I think most people need to travel for this very reason. A new world view would change many a perspective and bring us all back down to earth. I'd feel so silly eating the way I used to in front of someone that struggles to eat just once in a day... yet so many people freak out even thinking about eating healthfully. Gotta have creamy this, sugary that, fatty this and greasy that..... how can we live without it!! Moderation! lol.. first world problems.
I am on a conquest to always make healthy food exciting. I have explored seasons and textures and flavors, in order to duplicate what I gave up and be able to stay on my diet. I also had to develop a new taste for more healthy foods. When you give it a chance, your taste adjusts.
Very true. Seasoning foods in different ways can certainly add more flavor and appeal. I've actually "tricked" kids into eating veggies at my house when my kids were little and would have friends over. They all bragged that we had good vegetables at our house. lol Same veggies, different preparation. I also don't like waterlogged or cooked to death vegetables, and I think a lot of people make that mistake. Vegetables are so much better when they're just the right blend of crisp and tender, if you ask me.
It's so true! I hate having certain people over for dinner (cough father in-law) because I KNOW they are going to complain about something, even if it's the most trivial thing in the world. Sometimes you just have to eat something that is not 100% perfect, or you just have to step out of your comfort zone. Another reason why I'm not a fan of those all inclusive type resort places, you don't get to see the true country or really interact with locals.
I think the "secret" ingredient in all that junk food we are always wanting to eat and never get tired of is simply a pinch of advertising... Starting with an advertisement and ending with an appealing packing, wrapping or presentation, all those foods are first processed in our brain, even since before eating them. If we could make a commercial about our daily diet, airin it on TV, paying to get it displayed everywhere, and yet associated to a funny jingle, you can be sure the healthy home food we feel tired of before eating would turn into desirable aliment from a brain level.
Because healthy foods don't taste as nice as chocolate. Just saying . I find it hard to stay healthy, I'm on a diet now, I'm doing very well, I've gone from 17 1/2 stone to 12 stone 2, so I've lost a lot of weight and feel a lot better for it. I'm still 2 stone off my ideal weight however. I think eating healthy is more difficult because the food isn't as nice to taste. But I am learning that healthy food can also taste nice, when you plan meals.
I have a good theory as to why it's hard to eat healthy, and to me it makes an awful lot of sense! Not only healthy foods don't taste as good as "junk food" or even normal regular food, but it's usually more expensive, it takes longer to prepare them to eat and they go bad more easily... Take a fruit for example... they are not cheap, you need to wash them thoughtfully, cut them, peel them off depending on the fruit, remove seeds.... and they will go bad in only a few days! Chocolate is cheaper, you just open the packaging and start eating and it lasts for a year!!! Not to mention it tastes way better.... makes it hard to decide on the healthy option, right?
You know the more responses I read - the more convinced I'm becoming - that my theory of people not knowing what healthy actually eating is - really is the main reason why people find it so hard to eat healthily - especially as much of the confusing and misleading information on healthy eating circulating around the internet - appears to be popping up here. So for all you chocolate lovers out there - let just get one thing straight - chocolate is not unhealthy and you do not have to give up eating chocolate in order to eat healthy diet - as just like many other foods - chocolate is only unhealthy when its is consumed in excessive amounts.
Yep, very true. I don't know how many people have told me they DO eat healthy and have done everything to lose weight, but when they tell me what they're diet consists of, it's "grocery store healthy".. not at all good for them. Education is needed in a huge way.. and not from any food industry, government or commercial lol.
I agree with you. Chocolate is not unhealthy. After all it comes from nature. Experts say dark chocolate is especially healthy (I forget why atm) but I never got into the taste of it personally. It's too sweet. Nothing you eat is really unhealthy so long as you watch your intake like you said. That's what I have problems with personally. I don't eat a lot in one sitting (I couldn't even if I wanted to) but I don't balance it out. I can't get into most vegetables. I like some fruit but a lot of it is acidic.
Well heres the thing - as its not the acidity of a food before consumption that matters - but more importantly what occurs in the body after the food has been eaten - as the majority of fruits are alkaline producing - fruit - apart from a few of the berry family - is not generally considered to be acidic. In fact - if anyone was worried about the acidity of the food they were eating - it would actually be way better to avoid processed foods rather than fruit and vegetables - as ALL processed food is known to be acid producing.
