What does healthy really mean?

I hate dietary labels. I don't want to hear that you're vegetarian, vegan, pesc, paleo, gluten-free, raw, "eating clean", dairy-free, Atkins, juice cleansing, eating before 7 pm, eating a cube of cheese every time you think you're going to pass out (did I cover all of them?). I especially don't want to hear that you're _____, and then watch you down a milkshake or a pizza. There I said it. While I've been guilty of trying many of these types of "diets" (using that word loosely not to mean restricting although that has happened but to describe regimens), I almost hated telling people I was vegan when I used to avoid animal products for fear of being judged as "that person" who can't eat 80% of the things on the menu at a restaurant.

It's all this big excuse that we're "supposed" to be healthy and onto the latest trend in health. We're all so incredibly obsessed with being healthy that we've lost track of what healthy means. In the world of eating disorders we're doing it to hide a bigger problem, you know oh I can't eat that cause I'm _____, but in reality I'm not eating anything, at all. And for many other dietary labelers, instead of really caring about what is good for our bodies, we're too focused on proving a point to everyone else that we're being "healthy." And what does healthy really mean?

2011 everyone was jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon. Suddenly everyone had celiacs and was allergic to wheat, and it was even supported by a scientific study in 2013. Well the same guy that came out with studies about gluten intolerance came out a couple of weeks ago saying his studies were off, and gluten intolerance isn't a thing. I literally started laughing like an idiot reading the article on the metro on the way to work. Laughing for all the people who are eating disgusting gluten-free cookies and bread but thinking it's OK to eat these cookies because they're gluten-free. I'm not saying gluten intolerance is real or fake. I'm not a doctor/scientist/nutritionist. If you really think that eating gluten has been ruining your health, then take that step and eliminate it...completely. But don't ride some see-saw going back and forth being "____" whenever it's convenient.

What is really being healthy is doing what is good for you. You know that feeling when you have a really good meal and just feel full of energy and what you just put in your body is helping it function? THAT is healthy. Healthy is different for every single person. When I transitioned out of being a vegan it was because I felt deplete of energy, my B12 and calcium levels were dangerously low. When I added in more dairy, less soy, and seafood in my diet I just felt better. It worked for me personally. It might not work for you, and if you recognize that amazing! How about we all stop obsessing about what dietary label we are and start focusing on what makes us feel good. No fries and donuts are not the right answer, but go back to the basics. Things we were taught as children: eat your veggies, drink 8 glasses of water a day, go to bed early, stop watching TV and run around outside. And whatever routine you're following that makes you feel better, stop talking about it. I don't want to hear it, and literally no one else does.