Don't Believe the Hype... Good Food CAN Be Healthy!

"They" say that we should eat for sustenance, not for enjoyment.  Food is a necessity, not a pleasure, and we should eat only to stay alive.  Yea right!  I find this mantra both depressing and unrealistic.  The reality is that food is not just a necessity, but an experience.  For thousands of years, breaking bread with family and friends has been a common pastime.

We, as a people, love good food and love to eat out... Fact!  

But, when did good food become synonymous with unhealthy, calorie-dense, and fatty?  Well, I DO know that making something "tasty", or adding sugar, fat, salt, and all of nature's delectable goodies that appeal to our taste buds, is easy and ideal.  A Krispy Kreme with the "hot" light illuminated will sell donuts like hot cakes.  Fried in oil and coated in a sugary glaze, most can't get enough of these things (including me). Despite being a whopping 160 calories a pop, you can't eat just one.  I mean, they practically melt in your mouth.

But I also DO know that everything that tastes good is not good for me, and as such, those things must be consumed in moderation.  Things like donuts fall in that category and should be rare treats.  I can't eat donuts everyday or even every week, but once in a while, I'll treat myself to one (or two).  And in between those whiles, I fill my diet up with healthy alternatives that are kinder to my body but still taste good.  That's the way it should be, moderating consumption of unhealthy foods and promoting a healthier lifestyle.

Healthy food is not as tasty and is more expensive than unhealthy food... Fiction!

Just as good food is often associated with being unhealthy, healthy food is labelled as tasteless and expensive.  But the fact is, you can choose to oven bake your fish as opposed to frying it, with no additional cost, and still eat WELL.  Food companies have also exploited "healthy" as another marketing scheme, marring the affordability of healthier food alternatives.  Sure, if you decide you are only eating Healthy Choice dinners, then you will pay a premium.  But what you are paying for is the convenience, not the food.  Buying skinless chicken breasts and fresh vegetables to cook is no more expensive than buying a 10 piece wing and fries (click here for an article from Huffington Post on this...).

Eating healthy is a conscious choice YOU must make for yourself... Fact!

No one is saying you have to eat lettuce with no dressing and bland chicken breasts to be healthy. You can easily (and economically) make better eating choices, but you have to be willing to do so.  It takes effort, but it's worth it!