Well I have gastritis so apparently fruit can be bad to me as well. I think when I drink orange juice my stomach doesn't feel good after though what I can't understand is baking soda and apple cider vinegar has been able to soothe my discomfort in the past.
Oh I'm really sorry to hear that - especially as not only is it a very debilitating and unpleasant condition to have - but having to constantly avoid anything that would aggravate your condition must take some of the enjoyment out of eating for you too. So hopefully the following will help - as yes although its true that there are a lot of fruits that would aggravate your condition and in particular anything from the citrus family - there are some fruits that because of their natural antacid qualities - that can actually be beneficial for gastritis suffers - for example - apples, pears, grapes, melon, cherries and bananas all have natural antacid properties and in particular bananas. As not only are bananas known to very effectively neutralize acidity in the stomach but as they also provide the stomach with a protective coating once ingested - they help to keep symptoms under control - which is why its often recommended that gastritis sufferers eat a banana prior to eating any other food. Also although apples don't have the same protective qualities as bananas - they are the next best thing - as their natural antacid properties provide fairly rapid relief in much the same way as an over the counter antacid does - which is of course why you are finding that the apple cider vinegar does the trick - speaking of which - if you were ever short of apple cider vinegar - thoroughly chewing a slice of apple or some mashed apple before swallowing - would have exactly the same effect as the apple cider vinegar
The only reason fast food joints are carrying "healthy" food items these days are to lure people in to order the regular stuff and keep health advocates off their backs. They don't actually sell a lot of their healthy options, they just know that all they need to do is get that person's foot in the door, and they will cave in and buy something, be it the healthy stuff or the junk food stuff. If you're tying to avoid fast food, it would be best to stay away from those places all together, and focus on making those menu items you love, at home and with a much healthier recipe. Most junk food as others noted, is loaded with salt, sugar and MSG, or MSG-like compounds such as "yeast extract", in addition to artificial flavors. I'm not sure how much sugar you are allowed in your diet, if any at all, but a pinch of it in some otherwise savory dishes does kind of balance/compliment the salt in them for kind of an "umami" type flavor. But when you're dealing with junk food with a ton of salt, they are also often including a lot of sugar in them as well. As for the MSG effect of enhancing flavors - you can get that naturally from ingredients such as tomatoes, parmesan cheese, walnuts, and other sources, which all contain glutamates that make other flavors they're paired with more pronounced as well. It also helps to reduce down sauces and broths for more concentrated flavors that pack more punch. In fact, with broths, you can instead buy consomme's which are basically already concentrated broths, if you're in a hurry. Cooking technique can also bring out a lot of flavor in food without any added ingredients that might make it unhealthy. For example, there are numerous ways to prepare an incredible roasted chicken with just salt and nothing else - one such technique calls for cooking it at a really high temp, like around 500 degrees or so, while others call for slow roasting the chicken at a low temp for several hours.
I think a big part of the reason is that it's just not popular enough that people would spend time to develop tastier healthy food. Since it's easier to sell junk food more people gravitate towards selling it and focusing on it so you see a lot of restaurants that sell that type of food, whereas if you want a healthier option you're pretty much out of luck. Not to mention that almost all cooking shows also just focus on unhealthy recipes so it's a little less accessible but thankfully you can find a lot of recipes online nowadays.
My doctor and I had a conversation about it. I'm just a point above normal numbers so I got to watch my diet too. I'm 60 and you're telling me to watch what I eat! That's six decades of food that you're telling me I can't eat too much of like rice. We eat many things with rice. I modified it to add black, brown and lentils to it so we can eat healthy. We had to get accustomed to the new tastes, new look and it was okay. Now I got to cut out the rice completely when I'm just a point over normal! Then I found coconut oil. It brings your blood back to normal no matter what you eat. I'd check with my doctor first before trying anything new.
It's so easy to fall into diet traps. I've had fast food for two meals a day the last few weeks, and it hasn't been rubbing me well. The problem is that I commute frequently, and I have to get something on the go because I don't always have time to pack a nutritious lunch. There are places like Chipotle that try to give the freshest ingredients that you can get at casual dining, but it's still not great to eat at carb-based places often. (However, they do have bowls, so eat with discretion)
The reason it is hard to stay healthy in life. Is because junk food is far easier to gain access to and simply cheaper. You can get a burger and fry for two dollars while a salad could cost you five bucks. The cost is the deal breaker for me and a lot of people..
