5 Mindset Shifts for Eating Healthy

I often get asked about the “trick" to eating healthy, and staying consistent. What I’ve come to realize is that more often than not, we are made more confused by all the advice out there telling us what to eat and what to avoid. There’s so many opposing views and research that seemingly supports both, that it’s no wonder we are staring at our plates more confused than ever, with an ever-increasing anxiety around our daily food choices.

I’ve found that there are five simple and effective mindset shifts that we can make, no matter our personal dietary preferences, that help guide our approach to eating healthy.

Don’t label food as 'good' or ‘bad'

This can really mess up the foundation of your relationship with food. Some foods are healthier than others, there’s no doubt about it. But there are no “good” or “bad” foods. The moment you’ve labeled a food as ‘bad’, you begin to fear it. It takes up more and more of your thought space as you spend more time thinking about this ‘bad’ food. It stops being a neutral food choice and starts having a moral implication. Meaning, when we eat the ‘bad’ food, we tell ourselves that we are ‘bad’ for having made that decision. The same, of course, can be true with ‘good’ foods. We eat ‘good’ so we are ‘good’.

Eating a ‘bad’ food often comes with some type of compensation behavior. Whether it’s being ‘good’ at the next meal, restricting intake afterwards, or reducing the amount of ‘bad’ foods you have in the near future. Essentially, we eat ‘bad’, we feel bad, so we look to feel good.

This pattern isn’t healthy and the first step in breaking it is stop labeling foods as ‘bad’.

Change your “Why” from losing to gaining

You get stuck because you’re focusing on how to have less instead of how to create more. If you want less debt, you want more stability, if you want less stress, you want more peace of mind, if you want less weight, you want more health.

You change your life not by focusing on what you want less of, but on what you want to take its place. The same is true for enacting real change in your eating habits. Instead of trying to lose weight, reduce calories, and generally become smaller, focus on having more healthy foods, more movement, more wellness, more rest, and more positive thoughts about yourself. If you do this earnestly, the weight will take care of itself.

Cook more (with intention)

In the age of Uber Eats and ordering in, convenience and fast-food, we’ve taken away one of the foundations that humans have thrived on throughout history — preparing our own food.

Cook more, even if it is just for yourself, because it has so many benefits. For starters, you’ll be using real ingredients that you have in your house, without additives, sweeteners, or other who-knows-what you’d get from eating out.

But it goes deeper. You will start making the process of creating your meal an enjoyable ritual, as opposed to the act of eating it. Slow down, turn on some good music, try out some new recipes and have fun in the kitchen!

Food is fuel, not therapy

We tend to have an emotional connection to food. We eat when we’re bored, to pass the time; we eat when we’re sad, stressed, or anxious. We eat to feel better, only to feel worse afterwards.

In this mindset, our lens becomes clouded and we lose track of how our food choices are developing unhealthy emotional attachments. We get caught up in the comfort that food can give us in the moment, instead of how food can set our body and mind up for success in the long-term. This mindset is easy to fall into because everything in our modern life teaches us to want instant gratification.

"Food is fuel" mentality shifts the focus from food as comfort, to food as a tool to nourish our bodies to energize, improve mood and focus, and heal us from the inside out.

As with everything in life, it’s all about balance

Want to know what the worst thing you can do to yourself after eating that second cookie? (No, it’s not having a third) it’s beating yourself up about it. Studies show that when we speak negatively to ourselves it only puts us in a negative mental state that will lead to more unhealthy choices. This is a life-long journey you’re on with eating healthfully, so when you indulge a little here and there, that’s OK. Accept yourself and the fact that you’re not perfect (because no one is) and move on. It’s all about balance.