Eating Healthy Matters: How Food Choices Affect Your Health and Energy and Why it's Such a Challenge

We live in a culture where there is no shortage of sugary, highly processed, fast food to indulge in or throw down when we are in a hurry. This is how too many of us are living. We indulge in too much unhealthy food, too much drink and other habits that are wreaking havoc on our health.

Too often we get in habits and are not mindful of making healthier choices; rather we settle in with the same habits we’ve had for years.  The problem of course, is that a lot of the things we ate in our youth, are not working for us now.

If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’re going to get the same results…but as we keep the same unhealthy habits and grow older, the results are actually worse.

It is important to recognize, in this country, we have many things going against our health… which is important to realize so we don’t just think our poor food choices and the amount we eat are simply a willpower issue.

Research tells us that we tend to adopt the habits of the 5 closest people to us.  So, if our closest family and friends have donuts for breakfast , or tend to drink too much, we are likely to do that as well.

Additionally, we live in an environment that promotes poor health. The technical term is obesogenic environment. (Think candy at every check out stand in grocery stores, not creating walkable communities for healthy food, exercise etc., promotion of unhealthy foods loaded with sugar, etc.)

You have to look no further than most of the aisles of most grocery stores to see that our choices for whole foods; food without pesticides, antibiotics or artificial color and preservatives – without over processing- is limited.  Most of the food in the US; the Standard American Diet, is a train wreck full of a whole bunch of chemicals that is “passed off” as food thanks to skilled marketing companies.

Our USA SAD diet is chock full of sugar, fats and salt… all things we need, but in very limited quantities. 

Too many people feed their body junk and then look to the medical field to make themselves  better with meds, surgery or shots…

While medication is needed and beneficial at times, the reality is prevention goes a long way.  There is so much disease and illness that are lifestyle created, so why not create a lifestyle that involves a healthy diet and nutrition?

Here are some ideas to start to make some small tweaks that can make a difference. Making some baby step changes with our diet can go a long way toward our future good health and energy.

• LOOK AT THE STAPLES IN YOUR DIET.  What are the food items that typically go in your cart on a weekly basis?  Is it mostly junk food? Carbs? Processed or ultra processed?  Are the foods in your grocery cart making you sick or helping you to have a body that is fueled by whole organic foods- the kind that our bodies thrive on?

• GET REAL ABOUT HOW OFTEN YOU EAT FAST FOOD OR WHATEVER IS QUICK? If you are not being intentional, doing any meal planning or cooking at home at all, it is likely that you have succumbed to the Standard American Diet.  I often refer to this diet as the SASDD- Standard American Slow Death Diet.

• IF YOU HAVE A PARTNER, MAKE A PLAN TO COOK TOGETHER.  MAKE IT A DATE, OR EVEN  A FAMILY EVENT.  Find a recipe that appeals to you both and make a plan to cook together.  You may find a whole new way to have fun and cook something tasty and nutritious. 

• FIND AN ALTERNATIVE FOR ONE UNHEALTHY FOOD /MEAL YOU CAN REPLACE WITH A HEALTHIER OPTION.  If you snack on chips and dip, try some organic chips or crackers, with hummus, salsa or tzatziki.

• CHECK YOUR PANTRY. Toss or donate items that are high in sugar, fat and salt, items that are white- like white flour- and focus on pantry items with few ingredients that are nutritionally sound.

• START RESEARCHING WHAT REAL FOOD LOOKS LIKE. Begin to read ingredient lists on labels in the grocery store before an item goes into your cart.  Be willing to experiment with whole foods, cooking more and not bringing home all the same foods that are hurting your health. 

  
  

Sometimes just a small step in a different direction can be the beginning of a beautiful journey toward reclaiming your health.  Start with your diet and appreciate that every food choice daily is either moving you in a direction of being sick and tired, or one that will energize and restore good health.