What does healthy cooking mean to you?

Our culture is so confused about food, don't you think? We like to think we want to be healthy but I don't think many people really understand what it means. Eating healthy is mixed up with losing weight, and depriving yourself of food that tastes good. People think that unhealthy tastes good and healthy tastes bad.

I think that is so not true! To me, healthy food is satisfying food. When I eat junk food, I end up craving more and more - the food doesn't satisfy me. When I eat really good tasting food, I can eat a smaller amount and be happy. Healthy food does taste good, but I guess if you're used to fast food you might have a hard time liking vegetables or foods that aren't really fatty or sugary.

Healthy to me means cooking real food that tastes really good. I try to cook from scratch and use good ingredients. That doesn't mean eating low fat, or low calorie. But I try to balance everything out. If I know I'm making a pie for dessert, I'll make a dinner that's smaller. I always think it's better to have a smaller portion of really good food (yes, even with butter!) than to eat a lot of food that doesn't taste as good.

What do you think? What does healthy cooking mean to you?