5 reasons why you struggle with eating healthy

Are you fed up with starting healthy eating from the hundredth Monday in a row? High five with a few years ago me!

You think this is the time when you start being a better version of yourself. Not only you buy a lot of sportswear but also you get up early ready to exercise and you are sure that today is the new, healthy, and skinny chapter of your life. You prepare a decent, fit breakfast that any fitness trainer can be jealous of and pour out a sweat while working out. Then, it's time for a grilled chicken breast and veggies salad. Pride bursts in yourself and you feel like the fittest and healthiest person in the world. Everything goes well.. until the time when you meet your family and friends. They bring your favorite snacks. You tell yourself you would try only one crisp and you do. Then you try another one and one more. You eat a whole bag of crisps before you even know it. The harm is already there, so why not to try 2 pieces of cake and 5 scoops of ice cream? Cosmopolitan and Mojito work very well with it! Well yes, we've all been there! If you are aware that this trend reminds your firm decisions, you are already a half winner!

Let’s get this show on the road!

Here are 5 reasons why you struggle with changing your habits and eating healthy

You expect results quickly

Nowadays, all of our deeds, decisions we make, and everything we do need to be justified. It all makes sense when we not only see the purpose and results of our behavior but also notice the benefits of the chosen path. If we are planning to take care of our body, we must be sure that our gym plan and diet are appropriate and they will bring our body dreams to come true. We need a feeling that our effort is not in vain and what we want the most is the results of our actions to be visible promptly. Does it make sense?

What I am telling you is this approach is not very favorable for us. The quick results of the effort are not always noticeable in the form of a beautiful body, slim figure, and visible muscles. The body we want requires patience and hard work. Firstly we need to believe in our perseverance and then the determination would let us achieve a given goal. It's the same when we think about healthy eating (I don't like the word diet. It's the way we eat, but a lot of people associate it with a piece of the salad on the dinner plate). We must truly believe that it gives us a lot of goodness and do not expect visible effects that will appear immediately. As far as I remember, my skin has been cleared a little after a month of changing my habits and at the same time I noticed a weight loss (please bear in mind that the biggest factor influencing our weight is the amount of food we eat. We all know the person who eats burgers but still is very skinny, don't we? let's say you and your friend need to eat 1800 kcal to lose weight. You eat chicken, veggies, fruits, superfoods, smoothies, and your friend eat 2 burgers a day. If you exceed your calorie intake, you will put weight and your friend doesn't. There are a lot of reasons why you should avoid unhealthy food while losing weight - skinny fat, but this is another topic for the blog post).

There was a smart man who once said 'A healthy outside starts from the inside'. Let's all remember it!

You think healthy eating means being hungry

It's no secret that we often tend to exaggerate our behavior in various situations. We are able to overperform tasks and the same time we can undertake them without any knowledge of a subject. Also, very often we judge things and base our opinion on our guesses, which obviously don't have any scientific proof. I know a lot of people who add a piece of pepper and carrot to the greasy and carbohydrate dinner and they think they are experts (I don't think I am an expert as well but I got some experience and would love to share it with you). We also behave the opposite. It means, very often we reduce our meals to a minimum, throw a few pieces of dried vegetables on a plate and drink tea, which we did not sweeten, because sugar is fat. This way of thinking is associated with every field of our lives and unfortunately, we only hurt ourselves.

Healthy eating is not limiting the nutrition of our body, or adding poor quality elements to our eating habits. Healthy eating is a kind of lifestyle, awareness of what we put on our plate, and being aware of what benefits a specific meal gives our body. Limiting meals to a minimum, lowering the amount of calories that we provide each day is not a solution for overweight or a weak body. We are able to eat a lot of healthy things, even more than those that previously landed on our menu. We just need to know what bring benefits and what doesn't.

Eating healthy does not mean eating less. Eating healthy means eating a lot of food that gives us benefits in the form of nutrients and energy to live. If you choose wisely, the healthy meal can keep you full the same amount of time as pizza or a burger.

You think healthy eating is boring

If you are new to healthy eating, this phase may bring you to mind the unappetizing image of a boring salad plate with some veggies next to a piece of fruit. What you can make fun of as 'rabbit food'.

