Wouldn’t it be great if you could look the way you want without eating well? That would be amazing! But it’s far from reality for most of us. But the good news is that there are some legitimate reasons to get excited about health food. I know that sounds crazy, but stay with me for a second.
My years before health food
When I was younger, my diet was mostly carbs and sugar. And we’re not talking the healthy kind of carbs. We’re talking the worst ones possible.
I loved fettuccini alfredo. Ooh, and chocolate chips muffins with sugar sprinkled on top. And donuts, and ice cream. Oh, and don’t forget the sugar cereal to start every morning.
This was my life. These were the foods I ate every day. And nobody could tell me that health food was cool. I knew damn well that it wasn’t
I went through a lot of lonely times as a kid. Like, I felt completely and utterly alone. And food was my only comfort. Giving up the only “friend” I had seemed impossible. And so empty and lonely.
I’m this person. This is my past. And I’m here to tell you that there were some amazing things that happened when I started to eat more health food that had nothing to do with my weight.
I’m not naturally wired to eat healthy
When I was in the fourth grade, I heard this little girl say that she hated sweets. I mean, what kind of little kid doesn’t like sweets? I was amazed, impressed, and utterly bewildered.
And I wished this was me. But my palette wasn’t like that. I could eat sugar at every meal.
My point is, I’m about to go over some great things about health food. But when you read this, don’t write what I say off as coming from a nutritionist or a health nut. That’s not who I’ve been at my core. I’m not naturally wired to eat healthy. I had to learn. And if I could do it, so can you.
So here are the reasons I get super excited about eating healthy.
Eating health food doesn’t become worthless if you also eat junk food
I used to dread eating healthier because I thought it would mean giving up everything I love. But then I realized an amazing thing. Not only doesn’t healthy eating have to be all or nothing. It absolutely SHOULD NOT be all or nothing.
Health food should be a part of your diet. But everything you eat doesn’t need to be health food. In fact, you’ll benefit from eating health food even if you don’t take any ‘bad for you’ foods away.
I’m not saying that you should continue to eat a junk food diet. But I’m saying you’ll get benefits from adding healthy foods, even if you take nothing else away.
Your confidence will likely improve
Your self-confidence tends to take a major hit when you’re eating crappy. So health food isn’t just good for your body. It’s good for your mental state as well.
Think of all the negative things you say to yourself when you’re eating like crap. I mean, you should never talk like this to yourself. But you do.
You say you have no willpower. That this lack of willpower is the reason you can’t fit into your favorite jeans. And that’s just the start of it.
But when you eat fruit and vegetables and good quality protein, your tone with yourself transforms. You’re a lot nicer to you. You should always speak to yourself that way. But this helps get the ball rolling.
You’ll have so much more energy
Here’s some food for thought. You can eat way too many calories and be totally malnourished. And this kills your energy levels.
Think back to what I lived on as a kid. Do pasta, donuts, and ice cream sound like they provides a lot of nutrition or energy? I’m gonna tell you from personal experience – they don’t.
And all this malnutrition not only leads to being exhausted. I mean, how are you supposed to keep going without any nutrition? But it also makes you crave foods like crazy.
Remember, your body thinks it has no energy when you eat a nutrient depleted diet. When your body thinks it’s malnourished, it will do anything to get the needed nutrition. Even if that means eating more donuts.
You’ll get much better results from your workout
I see people all the time working their ass off and not getting the desired results. You’re spending hours in the gym. You’re getting in shape. But you still aren’t happy with the results. That’s such a shame.
But here’s the thing. You can’t achieve a body transformation without looking at your diet. Exercise doesn’t negate the need for a healthy diet. You must change your diet too.
So what happens when you start adding in some health food and taking some of the junk away? Your body really starts to transform. It’s truly amazing. And one little tweak makes all that work totally start to pay off.
You start to like healthy food (really)
I saved the best one for last. And this one is no joke. The more you eat healthy food, the more you appreciate the flavors in those foods. No, it doesn’t happen overnight. You need to invest some time into it. But a transformation will happen.
I told you the foods I used to eat as a kid. And I still like those foods. It’s not like I developed a distaste for them. But I’d never want to go back to eating them all the time. I’d miss the taste of some of my new favorites like brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and pomegranates.
Could I have ever imagined missing health foods when I was younger? Hell no. So this is the absolute best part of eating healthy. Eventually, you start to like it. And then it comes a lot more easy.
You just need to give it time. Yes, including more health foods might seem like a drag at first. But then you start to experience the benefits. And with time, this diet change can be absolutely amazing.
So if you’re not excited about healthy changes, I recommend you start day-dreaming about your new diet. And remember the first thing I said – it isn’t all or nothing. It’s not the death of the way things used to be. It’s the birth of something totally amazing!
I like this, “Not only doesn’t healthy eating have to be all or nothing. It absolutely SHOULD NOT be all or nothing.” The attitude of all/nothing kills more healthy eating habits than anything else. I do my best to eat right–I still can’t find a breakfast item I like–but I allow myself treats here and there. But you are right–the more you eat healthy, the more healthy things you crave. You just inspired me to make spiral zucchini pasta for supper (she who hates to cook likes making this). Thanks!