Originally Posted by PR_Glen

healthy eating is such a relative term...

your examples have things in it that I know aren't exactly healthy in them. Breads? Corn? I eat these too but they aren't things people should really be eating regularly if we are strictly talking health. The only reason we eat these things in general is because it is cost effective. Salmon, which i love, needs to be moderated due to concerns of mercury levels. Farmed less so, but the omega-3 content isn't quite as high in that so it is a bit of a balancing act.

butter itself isn't unhealthy, it's the starches we tend to eat them with that are. neither is red meat in moderation. It is far easier to reach protein needs as well as ideal for iron and vitamin B absorption. Spicy food is not unhealthy at all (i seriously can't believe that was suggested) If you eat something beyond your comfort level sure your stomach will turn and that is not good, but eating hot food regularly has been long proven to be healthy for both stomach issues, even preventing ulcers, along with promoting overall cell health due to extremely high antioxidant contents.

My point is it's not always black and white as what is bad and what is good. Eggs for example. Always a source of debate. High in cholesterol right? True, but two problems with that statement. Dietary cholesterol does not translate into blood cholesterol directly at all, it has very little effect directly. Second, the cholesterol it does raise tends to be more of the hdl, which is the good form that helps lower overall levels. So that means we should eat lots and be healthy right? NO, eating too many, especially egg whites alone, drains iron levels... It's frustrating but moderation and common sense is the only way to go. Vegetables are pretty much the only thing that we can eat that undoubtedly keep us healthy and protect us from a large number of diseases--but so are animal fats...