Healthy eating can keep you physically lean, mentally sharp, and brimming with more energy than an energy bunny on a caffeine overdose. But… There are not many people who do it constantly… even if they want to. Okay, if everyone wants to eat healthy, how come we’re all doing it so poorly? It’s because we eat without really thinking about it. Everybody does. Eating French fries while talking to friends, biting into a freshly sliced tomato off the cutting board, finishing the fries just because they’re on our plate. Mindless eating happens because we eat things without consciously deciding if we should. Exactly what you eat is the target of billions of dollars in marketing, and most of what is being marketed is not good food.
Are you susceptible? Of course! You are exposed hundreds of times a day to television and radio, billboards, print ads, and restaurant signs that convince you to eat food you really don’t want. It’s in the shows and movies we watch, it’s posted on our Facebook pages. We trade it in the games we play. “Here, have a hamburger. Your friend sent you candy. A delicious cupcake. You’ll love this frapa-capa-limpet-Chinese.”
You don’t have to pay attention or believe what they tell you for it to sink into your subconscious. People spend money to tell you what you like because it works for them.
Temptation can sometimes get in the way… To tempt you away from healthy food
Also, you are faced with “Eat this!” It indicates all the time that you are surrounded by people. When do you hang out with your friends when someone IS NOT holding a cup of Starbucks or drinking a Big Gulp? Then someone offers everyone breath mints. The message that you should eat something that is not good for you is everywhere.
You already know what the risks of eating poorly are: obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, brain fog, mood disorders… and every day it seems that more diseases are linked to unhealthy eating. How you eat – is clearly a matter of life and death.
Which is the answer? The techniques that people use to convince you to prefer bad food, you can use yourself. And so you will come to prefer healthy food, healthy recipes and healthy snacks. You already know that these methods work: they are the reason you eat food you don’t want to eat.
Look, you’re not going to make a permanent change in the way you eat if it requires you to give up what you like best and scrutinize what you eat every time you eat, or worse yet, measure, or search, or record…! Let’s go! Let’s be realistic! In the long run, if you don’t enjoy doing something, you won’t do it. Just like healthy food is the only thing that will work forever.
What is this healthy eating going to bring you? Well, for starters, a longer, healthier and more productive life. In some cases, you can ease the symptoms of long-term illness or even PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASE by eating well. You can have more energy to do the things you want to do. You can get closer to your ideal body weight. You can be more active, more positive and more dependent. You can be there to support those who need you, to play with your grandchildren, to enjoy your retirement.
A healthy diet will help you find… That most elusive peace of mind
And beyond the physical health that eating healthy will bring you, there is a huge psychological benefit. That’s because you will see every day how you overcame something that at one time seemed difficult or impossible. You will have a daily infusion of self-confidence as you recognize your own ability to set goals and achieve them. You will come to appreciate how powerful you are.
Maybe you’ve given up on finding a diet that works for you. I want you to know that you can make a change starting today that can help you move to a healthy diet permanently. So whether you want a healthy eating plan for weight loss or just for your long-term health, it’s something you can do.
We need to counteract the onslaught of bad signals we’re bombarded with and replace them with our own internal cues to eat well. It’s easier to eat the things you like. So choosing to like good food makes it easier to eat good food. And the situations and techniques that made you get used to eating badly are going to be the ones that return you to a healthy diet.
It is not necessary to become a nutrition expert. You don’t have to exert enormous willpower. Here is a place to start. Decide on your favorite green leafy vegetable, your favorite way you like to prepare carrots, and your favorite type of salad. Be really specific, visualize them and write them down.
- “I’ll have my lightly steamed broccoli with lemon and butter.”
- “I can’t resist grated carrots flavored with orange blossom”
- “I like a spinach salad with dried cranberries and feta cheese.”
By naming your favorites, it will be easier to choose them when you see them on a menu or when you see them in a grocery store. It’s the same idea that fast food vendors use against your interest: to make you think, “I have to have that!” Only now, your “must haves” can be good for you.
Move along. Decide which ones are your favourites. If you just do it, you’ll be amazed at how big an effect a seemingly simple thing can have in helping you eat healthy.