Before switching to a healthy lifestyle, I fell victim to some common myths about what it would entail. I didn’t see how I could possibly eat healthy and still live my life, stay in my budget, and enjoy my food. I was wrong, though. After several months of working toward healthier living, I came to conclusion that all of the reasons I had put off the change were just excuses, and bad ones at that.
Healthy eating is more expensive.
Sure, junk food is ridiculously cheap, and all of the highfalutin natural foods in the store have sky-high prices. However, eating healthy food doesn’t have to empty your wallet. Even when the majority of your shopping cart is full of fresh produce and protein, your bill can still be fairly low. This week I purchased apples, bananas, broccoli, corn, lima beans, red bell pepper, tomatoes, ground turkey, and almond milk for a total of $30—keep in mind I live in Arkansas, and the only organic item was the turkey. However, I’ll eat on this all week.
Healthy eating is restrictive.
There’s an unfortunate idea that eating healthy means limiting yourself to the same foods, avoiding restaurants, and ditching classic recipes. This is wrong. Eating healthy foods and portions doesn’t mean you need to miss out on these things. However, it does mean you change the way you think about food. You can still enjoy foods like lasagna, you just have to do so in smaller portions and with wheat pasta, extra veggies, and less cheese. Healthy eating is only restrictive if you make it that way.
The key is balance and mindfulness. You can still enjoy questionable food items, like chocolate, as long as you keep your other meals on track. If you’re craving a recipe that’s less-than-healthy, like a bacon cheeseburger, you can still eat it by making some changes to the ingredients. Place emphasis on veggies and lean protein, and you’ll have no trouble enjoying food while also achieving your health goals. So, no, you don’t have to restrict yourself in order to be healthy.
Healthy eating is too much work.
Does eating healthy take more effort than popping a pizza pocket in the microwave? Of course, but it’s not any more work to make a healthy batch of steamed veggies and chicken than whipping up a homemade platter of fried chicken. Choosing an apple is just as easy as choosing a bag of chips. Swapping unhealthy ingredients for healthier ones does not require an exorbitant amount of energy.
Buy good food and you will eat good food. Eating nutritious food doesn’t seem as difficult when you don’t have any other options. If you take a little time early in the week to map out what you will eat during the week, then you won’t have to fight temptation and desperation later.
Healthy eating is tasteless.
Healthy food is not always bland or boring. It can be, but so can unhealthy food. You can make healthy food just as delicious as food laden in butter. The flavors of fresh veggies and whole grains will be different from the taste of white bread and potatoes, of course. But you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised to find that vegetables have a ton of flavor on their own, and don’t need much assistance. Fruits don’t need extra sugar to be dessert-worthy, either.
Keep experimenting with foods that you don’t like. I didn’t like brussel sprouts the first few times I had them, but I kept trying different recipes, and now they’re a staple in my diet. Just like other foods, a good combination of spices and herbs can make all the difference between a food you hate and a food you love.
Healthy eating means a salad at every meal.
I am not a salad lover by any means—I can’t even tell you the last time I ate one—and I still follow a very nutritious diet. Healthy eating means consuming more vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains, but that can be done in more ways than just salad. If you think salad is the only way to have a healthy meal then it’s time to do some digging on Pinterest for recipe inspiration.
Healthing eating means eating organic.
No. Organic foods are typically a better route to take if you have a personal aversion to pesticides, but the term organic is not synonymous with healthy. Organic chocolate might be from the most pure of cocoa, but it’s still chocolate and doesn’t contain any more health benefits than non-organic chocolate. Similarly, a food that isn’t organic is not automatically unhealthy. An apple grown the typical way is still better for you than a Snickers bar, even if it contains preservatives.
