What is Healthy Eating?

I posted one of those “ask a question” stickers on my Instagram story a couple weeks ago asking what you struggle with the most as it relates to health and fitness. Ninety percent of the responses were related to food and eating healthy. Here are some of the actual responses I received:

Nutrition. I know what to do but just struggle to do it.

Definitely diet

Eating healthy or eating 80/20

Food. I can’t have my coffee with dairy and sugar on a regular basis

The “treat yourself” mentality! So easy to over indulge. 

Food.

We apparently all have an idea of how we are supposed to be eating. If we’re all striving for something that we have in our mind. Why is it so hard to achieve? Is it because we have unrealistic expectations of what a healthy lifestyle should look like, or is it something else?

What exactly is “healthy eating” to you? Does that mean eating a salad at every meal? Does it mean counting calories and macros everyday? I’m a big believer in intuitive eating. I tried counting macros at one point in time, but I felt like it prohibited me from eating a variety of meals. I love to try new recipes and don’t want to eat plain chicken and rice all the time. To me, healthy eating means eating having a variety of meals that include grains, proteins, fats, fruits, and vegetables. I try to keep a multitude of color on my plate, and limit my sugar intake. I try to eat real, whole foods, and limit my consumption of pre-packaged and chemical laden food. Beyond that, I like to maintain the mindset that there are no inherently “good” or “bad” foods, and I do treat myself. I don’t eat whatever I want everyday, but I honestly enjoy the food that I make. Instead of plain chicken and rice, I make chicken and rice, with black beans, corn, onions, peppers, salsa, and spices. I’ve found that this mentality is something that I can follow for a significant amount of time without adding unnecessary stress or anxiety to my life. I’ve also found that the more I take are of my body and workout, the more I want to eat healthy foods, because they help me feel better. 

I’ve found that depriving myself, causes me to indulge more. Instead, I indulge when I feel it’s really worth it. I won’t eat every donut that passes in front of me, or every piece of pie or ice cream, but if it’s really worth it, I will. There’s nothing wrong with eating a burger, or pizza, chicken and rice, or a salad. I may not have abs for my entire life, but I’m in a really comfortable place with how I look and how I feel, and I’m not willing to pass up on eating healthy, flavorful food, to look a certain way.  

What do you think? Have you found a sustainable method of “healthy” eating that will work for you?