Posted on December 13, 2013 by Jenny Cromack
When most people hear the words ‘Healthy Eating’ the common thoughts are of salads, celery sticks and ‘rabbit food’ but this does not have to be the case! When I was studying at university in my final year I specialised in nutrition with my dissertation focusing on childhood obesity in Leeds and the factors that affect this. I must say that I was shocked by the 3 main reasons why both the children and parents avoided healthy food.
1) It’s too expensive
2) Its too bland
3) It takes too long to cook something
It got me thinking how many people live by this view…avoiding healthy foods and opting for unhealthy ,high fat foods that could contribute to health issues. These could be health issues that can be avoided if the individual would reconsider these views and realise healthy eating is positive.
Let’s consider these 3 points about why people avoid healthy food.
1) Healthy Food Is Expensive
I could agree with this statement to a point as all types of food can be expensive if they are bought at expensive supermarkets. However if you do your research you could save yourself a lot of time and money!
Coming from a country lifestyle I was brought up with my mum doing bulk shopping at a supermarket for the cupboard essentials like tinned tomatoes and on a Saturday we would go into town and do the meat and veg shops at the butchers and green grocers. I thought when I went to uni it would change my habits. It did for a few months as the ease of getting everything under one roof was appealing however I soon realised that in fact the quality of the meat from the supermarket was not as good as the butchers and was only marginally cheaper. For me its all about value for money I love a good bargain however I now opt to go to my local butcher as if I buy in bulk I get a great discount rate and more often than not it works out a lot cheaper than the supermarkets. I can also instantly tell the difference in quality between a butchers bought piece of meat. It’s not fatty and doesn’t shrink in size when you cook it. Knowing were my meat has come from is very important to me. I want to know that the chickens I eat and the eggs i use are from free range chickens and the animals used for the meat I eat have been raised locally and been grass fed and not just pumped with drugs and bad food this is to ensure i’m eating something healthy but also to ensure the animals have a fair and humane life.
Going to my local greengrocers is much more affordable than purchasing it in a supermarket especially if you are buying a lot. Many greengrocers source their products straight from the farmer resulting in fresher fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable that are produced for supermarkets are often sprayed with pesticides and preservatives to ensure they keep for longer however products from greengrocers are fresh and brought in every day.
I can save a considerable amount each week buying my groceries from the local butchers and and grocers and although it means I have to go else were for other items it does save money and also ensures I’m eating quality locally sources meat, fruit and veg.
2) Healthy Food Is Too Bland
I hear this a lot that healthy food is boring, bland and tasteless. I certainly don’t believe this is true. You can make healthy, tasty and filling recipes easily its just about being in control of what you eat. Although many jar bought sauces can be tasty they often full of sugar, fat and other unhealthy ingredients by making your own sauces you can ensure its healthy. By using spices and herbs you can turn a basic tin of tomatoes into a yummy sauce. For a vast array of recipes look on our website where each week I write 3 new recipes that are both tasty and healthy http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/category/recipes/ so there is no excuse to take some healthy fresh ingredients and whip up a taste sensation
3) It Takes Too Long To Cook
Some people hate cooking and others like myself enjoy cooking. But for anyone who doesn’t enjoy cooking they want something fast so they then opt for the fast food option when in fact you could cook a healthy chicken dinner or grill a steak in the time it takes to cook a pizza or wait for a takeaway delivery. You can easily cook a healthy clean eating meal in 15 minutes. If time is really an issue if your late back home from work and then you have to cook tea there are 2 options
1) Get a slow cooker, they can be left safely on all day and cook food slowly so it is in fact much more tasty. By preparing a healthy stew in the morning its fantastic coming home to a meal that tastes and smells amazing
2) Bulk cook your food. Double or triple recipes so you have left overs for other meals you can keep it in the fridge for lunches or freeze them. If you know you’re going to be home late get them out to defrost and all you have to do is warm it up when you get home. Much quicker than a oven pizza and definitely tastier!