'clean'? God, no. I don't want it to be. I'd be miserable and miserable is unhealthy for my brain. I don't do heavily processed foods though (ex. fast food). I don't demonize it in my head but I find that a. It makes me feel like crap. b. It's not worth the calories. What I'm trying to say here, if Paleo/veganism/vegetarianism/low sugar/etc. makes your body feel good and you can sustain this lifestyle, then it's healthy for you, It doesn't mean it's healthy for me or for other people. If you eat real food 80% of the time: junk 20% of the time and you feel just fine there's no reason why your diet isn't considered healthy. The 100% mentality is just as bad as the 0% mentality.
I need to point out the following though:

• Whenever you can, try to eliminate or reduce heavily processed food; because they aren't really foods, they're more like chemicals that wreak havoc in your system.
• Low calorie food does not, absolutely, mean that said food is healthy. In fact, if you look at the nutritional label of full fat yogurt and fat free/low fat yogurt, you'd find that the fat free/low fat is high in sugar and has a chemical shit storm to make up for the nonexistent/reduced fat. On the contrary avocados and nuts are really high in fat and calories but they're extremely good for you nutritionally, so don't get caught up in the low calorie craze and instead, learn to control your portions.
• Opt for organic fruits and veggies if you can afford them, I sadly can't, especially that they're not widely available in Egypt but if you can avoid the pesticides and chemicals your body would be grateful.
• Complex carbs are much much better for you than bleached white carbs that are stripped from nutrients and spike your blood sugar, notice that doesn't mean that they are lower in calories, they're just nutritionally better for you. 

Food and exercise, like everything in life, are to be enjoyed. They're not chores and certainly not what life is all about. The right amount and quality of food coupled with activity can honestly change your life.

Moderation is sexy. I promise.