It seems that the terms fitness and healthy often go hand in hand when it comes to a healthy lifestyle, but this is not always the case. Although it may seem to some that they refer to the same thing, they are two trends that have different goals in terms of physique.
If we are one of those who upload fitness breakfast photos to social networks, we may be interested in knowing if we are referring to healthy, or vice versa.
Two feeding styles
Both terms have English origin, although in Spain we tend to use it very frequently when we talk about a style of eating. Healthy or healthy comes to refer to those balanced, natural and fresh foods or meals. Without the need to resort to ultra-processed foods, a healthy diet is based on vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and quality proteins. Any food that provides us with quality nutrients will be included in this type of diet. Beyond looking for an enviable physique, we will be looking for good health.
Instead, with fitness we will be focusing our diet in a certain way to a good physical shape. In other words, fitness food will help us achieve optimal results in terms of increased muscle volume or a defined body. We know that it is very difficult to get a good physique if we abuse energy bars or food substitutes, and if we also do not take care of healthy eating.
It is normal that we confuse both types of food, since both are related to a healthy lifestyle and physical activity. Basically, the main difference is that by eating healthy we seek to be healthy, without the need to achieve a defined or strong physique. Instead, with fitness food we will link our training with foods or products that help us achieve a goal. This does not mean that healthy foods are eaten most of the time.
Eating fitness is not healthy
There are numerous brands that use the label “fitness” to make us think that we will be consuming healthy products. A clear example is the protein yogurts that we can find in Mercadona. Many will think that including this in the diet is much better because of the high protein content, but they do not take into account the amount of sugar that they add in these products.
The same goes for sports supplementation bars or fitness desserts that are often recommended by the stars of this lifestyle. Sometimes fitness doesn’t mean being healthy . A clear example is the type of diet adopted by athletes who compete in the Bikini category. Although the foods they usually consume are healthy (rice, canned tuna or egg whites), the amount is so small that they reach a minimum number of calories to continue living.
In these cases, it cannot be said that eating healthy is the same as following a fitness diet focused on a competition or body objective.
