Top 5 Reasons Eating Well Can Feel So Hard
Top 5 Reasons Eating Well Can Feel So Hard
There are plenty of reasons people struggle with eating well.
Some are legitimate.
Some are temporary.
Some are bigger than food.
And some are simply habits we've fallen into over time.
As a dietitian, I've heard just about every reason you can imagine for why someone isn't eating the way they'd like. And I have to admit, some are more memorable than others.
I once had someone come into an appointment and immediately ask, "You aren't going to make me buy a refrigerator, are you?"
She had been living without a refrigerator for eight months and had no intention of getting one.
I had to give her credit for creativity.
But most of the reasons I hear are much more understandable.
People are busy. Food is expensive. Cooking can be exhausting. Preferences change. Families have different schedules. And tastes. Sometimes you simply don't feel like cooking.
And sometimes, after a long day, getting takeout feels much easier than figuring out what to make for dinner.
So rather than calling these things "excuses," I think it's more useful to look at them as barriers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eating Well
Why is eating healthy so difficult?
Eating well can be difficult because of busy schedules, food costs, limited access to certain foods, cooking fatigue, family preferences, stress, and simply having a lot going on. Identifying the actual barrier is often more helpful than blaming yourself for not eating "better."
How can I eat healthy when I'm busy?
Keep meals simple. Use convenient foods, leftovers, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, quick-cooking grains, eggs, yogurt, or other foods that require little preparation. Eating well does not require cooking everything from scratch.
Is healthy eating expensive?
It can be, but it doesn't have to be. Affordable foods such as beans, lentils, oats, rice, potatoes, eggs, peanut butter, frozen vegetables, and seasonal produce can all contribute to a nutritious eating pattern.
How can I eat healthy without cooking?
Think about assembling meals rather than cooking them. A sandwich with fruit, Greek yogurt with berries and nuts, a salad with canned tuna or chicken, or beans with microwavable rice and salsa can all make a meal without much cooking.
Does eating healthy mean giving up my favorite foods?
No. Healthy eating does not require eliminating foods you enjoy. Favorite foods can be part of an overall eating pattern that also includes the nutrients your body needs.
Because when we call something an excuse, we tend to focus on what's wrong with the person.
When we call it a barrier, we can ask a much more useful question:
What could make this easier?
Here are five of the most common barriers I hear.
1. "I'm Too Busy to Cook"
Yes.
You might actually be too busy to cook.
There are days when work runs late, kids have activities, appointments pile up, and by the time you get home, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen.
I get it.
The answer isn't necessarily to find more time.
Sometimes the answer is to lower the amount of cooking required.
A meal doesn't have to involve a recipe with 14 ingredients.
It can be a sandwich with fruit.
Eggs and toast.
Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts.
A rotisserie chicken with a bagged salad and microwavable rice.
Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
Frozen vegetables tossed into pasta.
There are plenty of ways to put together a meal without starting from scratch.
And this is where I think we sometimes make eating well harder than it needs to be.
Cooking and eating well are not the same thing.
You can cook everything yourself.
You can cook some things.
Or you can assemble foods that require almost no cooking at all.
If you're busy, look for the easiest version that still works.
2. "Healthy Food Is Boring"
If the idea of eating well makes you picture a sad salad with a few pieces of lettuce and a dry chicken breast, I don't blame you for being unimpressed.
But nutritious food doesn't have to be boring.
And it doesn't have to look like stereotypical "health food."
Food is supposed to taste good.
Use herbs and spices.
Try different cuisines.
Add sauces and dressings you enjoy.
Roast vegetables instead of boiling them into submission.
Add cheese if you like cheese.
Use nuts or seeds for crunch.
Make tacos.
Make pasta.
Make curry.
Make soup.
Make pizza.
There is a lot more to eating well than grilled chicken and steamed broccoli.
And sometimes the problem isn't that healthy food is boring.
It's that the specific healthy foods someone is eating are boring to them.
Those aren't the same thing.
If you don't like kale, you don't need to eat kale.
There are a lot of other vegetables in the world.
3. "Eating Well Is Too Expensive"
Food costs money.
There's no getting around that.
And food prices can make it harder for some people to consistently access the foods they want or need.
So I don't want to dismiss this one with, "Just plan better."
At the same time, eating well doesn't require buying expensive specialty foods, shopping exclusively at upscale grocery stores, or buying everything organic.
Some incredibly nutritious foods are relatively inexpensive.
Beans.
Lentils.
Oats.
Rice.
Potatoes.
Eggs.
Peanut butter.
Canned tuna.
Frozen vegetables.
Frozen fruit.
Seasonal produce.
Whole grains.
You can build a nutritious eating pattern around regular grocery store foods.
