Why is eating healthy hard?
If you’ve ever tried to diet, you know how hard it is. Why is that?
It’s because eating unhealthy food is easy. Every day, we’re surrounded by tasty temptations that are cheap, quick, and delicious.
However, if we don’t make a conscious effort to make better eating choices, our lives become more difficult and shorter.
If you struggle with healthy eating, here are four things to keep in mind:
1) Diets don’t work
Every few months, there’s a new diet designed to get you results quickly, and you might have even tried some of them. You may have even seen results.
Fad diets, when followed to a tee, can get you results. For many people, though, those results don’t last. The reason for this is they’re only designed for a short period.
If you want to truly eat healthier, you have to understand that you have to build healthy eating habits. If you want to change your eating, you have to go beyond just dieting.
2) Habits take time to form
Basically, it will get easier. Will it ever be ‘easy’? That depends on how much you like foods that are “unhealthy.”
Eating healthy isn’t just having a salad for lunch a couple of times a week (though that’s a great place to start). In order to see long-lasting, permanent effects, you have to build healthy eating habits.
These habits are difficult to maintain, like prepping your food in advance, counting your calories, or weighing your food. Over time, though, they will become a part of your routine, and you’ll feel off if you don’t do them.
The best way to build habits is to take small steps frequently. You don’t have to add all of them at once. Start by cutting out soda or skipping the drive-thru after work. Then, build up to prepping weekly. When you’re comfortable with that, add something else.
3) The best things in life aren’t free
Yeah, eating healthy is hard sometimes, but so what? You do it anyway. Embrace the struggle. Enjoy the hard work by knowing that it’s making you better every time you do it.
If healthy eating were easy, everybody would do it. Unfortunately, not everyone does. Thankfully, you’re taking steps to make your life better, longer, and healthier – just by reading this blog!
Be happy that you have the mental and physical strength to work towards changing your diet. That is commendable, and you will definitely inspire those around you to make changes in their own lives.
4) You’re limiting yourself too much
Healthy eating is not impossible. It doesn’t have to just be chicken, broccoli, and brown rice three times a day. You can make healthy food delicious.
The internet is full of healthy alternative recipes to your favorite foods. Many of them switch out ingredients for low-calorie options, offer alternative cooking methods, or offer new twists on classics.
With practice and dedication, you’ll learn what you like to eat and how to make it healthier. You’ll figure out ways to make your own recipes for healthy snacks and meals.
Also, don’t be afraid of a little cheat meal. Good food is one of life’s biggest pleasures.
Plan it out, don’t go overboard, and enjoy yourself.
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