Mindset shifts that will help you eat healthier
At this point, I've talked to countless people about food, and there's always 1 blatantly obvious difference between those with healthier eating habits and those who struggle to eat healthier: their perspectives (which can be changed).
We all grew up with beliefs about food and eating that we may not even realize are shaping our actions. These conscious and unconscious beliefs—picked up from family, culture, and media - can make it tougher for us to follow through with how we wish we could get ourselves to eat.
For a long time, I was the person who despised anything I considered "healthy" or even "adult food."
It wasn’t until college that I started to expand my palate, and it wasn’t until after graduation that I made a major shift towards eating about 90% whole, nutrient-dense foods—and actually enjoying it.
What made this transformation possible wasn’t a strict diet plan or willpower — it was changing the way I thought about food.
I can’t make you see things differently, but I can share the perspectives that have made big shifts in my life and those of my clients:
Eating healthy is boring and restrictive --> healthy food can be delicious and just as satisfying
I bet a lot of us have this narrative floating around somewhere in our minds. It’s how healthy food tends to be portrayed, especially by commercials and sitcoms (at least, that’s the case in my memory).
But it’s just… not true. You can make a plate full of nutrient-dense food taste delicious, feel fun, and be satisfying. And while eating healthy has been patined as such a restrictive endeavor, that's only the case if we continue to see it through that lens. If you hold onto this perspective, you’ll continue to see healthy food this way and likely stick with your current habits. Healthier meals should still be enjoyable, satiating and delicious. And eating healthier can feel restrictive because of cultural norms or because we're telling ourselves we're restricting ourselves, when at the end of the day, all it is is eating more foods that are closer to nature that provide our bodies with the nutrients it needs to operate more optimally.
Food has morality —> there’s no morality in food, some are more nutrient-dense and others are less nutrient-dense
Most of us also probably grew up with the labels that some foods are good and some are bad. That some foods are treats and others are punishment or require discipline to eat. I understand where this comes from, but it’s really done a number on a lot of people’s psyche.
It can make the “good” foods seem less desirable. It can make the “bad” foods more desirable. It can lead to feelings of guilt and shame (which can perpetuate feeling the need to seek comfort - possibly through food). Instead of seeing food as good or bad, I like to view food in terms of nutrient density and how I want to feel. This meal is more nutrient-dense than that one. This food makes me feel better than that one. These aren’t good or bad things, it just is.
Eating healthy is what you should do --> eating for how you want to feel, your values, who you want to be, to support your body
Humans naturally resist "shoulds," "musts," and "have-tos." We crave autonomy and freedom of choice, even from ourselves.
If you’re trying to make healthier choices because it’s what something has made you believe you should do, it’s much less likely to stick. How do you want to feel on a day to day basis? How do you want your brain to function? What kind of activities do you want to do? How do you want to treat your body? What do you value (ex: feeling good, maintaining health, connecting over food with loved ones, supporting your body, etc.) What kind of nutrition habits support that? Your approach to food can make a 180 when you shift from "I should" to "I genuinely want to."
You’re missing out on something if you’re eating something different from others —> you’re not missing out because this is what you want to do for you
This narrative does not feel good AND it probably sabotages your goals. it’s simply that they’re doing what they want to do and you’re doing what you want to do.
If this is how you feel and what you’re telling yourself, maybe you feel like you’re making yourself eat something different. Maybe you feel like you don’t like what you have. Maybe you’re living by the narratives we were brought up in that certain foods are fun and others are not, or that they’re getting to indulge while you’re having to restrict - but you don’t have to live by any of that. You can set a certain standard for yourself and know this is how you’re choosing to live for you.
Changing your self-perception
Over time, we internalize our experiences and craft a self-image that we then treat as truth. If you see yourself as someone who hates healthy foods, loves junk food, or lacks willpower around eating, you’ll continue to make choices that reinforce this identity.
Understand that your self-perception is just made up of thoughts and beliefs, neither of which are fact or truth. Think about the eating habits you want and create a new narrative for yourself: “I am someone who enjoys feeling energized after a nutritious meal,” or “I am someone who loves finding new ways to make healthy foods delicious.” Start with small shifts in your self-identity and gradually build from there.
When it comes to your food choices, know that it’s not about what you should or need to do, it's about giving yourself the opportunity to make decisions outside of your comfort zone, outside of your patterned habits that actually align with what you truly want.
Action Step:
Take a moment to reflect: How do you currently view healthy eating? Is this perspective serving you, aligning with how you want to feel, or who you want to be? Experiment with new ways of thinking and let these perspectives guide your choices.