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3 Subconscious Reasons Why It's Hard to Eat Healthy & How to Avoid Them

Aria Zoner

In today’s world, there are literally millions of health specific books, grocery stores, and practitioners. Can you tell me then, why isn’t everyone healthy? The 3 common answers that are typically given to this question, are they legitimate, or excuses and marketing beliefs? I believe the real reason is coming from a much deeper place.


 

3 Subconscious Reasons Why It's Hard to Eat Healthy

& How to Avoid Them


 


So why is it hard to eat healthy?


1. THE MOST COMMON ANSWER: Health food is too expensive.


Is it? Consider an Albertsons Grocery, where nearly ~¼ of the store is the pharmacy and non-prescription pharmaceutical products. These products are there because they are required in order to sustain on the foods that they sell and should be factored into the cost of it too. This also goes for gas station or restaurant food if for example you find yourself having to take an anti-acid or high blood pressure medicine afterward. Now consider a Health Food Store or Co-op, where only ~1/16th of the store has medicine - and it’s mostly preventative.


Food + Supplements + Prescriptions + OTC Medicines = The True Cost of Food


What’s truly expensive is healthcare, and the unhealthier the diet is, the more expensive the prescription or procedure will be. This factor is oftentimes not included in the initial cost of the food. Gardeners and wild-food foragers have only minimal food expenses; and since both of these activities also stimulate health, they also statistically have less healthcare needs later on in life.


Healthy food can be obtained in these 3 ways. You can either grow it, gather it, or work for it. I like a combination of all 3.


2. THE BIGGEST EXCUSE: Health food is not really convenient.


Prepackaged fast foods may appear time-saving on the surface, but behind the scenes, a trail of destruction is being leftover in their creation that may take years to recover from. Produce and fresh foods on the other hand, are constantly being renewed throughout the year. Once ripe, these foods need only to be picked to be enjoyed. Fresh foods can also be made shelf stable by dehydrating or pickling; which preserves them to be savored later. If you’re feeling lazy or have more important things to do with your life, healthy food is now available at a moment’s notice in most grocery stores; usually in bulk bins, glass jars, or right from the produce box! 


What's more convenient? Being left with a bag full of trash to throw away and a follow-up visit with the doctor to go to. Or eating an apple and having a clean bill of health.


3. THE OLDEST MYTH: Health food is not very tasty.


Chalky protein powders, crunchy rice cakes, and synthetic horse-pill vitamins are not health food. That being said, it's well known that artificial sweeteners and hydrogenated oils are highly addictive and make you not want to eat vegetables. Oftentimes at first, it's not a lack of flavor that's the complaint. It's the opposite.


"The strong taste of healthy food is actually the secret to its effectiveness". AZ


In Ayurveda, they point out that taste has many different levels and complexities, all with benefits and meanings.


What does it mean when we taste something bitter, sweet, salty or sour?


It means that there are sulfurs, antioxidants, electrolytes and alkaloids present. These are all necessary components for achieving health.


Through proper food combining, many of the potent and overwhelming aspects of healthy foods can be quickly turned into flavors that you'll eventually be craving.


 


So now that we know what the common excuses for not eating healthy are, let's move on to what I'd actually like to address here,  which is 3 things that may be holding EVEN YOU back from achieving the optimal health and peak performance that you deserve.


 


The 3 Subconscious Reasons Why It's Hard to Eat Healthy


 


Reason #1: We like to eat a lot.


It’s true. It’s satisfying to have a sizeable amount of food in front of you to consume. But health food is nutrient dense, so you don’t need very much of it. This can send you back to the store again, looking for something more substantial. To avoid this trap, try grazing instead.


Soups, smoothies, and salads are great options for spreading-out a meal; along with spring water and time spent exercising. If you’re feeling really hungry - yams, apples, and cruciferous vegetables are excellent fillers that also boost overall health.



Reason #2: We want to feel full.


Like a lion in Africa, people want to feel inebriated as if after a feast each time they eat. This lethargic feeling though, is actually the body shutting down in defense mode. Physical expression is compromised now as extra energy is needed to aid in the digestion and removal of the mass. On the contrary, when food is consumed in smaller portions, it's more easily digested and assimilated; thus leaving you feeling uplifted afterwards instead.


So is there a way to feel like you just feasted but without having to eat too much? Yes!


The answer: trick gravity.


This can be done by eating in a cozy environment and taking in the meal slowly, preferably in separate courses that have different tastes and appeals and deep breaths into your belly between them.


"When transitioning from a junk to health-food lifestyle, you may experience various forms of purging. This is to be expected; like getting sore after doing an exercise you haven’t done in a long time. Once your body is free from accumulated toxins though, a feeling of newness will arise." AZ



Reason #3: We want to be eat impressive products


Do you eat because you feel hungry or because you want something?


Do you think about what to eat or do you sense what it is that your body is needing?

Marketers and industrial profiteers know the answer to these questions and exploit the common person into becoming brand loyal, hooked for life on food that's created to make profit, not healthy bodies. Health food doesn't need to be packaged in garbage-bound wraps or be propped-up by fancy gimmicks and sales events to avert your attention away from the ingredient list. It doesn't need synthetic nutrients added to it either just to put some numbers up on the nutritional scoreboard.


Junk food requires chemicals, solvents, acids, and dyes to produce. Health food only needs water, soil, and sunshine.


Now how impressive is that?


 


Eat healthy for yourself while supporting a more pristine world for others

 


Providing healthy food is hard work. Here’s how you can help:


  • Thank a Farmer 

  • Support your local health food store or co-op

  • Plant something, even if it just your next foot forward

I hope this message helps you make better food choices in the future. Until next time, this is Aria Zoner, wishing you health & wellness,


 

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