I thought healthy food is tasteless and boring until I found out the spices and dressings exist and they can highlight the taste of the food or even change it! The food I eat needs to have a strong taste, I am not in the kindergarten or sanatorium to avoid salt fully and different spices. My first approach to dressing wasn't very successful. I thought I just need to mix random spices, add olive oil and tadaam. It's the recipe for disappointment and eating your meal without a smile on your face (it always makes me laugh when I see people in the advertisement who eat and laugh hardly to the food). My pro tip is to find some nice dressing recipes and stick to it. Also, you can buy ready ones. Just look for the tummy-friendly ingredients as most of them are not really healthy. I am not going to tell you what is best and what is not because everybody has their own taste. However, have a look below! Easy peasy, isn't it?

Source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/91831279889239119/

Here’s the kicker. I found out that the way I cut my food up has a big influence on my willingness of eating it. It's said we all ate our eyes, isn't it? The simple truth is if you find yourself looking at the same shapes on a daily basis you’re going to get tired of eating the foods you’re eating. Hence, it's such a great idea to spiralize your veggies, shave them, grate them, and do whatever makes you cheerful about it. Personally, I love sweet potatoes base pizza and courgetti spaghetti. Also, it's very useful to use cookies cutters. Sometimes a few heart-shaped strawberries or star-shaped potato make a difference!

Source: https://raisedonveggies.com/easy-watermelon-craft-cookie-cutter-shapes/

I believe it's all about experimenting. There are millions of recipes, you can stick to it but also you can add something you like. It's really a great way of ensuring you get a great variation in your diet. It makes food exciting! To be honest with you, I never stick 100% to the recipe. I always have to add something like avocado on the top or nutritional yeast seasoning. Expand your tastes and try new and exotic veggies and fruits! As you dive into new routines, your taste buds will change to accommodate new flavors and you can discover new things.

Aren't you convinced yet? Have a look at the tasty, healthy meals below!

You think you need to eat 100% healthy

This is what I thought at the beginning of my healthy eating journey. I was eating clean for the whole week, on Friday I went to the party and I was eating junk food for the whole weekend. Do you think it was easy to come back to my routine on Monday? nope. Now, my approach is totally different and I know I do not need to give up fast food if it brings me joy and I do not need to feel shame for eating ice cream. However, there is a big difference between eating one fast food meal per few days or eating it every single day. The terms like 'cheat meal' or 'guilty pleasure' made me guilty even more so I don't use it anymore. Food isn’t good or evil! The most important part is to find a balance and don't feel guilty when eating a few cookies.

I also love preparing healthy alternatives of sweets like chickpeas brownie, oats cookies, protein balls etc. however, when I crave m&ms or milka, I must eat m&ms and milka, there is no way something can replacing this taste. And you know what? It's fine. Obviously, I don't eat the whole pack of chocolate-covered peanuts and chocolate, because we eat to live, and not live to eat.

You are not sure about benefits

No matter how old are you, your daily food choices can make a huge difference in your overall health and in how you feel and look. Do you know why Japanese people live longer than any other nation? The answer is the food they eat. Miso, seafood, tofu, green tea, etc. are packed with an enormous amount of nutrients. While waiting in the line in the grocery stores, I sometimes take a look at other people's shopping, and usually, it's really bad. Typical polish dishes are not healthy but at least people in Poland eat decent quality food. Unfortunately, here in the UK, I noticed people buy ready-made food in bulks. There are much longer lines to Greggs or McDonald's instead of to the shops with real food. Obviously, I don't generalize, its just my observation.

Anyway, let's focus on the great staff that you can benefit from healthy eating. It's all scientifically proved!

• weight loss

• reduced cancer risk

• diabetes management

• heart health and stroke prevention

• the health of the next generation

• strong bones and teeth

• better mood

• improved memory

• improved gut health

• getting a good night's sleep

I hope I encouraged you to change your way of thinking and start eating real food. I believe transforming your eating habits needs to be introduced gradually and I am sure everybody will succeed, even the most resistant ones. It will take its sweet time, but your body will thank you anyway!