Core Naturopathics | Why is “eating healthy” so hard?

Why is “eating healthy” so hard?

Ahh, the million dollar nutritionist’s question!

There are lots of reasons actually, so I’ll go through a few here:

How many times were you forced to eat your vegetables as a kid before you could leave the table? Perhaps a bit of rebellious streak hanging around. Feeling low – grab the chocolate, feeling happy – grab the chocolate.
It too time consuming to cook, it costs too much too, it’s so messy/cleaning up is a hassle. It’s easier to buy. I don’t know how to cook/don’t want to know how.
Every Friday night is pizza/takeaway night, ice-cream for dessert every night, chocolate and popcorn with a soft-drink for every movie watched, can’t start the day without a coffee, can’t end the day without a wine…
Healthy food, especially vegetables aren’t always the sweetest, most pleasant tasting.
It’s hard to stop when you’re craving crap/less healthy food.
Just don’t want to. Too many yummy other foods out there, not sick, not fat, don’t need to worry about that!

The extra hard part about this is you probably already knew all of this and still have trouble “eating healthy”.

It’s a very subjective topic. What’s healthy for one may not be for another (think peanuts, strawberries, shellfish – common allergic foods).

Generally speaking, when we talk about “eating healthy” we mean:

Fresh fruit and vegetables preferably organic
Grass fed or organic meats
Fresh/dried, organic, legumes – not canned
Good fats – organic butter, ghee, coconut oil, cold pressed olive oil, avocado, raw nuts and seeds
Lots of filtered water
Lots of herbal teas and good quality coffee
Lots of variety
Portion control – too much of a good thing can be just as problematic! A small handful of nuts throughout the day is heaps (think 15-20 mixed max, or about 20 almonds, 18 cashews, 15 pecan halves, 14 walnut halves, or 4 Brazil nuts) – not every meal/snack time.
Good quality alcohol – less sugar and additives the better.

So many reasons – I’ll keep it short:

To age gracefully – sugar and high carb diets have been shown to cause inflammation and premature wrinkles.
To maintain healthy level of blood sugars – type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest rising conditions in Australia at the moment
To not get too sick too often, and if we do, to recover fast.
To have energy throughout the day, not just after a coffee or sugar hit.
To maintain a healthy weight – so many health issues arise if we’re carrying too much or too little weight (I’m talking tissue quality and fat mass, not just stand on the scales weight).
To reduce inflammation – so many health conditions start with inflammation, cancer included.
To maintain a healthy brain – dementia is now known as type 3 diabetes, depression can have its roots and be helped with healthy nutrition practices

Have a look through the first list and see if anything resonates with you. If anything does, take note.
Look through the second list and see if that sounds do-able. If so, do!
Then look through the third list and see if anything there might sway you. If it does, go back to the second list and give it a try while keeping in mind your triggers from the first list.
If that all sounds too hard, then please, book in an appointment with a nutritionist (preferably me!) to help you sort it all out. Is is possible, and the effort will be worthwhile.