How to Be a Conscious Eater

recognize (sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa), but it also has 21 grams of

sugar per serving (out of a suggested daily limit of 25–36 grams

total) and palm oil as the second ingredient, so it’s not exactly

healthy. Though at least it uses exclusively certified sustain-

able palm oil, so you know it was sourced in a responsible way.

In addition, there’s a lot of hooey peddled along with the

sometimes cultlike clean-eating evangelism. So, beware the

trap of oversimplification and overdoing any one thing. There’s

a saying in public health that the dose makes the poison. In

other words, clichés like “everything in moderation” and “vari-

ety is the spice of life” have real scientific reasoning behind

them. Foods aren’t “good” or “bad” in isolation; how much you

eat of them—at one time, and how often—makes all the differ-

ence in how they affect your body. This applies both positively

and negatively, as when consumers suffer from orthorexia:

an unhealthy obsession with eating clean. Like anorexia and

obsessive-compulsive disorder, it’s a fixation centered on con-

trol. Refusing to eat foods that one does not consider pure can

actually have quite unfortunate consequences, from damaged

social ties and compromised mental health to malnourish-

ment. (Check out Bee Wilson’s article in The Guardian on why

we fell for clean eating.)

The bottom line is yes,

aim to eat mostly whole

foods, especially plant-

based foods, but don’t

feel guilty for eating some

processed foods. Because

healthy is more nuanced

than simply processed

= unhealthy.

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