Healthy Eating Misconceptions
- Candice Rose
- Aug 12, 2016
- 4 min read
*AVERAGE READ TIME: 4 minutes
So you want to improve your eating habits. Or maybe you really don’t want to but are just plain bored and happened to stumble across this article. Awesome. Either way, you've come to the right place.
If you don’t want to change your eating habits, I’m not here to persuade you otherwise. That’s a decision that you and you only can make. But what I do want to do is shed some light on a few common misconceptions that might get your wheels turning about what healthy eating really looks like.
Just so you know, I can sympathize. I’ve had my own struggles cleaning up my diet. I used to live off of mac n’ cheese, and full fat, full sugar chai tea lattes were my breakfast of choice for years. Part of the reason I struggled was because I never grew up in a health conscious household; I literally knew nothing about health and nutrition prior to university. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. I barely even knew how to decipher a piece of broccoli from a celery stalk.
Every single one of these misconceptions I used to believe myself. Every. Single. One. It wasn’t until I started living a healthy lifestyle and seeing all of the benefits that came with it (increased confidence, energy and an overall happier mindset), that I realized how much further from the truth they actually were. And frankly (at least for me) they were all just excuses so I could keep chowin’ down on the Kit Kats and KD.
So here they are. Four big misconceptions about healthy eating and why they may be preventing you from becoming the healthiest version of yourself that you can be:
#1. YOU'RE GOING TO STARVE.
I used to think eating healthy meant living off cucumber slices the rest of my life and starving. Thank God I was wrong! In reality, healthy eating is the complete opposite. Quality, whole foods are voluminous and with the right combination of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats, hunger is but a distant memory.
If I were to lay out the quantity of food I eat in the run of the day, you would be shocked. This is because I follow an 80/20 approach to nutrition (80% foods from mother nature; 20% “fun” stuff), which leaves me no choice but to include lots of nutritious, filling foods in my diet. I love this approach because it means I rarely get to the point where I’m starving and I also never feel deprived. That’s the beauty of healthy eating!
When my clients go from their “normal” diet to one rich in whole foods, their immediate reaction is often “this is WAY too much food!” But sure enough, once they get accustomed to the volume, they find not only do they have more energy and are satisfied, they also lose fat and build muscle at the same time!
#2. IT'S BORING.
If you’re used to living off McDonalds, Coca Cola and Pop Tarts, switching to a healthier diet will be an adjustment. There’s no two ways around it. Fat and sugar is naturally pleasing to our tastebuds and let’s be honest, those foods are addictive. The good news though, is that your tastebuds are incredible little things and as you change your diet, they change too. That means as you eat more and more healthy, whole foods, your taste buds will begin to enjoy them more and more. Healthy eating DOES NOT mean plain eating (ie. choking down boiled chicken and broccoli 24/7). There are so many ways to spice up your food with seasonings, healthier sauce alternatives, sea salt, healthy oils, and the list goes on. Slam the brakes on that “all or nothing” mentality; if a slice of cheese on top of your broccoli is the worst thing on your plate then, hey, I’d say you’re doing pretty darn good.
#3. IT'S EXPENSIVE.
I’m not going to pull the wool over your eyes: healthy eating IS more expensive than eating junk food. Period. Unless you find a really stellar sale, you’ll be hard pressed to find a pint of strawberries for the same price you’d pay for a Twinkie. But when you look at the quality comparison, well, there really is no comparison. While one food is nourishing you, the other one, when consumed regularly, is slowly but surely pulling you into bad health and towards disease.
Healthy eating, although it’s more expensive, won’t break the bank if you do it right. You don’t need to spend your life savings on one grocery haul if you shop smart. Look for sales, collect points, and buy in bulk. There are tons of ways to save money when you’re on a budget.
#4. IT'S TIME CONSUMING.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to spend five hours in the kitchen everyday sweating over the stove while juggling ten pots and a spatula. There are plenty of ways to make it work with your lifestyle. For one, even though I personally prefer spending a few hours on Sunday meal prepping for the week, if that doesn’t work for you, don’t do it. It’s not the only way. Cook extras at dinner time the night before and take it for lunch the next day, incorporate supplements into your diet and consider hiring a meal prep service for weeks when you’re really busy. You can also save time by determining which convenience items you don’t mind spending extra money on like pre-cut veggies or pre-seasoned meats and by investing in a high quality meal replacement protein for when you’re on the go.
Creating new healthy eating habits is not always a walk in the park. At first you might feel confused. You’ll probably fall off the wagon a few times. And you’ll definitely make a mistake or two. But that’s part of your journey! I sure as heck didn’t snap my fingers one day and become healthy. It took time. My best advice: stay balanced, celebrate the little successes, and do it not because you “should” but because you want to be the most vibrant, happy, healthy version of yourself you can be.
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