Why is healthy eating so hard?
Disclaimer: this article is not about eating for weight loss, following a trendy diet or about eating salads every day. I’m talking about providing your body with the nutrients it needs in order to keep your body functioning at its best. Why is it so hard?!
Read on to find the answers!
Why is healthy eating so hard?
Perhaps filmmaker Morgan Spurlock of “SuperSize Me” wrote in Don’t Eat This Book, “Americans today spend about 90 percent of their food budget on processed food. And processed food isn’t really food, it’s chemicals. It’s like a huge science experiment.” Why are we eating chemicals and more importantly, why is the food industry selling most of it as “healthy.” Lets look at how the confusion was created. Lets say a new study is released that says “Eat lots of tomatoes because there’s lycopene (PH) in them“. The food industry starts to promote this study and lycopene because they can take lycopene and put it in Lucky Charms cereal. Now they start to market them as “healthy” because there’s lycopene in them. Many people hear about the study, see it on the packaging of Lucky Charms, and start buying it thinking that the artificially produced lycopene is the same as eating a tomato.
Wrong.
See why it’s not your fault that your confused.
The first step to eating healthy is to realize that the job of most food manufactures is to make money, not to make the consumers healthy. In my opinion, junk food should be labeled like cigarette’s “may cause disease.” Alas, it’s legal to market unhealthy products as “healthy” when in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth.
So, what does our body need?
Our bodies are incredibly complex biological systems split into hundreds of subsystems, each requiring their own nutrients. When we decide to not provide our bodies with these nutrients there can be many outcomes, all of which are not positive.
Here are a few examples:
- If you’re low on iron, you might be fatigued, dizzy, and have heart palpitations.
- If you are low in zinc, you could be more susceptible to numerous colds and the flu.
- Low magnesium might lead to irritability, insomnia, and even depression.
- Low potassium could include numbness, cramping, nausea, a corn allergy and fainting.
- Low B vitamins could include depression, anxiety or strange occurrences such as eye twitches.
In short, you simply can’t be your best self when you don’t eat well. And, as you age, you won’t be able to perform at maximum levels because your body cannot physically function without all of the nutrients it needs.
The remedy? Choose to eat nutrient dense foods!
What is a nutrient dense food?
In my experience, the best way to nourish your body properly is to eat mostly plants. Plants provide all the nutrients your body needs- from vitamins to minerals to complex carbs to proteins.
There is no better food.
That being said, it is my philosophy that ignoring the food industry’s marketing claims, ditching the junk, eating fewer animal products and boosting the number of plant-based foods you eat every day can lead to many positive health improvements.
Going back to the beginning of time, it has been shown again and again that when you eat plenty of plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains) your health will improve, your energy levels will soar and your body will be able to fight off chronic diseases easily.
Looking to learn more? Check out the following documentaries:
Forks Over Knives: One of the most popular plant-based documentaries to date, Forks Over Knives presents the plant-based diet as a cure for many of the most common chronic diseases. Interviews with a number of the leading plant-based doctors means the information is coming from those who have first-hand experience seeing what a plant-based diet can do.
Eating You Alive: Focusing on curing chronic disease with a plant based diet, Eating You Alive brings the conversation about food and health front and centre. The filmmakers interview health professionals as well as individuals who have experienced first-hand how a plant-based diet has dramatically improved their health.
PlanPure Nation: This documentary pulls the curtain back on the corporate interests behind the food industry and how that influences laws and social norms. PlantPure Nation highlights the importance of a whole food, plant-based diet for health along with the challenges in bringing that message to mainstream society.
Although these documentaries focus on becoming 100% plant based, I want to emphasize that it is my personal belief that any eating plan that enables you to eat more plant foods, more natural foods, more whole foods and less hyper-processed foods with small portions of animal products is the right strategy.
Maybe you are thinking that incorporating plenty of plants into your diet sounds like a great idea, but you don’t know where to start.
Don’t worry, you’re in the right place—MealDiva has the tools, insight, and expertise to make the change easy and enjoyable. Search the blog to find answers to many of your questions, plenty of healthy tips and loads of recipes.
If you are looking for more direction, contact me to today! I work one-on-one with clients and families who are looking to make healthy eating a priority and a part of their lives. With customized meal plans, wellness plans, remedies, tips and coaching, becoming the best version of yourself is easy. I take all the confusion away!