And frozen and canned foods count.
In fact, frozen fruits and vegetables can be incredibly useful because they're convenient, last longer, and can reduce food waste.
If your food budget is tight, you don’t need to buy the most expensive version of a food.
It's about working with what you have.
4. "I Deserve a Treat"
You do.
But here's where I think we need to rethink the whole idea of a "treat."
Food doesn't need to be a reward for getting through a difficult day.
And you don't need to earn dessert by exercising or eating "well" earlier.
If you want ice cream, have ice cream.
If you want chocolate, have chocolate.
If you want pizza after what feels like a particularly long week, eat pizza.
The bigger question is what role these foods play in your overall eating pattern.
There's also nothing wrong with finding other ways to take care of yourself.
Maybe you want to sit quietly with a cup of coffee.
Go for a walk.
Read a book.
Take a bath.
Call a friend.
Watch a movie.
Go to bed early.
Spend some time doing something you actually enjoy.
Self-care doesn't have to involve food.
But food can also be enjoyable without needing justification.
I don't want to turn "treat foods" into another category of food that you're supposed to feel guilty about eating.
5. "Eating Well Is Too Restrictive"
This one is probably the biggest reason people give up on healthy eating altogether.
They think eating well means:
No dessert.
No bread.
No pasta.
No eating out.
No alcohol.
No favorite foods.
No birthday cake.
No fun.
If that's your definition of healthy eating, I understand why you don't want to do it.
But that's not how I define it.
Eating well does not mean eating a narrow list of approved foods.
It means creating an overall eating pattern that provides the nutrients your body needs while also allowing room for enjoyment, preferences, culture, convenience, and real life.
You can eat vegetables and cookies.
You can eat oatmeal and pancakes.
You can eat a salad and a burger.
You can eat fruit and ice cream.
These foods don't have to compete with each other.
And I would skip the idea that you need to eat "well" 80 percent of the time and leave 20 percent for everything else.
Your diet doesn't need a mathematical formula.
Some days will look different from others.
That's normal.
What If the Problem Isn't Food?
This is something I wish was addressed more.
Sometimes difficulty eating well has very little to do with nutrition knowledge.
Maybe you're exhausted.
Maybe you're working two jobs.
Maybe you're caring for a family member.
Maybe you don't have reliable access to a grocery store.
Maybe you're dealing with depression or anxiety.
Maybe you're dealing with chronic pain.
Maybe you don't have much cooking equipment.
Maybe you're living with other people whose food preferences are completely different from yours.
Maybe you're simply going through a difficult season of life.
In those situations, telling someone to "make better choices" isn't particularly helpful.
The better question is:
What is getting in the way, and what is one thing that could make it easier?
Sometimes the answer is a nutrition strategy.
Sometimes it's getting help with something else.
Eating Well Doesn't Have to Be All or Nothing
One of the biggest problems with the way we talk about healthy eating is that we often make it sound like there are only two choices.
You're either eating well, or you're not.
You're either cooking healthy meals, or you're eating junk food.
You're either committed, or you've "fallen off the wagon."
Real life doesn't work that way.
Maybe today you eat a fairly balanced breakfast and lunch, then grab fast food for dinner because you're exhausted.
That's one day.
Maybe you have a week where vegetables don't make much of an appearance.
You can add them back next week.
Maybe you have a vacation where you eat more restaurant food, desserts, and convenience foods than usual.
That's called vacation.
You don't need to start over on Monday.
You just continue eating.
Start With What Would Make Things Easier
Instead of asking, "Why can't I eat better?" try asking:
What is making this difficult right now?
If you're too busy, find easier meals.
If cooking is exhausting, assemble meals instead.
If food is expensive, focus on affordable staples.
If healthy food is boring, find foods you actually enjoy.
If you feel restricted, expand your definition of healthy eating.
If you're overwhelmed, start with one meal.
You don't need to overhaul your entire diet.
You don't need a new set of rules.
And you don't need to turn eating into another job.
Sometimes eating well looks like cooking a meal from scratch.
Sometimes it looks like opening a can of beans and putting together a five-minute dinner.
Sometimes it looks like grabbing something at a drive-thru.
And sometimes it looks like ordering the food you really want and enjoying it without turning it into a moral crisis.
The goal isn't to eat "perfectly."
The goal is to create an eating pattern that supports your health and fits into your actual life.
Because if the strategy only works when everything goes according to plan, it isn't much of a strategy.
Real life is messy.
Your eating pattern can be flexible enough to handle it.
Real World Nutrition Refreshed. As nutrition science and perspectives evolve, older blog posts are occasionally updated and republished. This post was originally written in August 2023 and has been refreshed and expanded here.
