Raw, Vegan, Pescatarian...Personally, I'm An Healtharian!

Nowadays there is a label for all possible diet practices. Until not long ago it was all about being either omnivore or vegetarian. Then the macrobiotic diet became very popular (also thanks to Ms Ciccone), and also the vegan diet became part of mainstream food movements.
More recently the rawism is acquiring an important spot (just here in New York raw restaurants are popping out in every neighborhood). But that’s not it, there are flexitarians, pescatarians, pollotarians not to mention paleos and so on...
However, there’s no “official” definition for those (like me) that believe only in healthy eating: healtharian I like to define myself.
I actually randomly searched such term on Google and I found only a couple of websites that talk about it and in very marginal way (sigh!).
This means that time has come to claim our spot in the food movements.
First of all, I really like how healtharian sounds.
I can’t wait to be at the next time dinner party and when somebody will ask me “Are you vegetarian?vegan?” and I will be able to proudly reply “No, I’m an healtharian!”. How cool will it be? I’m already savoring the moment when I’ll start explaining what be an healtharian means (ha!)
And then you know it, once the word is out, it will start circulating and in a heartbeat we will rule the world!
Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I know for a fact that there are many of us that just can’t wait to proudly walk under the healtharian banner.
But let’s move one step at the time...



The others...

These are the 10 most notorious diet practices today (according to Wikipedia):

1) Omnivorism: is the practice of eating all kinds of foods indiscriminately.

2)  Vegetarianism: is the most famous restricted diet practice and follows a plant-based diet (fruits, vegetables, etc.), with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood). Abstention from by-products of animal slaughter, such as animal-derived rennet and gelatin, may also be practiced.

3) Veganism: is a more strict “version” of vegetarianism in that it abstains from the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans eliminate them from their diet only.

4) Rawism (or Raw foodism): is the diet practice of eating uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet.
Depending on how strict the diet is, it may include a selection of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, and non-pasteurazed and non-homogenized dairy products.

5) Pescatarianism: is a diet that includes seafood but not the flesh of other animals. A pescatarian diet comprises veggies, fruits, nuts, grains, legumes, eggs and dairy. An unlike a vegetarian diet i fish and in some instances seafood are allowed.

6) Flexatarianism: is narrower form of omnivorism in that it includes all foods but is predominantly made of plant based ones. Animal meat is eaten thus only occasionally. Flexitarians have also been defined as “vegetarians who occasionally eat meat”.

7) Pollotarianism: this eating regimen provides to eat chicken or other poultry and sometimes fish, but not meat from other mammals.

8) Pesce-pollotarianism: a practice that includes poultry and fish (white meat). And excludes red meat from mammals, but with the exception of red-meat poultry from the following birds: ostrich, emu, and rhea.

9) Macrobiotics diets: are a dietary regimen which involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other stuffs such as local vegetables, avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods and most animal products. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing.

10) Paleo diet: a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era centered on commonly available modern foods. The "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

What about healtharianism?

In order to create a clear definition of healtharianism I cut, copied, pasted and edited few of the already existing “healtharian” definitions I found on the internet, and this is what I came up with...
Healtharian: is a person that maintains well being and health by consuming foods based on the best health choices provided at any given time.
In other words, an healtharian diet includes all healthy foods and excludes unhealthy ones. Simple as that, yet with a great meaning.
Also, the healtharian diet is not static but changes overtime, as soon as new discoveries regarding food are made.
Isn’t that great? I'm starting to really dig this definition.
Probably the definition should also include something about the fitness side of being healtharian but then I was afraid it would have borderline more a lifestyle than an eating regimen.
Anyway, this is what I came up with so far. Maybe not perfect but I like it.
And from this day on I'm just gonna say it loud and proud: "I'm An Healtharian!"

The Iron You