Obviously low-calorie and low-carb are different than “healthy”, but they are much easier to identify when reading a nutritional label. What should someone be looking out for to still eat (relatively) healthy without only eating raw veggies?
In: Biology
There’s a *lot* to it, but for basics: It’s a combination of nutrient density (not just how many calories, but also how many other things are also in each serving *besides* the caloric content; vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.), the composition of the macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein), and the type of each macronutrient (trans fats vs saturated fats vs monounsaturated fats, etc).
There’s also preservatives and the like that can be harmful in excess.
Basically, say you choose to eat eat an apple vs a piece of candy. One will have fiber, other nutrients and be a physically larger serving per given amount of calories, and the other will be a lump of sugar and nothing else besides preservatives, dyes and other things that are nutritionally useless. The apple will take more time to digest and the candy will almost instantly spike your blood sugar, which leads to an insulin spike to keep it within normal ranges, and over time that can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.
You’re also more likely to overeat lots of candy, but good luck eating enough apples to be harmful.
It’s fine to enjoy “unhealthy” treats from time to time, but repeated consumption is the real issue.
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