Introduction

Most of us choose our food based upon convenience, pleasure, and cost. As a result we eat mostly processed foods which have little nutritional value. Our bodies need real, whole foods. Contrary to popular opinion, healthy food is not more expensive-but maybe not as convenient. With a little planning and patience, we can eat healthier.

Why is Eating Healthy So Hard

Our bodies need lots of different nutrients to stay healthy, fight disease and reduce inflammation. The only way we can get all the nutrients we need to stay well is through healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans. Eating plant-based foods doesn't really sound that hard...but why do I have so much trouble doing it? It shouldn't surprise you to learn there are a lot of reasons it's hard to fill our plates with plant-based foods at every meal. Most of us base our food decisions on three things: convenience, value and pleasure, rather than on nutrition.

Food Decisions Based on Convenience

Making food decisions based on convenience: One of the things that have changed in the last 50 or 60 years is how little time families spend preparing meals. It hardly seems worth it because there are so many other convenient ways to get food into our bellies... we can get food really quickly by ordering a pizza, nuking a Hot Pocket, using a drive thru or going to a gas station. Until recently, none of these options were available. Do you remember when a gas station was a place to fill your car with gas, rather than a place to buy junk food? The reason we make food decisions based on convenience is..., well, because we can. It's easy to get food at all the places listed above, but it's nearly impossible to get the nutrients there. This is the point to remember over and over and over again. We need the nutrients, not the full bellies.

Food Decisions Based on Value

Making food decisions based on value: Another driving factor in determining how we eat, is value. Most people believe that it's more expensive to eat healthy food. At first glance, that appears to be true, but when scientists investigate this, they find something interesting. Scientists have determined that if you're looking to buy a lot of sugar, salt and fat in your food, it is definitely cheaper to buy processed food. But if you're looking for nutrients, and not just calories, it's cheaper to buy real food.

Food Decisions Based on Pleasure

Making food decisions based on pleasure: Ah, pleasure... this is the real driver when it comes to food. We love food. I mean, we really love food. And, a darn good thing too. How long would we live if food was gross and we hated it? How far out of our way would we go if food was disgusting? Not very! So, of course, we love AND we're driven to get food. We have a big part of our brain that "lights up" when we eat delicious food called the pleasure center. It tells us to get more and more of that yummy stuff. Years ago, before food became so convenient and easy to get, being driven to get food wasn't too much of a problem. But now, incredibly delicious food is everywhere. And... we buy it. Food processors and restaurants have figured out that if they modify food with a lot of sugar, salt and fat then we can hardly help ourselves.

Highly Palatable Foods

Highly palatable foods are foods that have been scientifically engineered by food scientists and food manufacturers to be amazing. Scientists have figured out just the right amount of sugar, salt, and fat to make us swoon over food. They've also created the perfect "mouth feel" of the food: the right amount of crunch of a chip, bubbliness of soda and melt-in-your-mouth feel of baked goods and ice cream. The combination of the perfect flavor with the perfect texture is called The Bliss Point. These foods have been tested and modified to the point of perfection until we literally can't say no to another mouthful. So, we just keep eating and eating, which is delightful and disastrous all at the same time. Highly palatable foods are usually packaged foods like sugary cereal, soda, chips and cinnamon buns.