Whats the hardest part of trying to consistently eat healthy?
As a dietitian, I'm always interested in learning why people struggle to consistently eat healthy. A lot of what I'm hearing is that the following through part is particularly hard - you plan the meals, and buy the groceries, then making a new recipe sounds like a pain in the butt, so you make a grilled cheese sandwich instead. So tell me, where are you struggling?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen Harwood on -
I've been working towards an anti-inflammatory diet and it's hard because there are a lot of foods I have to give up. I love sausage, cheese and pizza, the alternatives for this are not very tasty. Although I can make a mean, tasty and healthy pizza, it still means giving up my favorite parts which are all the cheese and sausage!
I also find that the more I realize that I can't have something, that's all I can think about. I just crave the things I know I shouldn't be eating!
Another things that I find hard about this is that I'm giving up what appears to be the last guilty pleasure for me. You see I have, over the course of my life, had to give up alcohol, sugar, coffee and smoking, so I was hanging on to food. I love to eat and I love to cook. Or course I do very much enjoy healthy food, so it's not like there is a big struggle there, it's just all this stuff I have to stop eating!
Looking forward to seeing what others are up against! Thanks in advance to sharing.
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Permalink Reply by Judy on -
The hardest things for me are staying on plan while I'm on the road (I travel once or twice a month), and snacking in the evenings. It's easy for me to take in an extra 300 calories of "healthy" extra snacks after dinner, not because I'm hungry, but to satisfy a craving for something sweet or something crunchy.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Nardine on -
Karen, I know what you mean exactly - restriction is a pain in the butt. The first time I tried giving up sugar, I was so stressed out because all I could think about were sweets. But just like quitting smoking, it gets easier! The thing that helped me the most was eliminating them from my environment and then adding meditation into the mix. Meditation at home for 10-20 minutes each day and then at work taking a few deep breaths (while considering my goals) if someone brought in sweets. I would just think about how much better I'll feel if I stick with my goal. I'll picture myself hiking with lots of energy, etc.
Judy, I hear you. Traveling is one of my favorite excuses for eating bad. Going out to eat is always on the agenda, and so much of what you get at restaurants is no good. I have started asking for half orders at restaurants or telling them to box half of it before they even bring it out if they won't let me order half - saves $$ too! I've also been using my time eating out to really focus on mindful eating, a lot of times I'll search for menu items that sound like they have wild flavors, and I'll order that and really taste every bite. Its fun to utilize your palate to try and solve the mystery of discovering all the ingredients they used.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Nardine on
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Does anyone else think that getting your spouse on board can one of the biggest challenges?
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Permalink Reply by Karen Harwood on
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Big time! I can't seem to get him to stop buying all the things I'm trying to stay away from. He actually will go out of his way to buy me things he knows I can't eat, like sugar treats.
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Permalink Reply by Linda Begley on -
Yes, I think this is an enormous challenge and necessary for getting the best results.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Nardine on
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Do you guys know any good way to convince the spouse?
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Permalink Reply by Karen Harwood on
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Cook great food and don't tell him/her that it's healthy. This way they learn to love healthy food while bi-passing the part of their brain that's telling then that they don't like healthy food.
If your spouse is 45 or older have them read the book Younger Next Year, it's a real eye opener that will allow them to make the choice between health or decay. After all it is their choice and only they can decide for themselves.
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Permalink Reply by Maria Soto on -
for me is the price of organic produce and chicken, is way too high. I went grocery shopping last night and found some organic chicken, I put it back and walked away it was too much for me. I got some soy chicken, had it today for lunch and it was pretty good. I have noticed that eating healthy can sometimes be more expensive then eating fast foods. I have to get creative and find ways to still cook healthy and I have, I just wish prices were lower it would make it so much easier on everyone that wants to eat better.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Harwood on
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I agree! Eating healthy should not cost me an arm and a leg.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Nardine on
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Agree, and its a pain in the butt. But the reason Organic costs more is because the product reflects its true cost. The price of conventional produce/meats doesn't include all of the environmental costs. Conventional farms are slowly depleting our nations soil and creating massive wastewater challenges. These costs are often passed onto the consumer in the form of taxes to pay for EPA lawsuits, cleanups, etc.
They also fail to include the cost of healthcare. Fruit/vegetables are contaminated with pesticides and meats from animals that are raised un-naturally (not on-grass/bugs) contain lower levels of Omega 3s and more saturated fat. Over time, this diet will increase your health care costs and probably shorten your lifespan.
And be careful, the term organic can be misleading. Animals can be fed organic grain their whole life but never see sunlight and breath in feces dust all day. For meat, find a local farmer to buy from instead.
You can reduce the cost of high quality food by buying directly from the farmer at farmer's markets or by joining a csa (checkout localharvest.org/csa/). These can be very economical - plenty of csa's are a real bargain if you do the math. And checkout eatwild.com to find a local meat supply. Grass-fed meat is definitely more expensive, but thats the perfect excuse to eat less of it. And these costs can also be reduce by buying in bulk - find a few friends to go in on a whole cow with you for a couple bucks a pound and pack it into a freezer. Less trips to the grocery store = happy!
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Nardine on
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I should also mention the greatest benefit of buying locally is the food just tastes better.
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