If you want to change bad eating habits, you’re not alone. While most people may claim they eat healthy, most people secretly wish they were doing more. When the new year rolls around, an overwhelming number of people make resolutions related to their diets. However, few follow through. Why?
Why Is Eating Healthy So Hard?
One of the ways people make diet changes more difficult on themselves is by beating themselves up. People struggle to eat healthier because they set unrealistic demands on themselves, focus on perfection, and fear failure until it becomes terrifying. With that in mind, be careful how often you’re asking yourself, “Why is this so hard?” Instead, acknowledge that it is difficult. Remind yourself that you can do difficult things. And then find small ways you can make those changes. When you do, congratulate yourself; encouragement can go a long way.
Another aspect that makes eating healthy harder is that dieters forget to be critical of the information they’re hearing about. There is regularly a new trending diet claiming to be the secret to weight loss. They’re full of conflicting information and make it confusing for people to think clearly. Yes, your friend lost a lot of weight on the new trend diet, but is that a healthy way to eat for the rest of your life? Does it seem like a fulfilling diet that won’t leave you hungry? Are you getting all the healthy nutrients you need for a long life and avoiding the less healthy choices? Think critically about any new diet plans you’re going to make, and remember that you want to develop healthy eating habits you can maintain lifelong.
As the people around you are eating junk food or failing to exercise, the hard work you’re doing to make changes may feel more pointless. Studies have found that making diet and exercise changes alone is hard. When people have a diet coach they are reporting to, the accountability makes their plans more manageable.
How Long Does It Take for Your Body to Adjust to Eating Healthy
Setting a new habit is difficult. It takes time for habits to set in. When they do, they become a bit easier to maintain. However, it’s important to remember that, while a new habit can become easier, breaking that habit can set you back to your old ways. This is especially true if you break your new habit before it’s truly cemented into your routine and is now how you live your life.
So, how long does it take for your body to adjust to eating healthy and make it easier for you to maintain your new habit? A study in 2009 found that setting smaller habits, like drinking another bottle of water every day, could take as few as 18 days to fully cement in a person’s routines. At the same time, some bigger habits took as long as 254 days. On average, the study found that it takes 66 days for a single healthy habit to form.
Those numbers may seem intimidating. Keep in mind that it gets easier along the way. Those are the numbers for the habits to truly become normal. Also, keep in mind that you are building healthy eating habits you want to keep for the rest of your life. The sooner you start, the better.
Why You Should Eat Healthy
Eating healthy is a regular source of discussion. Diet ads are difficult to escape. So much noise can make it easy to stop listening. The truth about why you should eat healthy is perhaps a bit morose but still true.
While there are many reasons to eat healthy, the biggest one is to prevent disease and live longer. Studies found that a poor diet made people 56% more likely to die of a disease affected by diet. Eating healthy is one of the best things you can do for your health.
Eating healthy can also give you more energy in your day-to-day life, may help you lose weight, and can affect your mental health. Diet is one of the biggest factors people can change to make an improvement in their quality of life, both daily and long term.
What Counts as A Healthy Diet
Since there is so much conflicting information circulating about healthy diets, it’s good to clearly define what one is. Studies have found that healthy diets include vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and whole grains. Meanwhile, a diet with red meat and processed meats doubles the risk of early death.
Doctors often suggest focusing on a whole-foods diet. This means eating foods that are as close as possible to the way they were originally formed, as opposed to processed foods. During the creation of processed foods, companies remove many of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber from the product. This makes the food less nutrient-dense.
How Many Times a Day Should You Eat to Stay Healthy
While you may have heard conflicting information about trending diets, the science still says that eating at least three times per day is the healthiest solution. It keeps people feeling full longer. This reduces hunger, which reduces the odds of making poor eating choices. Studies also found that eating higher-quality whole food helped manage hunger and led to an increase in weight loss.
How to Change Eating Habit Routines
The CDC recommends beginning this process by reflecting on your current eating habits. This is a good way to face where you’re at and help you see what changes are necessary. You may wish to start by opening a blank document on your computer or phone or getting out a sheet of paper. Write down everything you normally eat and when. Notice if you have a habit of eating less-than-healthy snacks around eight in the evening. These clues provide a map for changes.
Make a plan for your new healthy diet, but don’t necessarily expect all the changes to happen at once. Get a clear picture of where you wish to eventually be with your diet. This way, the end goal is clear.
Now mark down some of the small changes you can make today. Do you want to eat more vegetables? Then add one serving of vegetables to your dinner plans for the week. Start with small habits, congratulate yourself, and keep making small and manageable changes for lifelong habits that stick with you.
Take unhealthy foods and move them out of sight as best you can. This may mean removing them from your home if possible. There will be unhealthy temptations everywhere around you. Doing what you can to minimize this will help, especially with foods that are particularly tempting for you.
The next tip to marking your progress, finding weak spots in your routine, and noting all the changes you’re making is to start a food diary. You can do this on paper, using a note document on your phone, or by using a diet tracking app. Whichever method works best for you, make a note of what you’re eating and at what time of day. This simple habit will make you more aware of the choices you’re making when it comes to food.
Eating healthy is one of the best things you can do as part of a wellness program to improve the quality of your life. Interested in learning more? If you’re ready to get qualified support with your wellness goals, make an appointment with our office today.
