Why is it hard to change unhealthy eating habits?

Eating is an important part of our existence. It’s necessary and cannot be done away with. Healthy eating habit is vital for good health and overall wellbeing. But most people have unhealthy eating habits, which may have developed during childhood. The problem is not with eating, but it’s about consuming food that are low on nutrition. So, it’s important to change such consumption that mostly includes processed food and fast food. However, most people find themselves unable to continue eating healthy due to old habits. No doubt it’s hard to change food habits, but it can be attained by adopting a rational approach in a planned manner.

Reasons why we continue with unhealthy eating habits

Most people who desire to adopt healthy eating habits start with good intensions to go with it till the end. But certain factors, both environmental and internal, hinder their progress and success. Here are few reasons that make it hard for unhealthy eaters to sustain their move towards healthy eating.

Social situations

Social events and get togethers make eating healthy difficult. In such situations plenty of free food is available, which are yummy but lack in nutrition. Even family and friends make it hard to change unhealthy eating habits, albeit unintentionally. Eating dinner with family or hanging out with friends makes healthy eating difficult – for it requires oodles of self-control to forgo the cheesy burger and chips, and order grilled chicken with salad. Stick to your resolve by voting for healthy restaurants, choosing healthy options from the menu, and avoid anything unhealthy (like cheese, sauces, sugary drinks & alcohol) with the food.

Lack of patience

Trouble with making changes in eating habits is that it takes time to show results. Most people adopt a healthy diet but discontinue soon as the results are not visible immediately. Since healthy eating habits do not make them feel better immediately, they consider that it’s not worth continuing. But any change in food habits will show positive result gradually. Be patient and stick to the change like a routine – for consistency is the key to changing habits, even for eating habits.

Fewer healthy food options

Healthy food options may be a struggle to find, if you live in an area where fast food and processed food is the norm. Low access to farmer’s market or fresh food stores makes unhealthy eating habits harder to change. But it’s not impossible. In such scenario, plan meals in advance (for entire week) and shop at the nearest fresh produce store, outside your neighborhood. Also, it would be convenient to buy healthy foods in bulk when you are at the farmer’s market. Planning meals has the added advantage of eating healthy, especially when hunger pangs strike.

Limited budget

Making healthy food choices may be difficult with budget constraints. It’s rather tough to stick to eating healthy food that costs more, compared to processed food available cheaper. Although healthy food is expensive, it can be managed by planning ahead of a trip to the grocery store. Shop with a list and stick to it, take advantage of sales and offers, eat only seasonal produce and stock up on basics like whole grains and beans. Most important, purchase only what you intend to eat and you can cut the expense incurred on buying healthy food.

Making healthy choices

The greatest challenge for people trying to make the switch from unhealthy to healthy is making the right choice. Most people are not sure what to eat when they want to adopt a healthy diet. There is a sea of healthy food out there, but people are unsure of the right way to eat them. Visiting a nutritionist or a dietitian may help to adopt healthier food and the recipes, helping you change your lifestyle and quality of life.

The bottom line

The change to healthy eating is difficult if you have been eating mostly unhealthy food. People who are used to eating fried food, deserts, or sweet beverages, may find it tough to adopt a diet of salads, or baked and broiled food during meals. The changes are no doubt difficult, but not impossible. Breaking the barriers that prevent adoption of healthy food habit is a good place to start with.