Have you ever tried following a healthy diet? If yes, you will agree that it isn’t easy. In fact, most people go back to their old eating habits after a week or two of dieting.
Because we live in a time and age where delicious but unhealthy junk foods are readily available, it is difficult to discipline ourselves to stick to a healthy diet.
To some, following a healthy diet is difficult because they have been eating unhealthy foods all their life. So, when they make the big decision to start eating healthy, they often don’t know where to start.
We are going to be looking at some 5 reasons why it is difficult to stick to a healthy diet.
- I am too busy to prepare healthy meals.
- I don’t have enough money to follow a healthy diet
- I really love to eat
- I can’t say no to unhealthy foods at my workplace
- I travel a lot and I don’t have time to cook or pack snacks
- Effective ways to improve your diet
- Bottom line on why it can difficult for you to follow a healthy diet
I am too busy to prepare healthy meals.
Professionals and people with demanding jobs usually have a hard time following a healthy diet because they have little or no time to prepare healthy meals.
If you have this problem or don’t always have time to prepare healthy meals, you are going to find the following tips useful.
Cook in bulk during the weekend
Use a small part of your free time during the weekends to shop for fresh produce and ingredients. Next, prepare multiple healthy meals and store them in your fridge.
When you get home after a stressful day at work, you can microwave and eat the foods you stored in your fridge.
Meal or grocery delivery service
On the days when you are too tired to go to the mall to get fresh produce or even step into the kitchen to prepare something healthy, grab your phone and order healthy foods online.
Most grocery stores have apps and websites where you can shop for the food items you want online.
I don’t have enough money to follow a healthy diet
A lot of people have the notion that healthy foods are expensive and that only people that are rolling in cash can afford them.
While that is somewhat true, some tips can help you get your hands on healthy meals at budget-friendly prices.
Buy in bulk
Buying in bulk won’t only save you from going to the grocery store several times a week but also help you save money. Most grocery stores have special deals for people buying in bulk.
Aim to buy everything you will need to prepare healthy meals for a week or two. And remember that buying too much or a month’s worth of produce isn’t really a good idea, as you may not be able to preserve them.
Buy what is in season
Produce that are in season are usually cheaper than those that are not.
Opt for cheaper alternatives
Instead of buying high-grade protein sources, opt for cheaper alternatives like chicken, peas and lentils, sardines, canned tuna, and black beans.
I really love to eat
Are you a foodie? If yes, a part of you may be thinking that you will not be able to follow a healthy diet and ultimately lose weight.
Well, one thing you should know is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating or loving to eat. In fact, if you don’t eat, you won’t have the energy to live.
So, instead of picturing yourself as abnormal because you like to eat, figure out ways to improve your diet. Below are some tips that can help you.
Add healthy foods that you love to your diet
Do a little research to find healthy foods that are delicious and add them to your diet.
Add protein-rich food to your diet
Protein is an essential nutrient that can boost your metabolism, help you build muscles, and lose weight (1) (2).
If you sometimes go overboard with your eating, adding high protein foods to your diet may help you overcome this problem.
One study shows that protein can reduce hunger hormones and make one less likely to overeat (3) (4).
I can’t say no to unhealthy foods at my workplace
Are there tons of unhealthy foods in your office? If yes, you are likely going to have a hard time saying no to them, as they are right in front of you.
And because you are just an employee, you can’t really get rid of them.
Well, if you are in this boat, the following tips may be able to help you.
Stay calm
Several studies have shown that stress can weaken our willpower and make us more likely to feast on unhealthy foods (5) (6).
What this means is that you are more likely to give in to your cravings for unhealthy foods when you are stressed.
A simple way to reduce your stress level is by taking a walk. Alternatively, you can drink green tea.
Stay hydrated
Drinking a lot of water can reduce your appetite and make you less likely to succumb to your cravings for unhealthy foods (7).
Do not allow yourself to get too hungry.
Saying no to unhealthy foods is going to be difficult or impossible when you are hungry.
To ensure that you do not get too hungry, add fiber-rich foods to your diet (8). If possible, take a high protein snack with you to your workplace.
I travel a lot and I don’t have time to cook or pack snacks
If you have a job that requires you to travel a lot, you may think that you won’t be able to follow a healthy diet, as you don’t have time to prepare healthy meals. But that is not exactly true.
Below are some tips that can help you eat healthy even if you travel all the time.
Survey your travel destination in advance.
Before traveling to another state or country, do a little research to narrow down stores that sell everything from veggies and fruits to bottled water.
Leverage travel apps
Travel apps like TripAdvisor and Yelp can help you find restaurants that offer healthy foods at the touch of a button.
If for some reason, you can’t leave your hotel to hunt for a good place to eat, then you should take a close look at the food offered at the hotel you are staying in.
If you can’t find something healthy that you love on their menu, order fruits or hard-boiled eggs.
Effective ways to improve your diet
If you are new to dieting, you should resist the urge to make too many changes to your diet. Ignore this, and you will be overwhelmed and go back to your old ways after a couple of days or weeks.
Below are some simple but useful tips that can improve your diet.
Consider adding Greek yogurt to your diet
Greek yogurt is somewhat better than regular yogurt, as it is creamier, thicker, and contains more protein. You can get up to 9 grams of protein in a 100 g serving of Greek yogurt (9)(10).
Because Greek yogurt is loaded with protein, it can help you reduce your appetite and prevent you from overeating (11) (12).
Eat eggs in the morning
Eggs are rich in protein and a few other essential nutrients like choline.
Multiple studies have shown that eating eggs for breakfast can make one feel fuller (13)(14) (15).
Reduce grilling and frying
Do you know that the way and manner you prepare your food can determine how healthy it will be?
When you grill, fry, or deep fry your foods, toxic compounds like heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and so on are formed (16).
Several studies have shown that these compounds can cause severehealth conditions like heart disease and cancer (17)(18).
Below are some healthier cooking methods you should consider adopting.
- Pressure cooking
- Baking
- Slow cooking
- Stewing
- Poaching
Studies have shown that these methods are safe and do not lead to the formation of harmful substances (19) (20).
Vitamin D supplements
Vitamin D is a very important nutrient that a lot of people are lacking. In fact, it is estimated that 42% of the people living in the United States are deficient in this vitamin (21) (22).
The reason for this is that they are only found in a few foods. Fatty seafood contains a high amount of vitamin D.
If you can’t get your hands on seafood, you should consider taking vitamin D supplements every now and then.
According to some studies, vitamin D can help improve bone health and strengthen our immune system (23) (24).
Bottom line on why it can difficult for you to follow a healthy diet
To improve your health and achieve your weight loss goals, you have to make drastic lifestyle changes. This includes following a healthy diet.
As you likely know, eating healthy isn’t easy, especially for people who are new to dieting.
Applying the tips discussed is definitely going to help you scale some of the challenges you are inevitably going to face along the way.
Don’t forget that making too many changes to your diet or setting lots of rules isn’t really a good idea, as you may become overwhelmed and even give up on dieting after a while.
