8 common excuses for not eating well–Have you heard these ones too?
Are you considered “out there” in social situations when it comes to how you eat? Thankfully, most of my friends and some of my family members are into eating better quality food as much as I am these days, but somehow I often still find myself in situations where I’m the lone ‘weirdo' or ‘the health nut who has gone over the edge'. I find this ironic, since I know how imperfect I really am some days!
While I’m really not a food snob, and it’s none of my business which foods people choose, I still have to wonder, who really is more radical?
The one who does what they can (imperfect as it is) to hopefully avoid future health issues? Or someone who already struggles with degenerative diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes due to their diet (often at young ages), and still don’t have a desire to learn more and to make some changes?
Believe me, I know there are no guarantees.
Someone could eat a perfect diet (which I certainly don’t) and still get sick, that’s life. Others eat a crappy diet or generally don’t take care of themselves, and may suffer no ill effects–but not many and not for long. Just look around and that’s easy to see.
Here are the eight most common excuses for not eating well (that I've heard)–did I miss any? Please share in the comments!
1. “I can’t afford to eat healthier foods.”
Yes, it is often more costly to eat better, but it’s not impossible. First focus on educating yourself–there are many tips for eating healthy on a budget. After you’ve scoured this information, implement what you can and prioritize what to put off until there’s more room in the budget. Then keep educating yourself, so when you’re able to do more, you’re ready. Keep in mind that junk food is expensive too, and the less you buy of that, the more you can afford REAL food.
As Joel Salatin says, “Pay now or pay later.”
2. “It’s all up to God when you live and die, why worry about what you eat?”
Yes, but He also gives us free will to either harm or protect our bodies! Part of that free will includes the consequences that go along with it. While I’m far from perfect, why wouldn't we do the best we can with not just our own bodies, but with the little people He’s blessed us with to raise?
3. “I’ve made it this long haven’t I?”
But are you living as full a life as you could? What if you’re settling for a quality of life that could be much improved by being able to get out of your chair and move around easier, or if you weren’t on so many medications with their various side effects? Do you like having low energy or a non-existent sex drive? When you look in the mirror are you happy with what you see? Are you willing to keep harming the beautiful body you've been given and risk whatever scary diagnosis could be in your future?
4. “It doesn’t matter how you eat, health is mostly determined by genetics anyway.”
Genetics are powerful, no doubt. But why not do your best with what you can control? There are a lot more health risks out there than whatever might be in your family line. Besides, many say that eating well, making sure you have a healthy gut and a healthy lifestyle (low stress, good sleep, exercise, safe water), etc., can actually determine what genetics are “turned” on or off!!
5. “You only live once, you may as well enjoy it.”
Do you want to enjoy life into your 40’s and 50’s or into your 60's, 70’s, 80’s and beyond? How will you feel when your degenerative diseases prevent you from enjoying life even more than changing your habits a little does now? Remember, it’s not about denying yourself as much as it is about finding better alternatives to the foods you may be eating now. I certainly don’t feel deprived when I’m eating my super nutritious popcorn, with plenty of butter and sea salt; or when I’m enjoying our homemade ice cream, better than any I’ve ever had; or when I’m eating bacon from the farm, or the super fresh salad made with veggies from our backyard and my yummy homemade ranch dressing that took me 3 minutes to make, using herbs from our deck. You get the idea–there are SO MANY good options now to make eating better easier and faster than ever, and it tastes awesome!
6. “You could get hit by a truck and die tomorrow, why worry about what you eat?”
I don’t worry about what I eat, but I do try to think about what goes into our bodies. And while I very well could get hit by a truck and die tomorrow, I can only hope/assume that won’t happen, and try to do the best I can with what I can. This way, if I don’t get hit by a truck, and I’m blessed enough to live into my old age, I’ll hopefully still have a body that works how I need it to, so my quality of life is good until the day I DO die.
7. “I’m too busy and it takes too much time to eat a more nutritious diet.”
Yep, it does take more time (although it depends on what you're making), especially at first–the learning curve can be steep from all the years that we’ve been taught the rotten “politically correct” nutritional information. But once you get into the habit of doing things a little differently, it really truly doesn’t take that much extra time.
Need help? Get my free Real Food for Rookies class or my Grocery store cheat sheet here. Better yet, get my book:
8. “This is all a part of the normal aging process.”
Maybe it’s “normal” these days as so many get sicker and overweight, but it’s not normal for our bodies to start breaking down and hurting in our 40’s and 50’s; it’s not normal to be on a bunch of medications as you age; neither is it normal to be unable to go up and down steps, even when you’re 80!
DON’T SETTLE!
It’s not about perfection, it’s about learning more and more, making different choices as you can, and doing a little better as you can.
I’d love to hear what you think about all of this, do you hear these excuses or others?
What about you? What excuses for not eating well have you heard? Please share in the comments!
More you might like:
- How Has Real Food Changed Us?
- The Real Food Rookie Version of Dave Ramsey’s Money Principles
- Now take a look at my collection of posts on how to eat healthy on a budget.
- 5 Ways All Lifestyle Changes Are the Same?
BeccaOH says
Great post! I hear a lot of people use the excuse of “the doctor said __ was still okay” or “everything in moderation.” My SIL said she is cutting out sugar, so no desserts. I pointed out that it is hard because sugar hides in all sorts of processed foods and things that taut themselves as healthy. She changed the subject. 🙂
My mom thinks real food or a home-cooked meal means opening some cans and throwing a meal together. Making mayo from scratch by a recipe she has involves a can of sweet condensed milk that I questioned. Her reply was, “but you wanted mayo from scratch and I thought that was healthy.” Egads!
Thanks again!
Lisa Imerman says
Good post. I do think that the one about your doctor says it is alright is good and some of your points overlap a bit (could combine and fit the doctor one in!!). I laugh about the doctor one because they get maybe one nutrition class in Med school and most standard docs don’t know squat about real nutrition (or nutrition for that matter).
I also think a lot of it is mis-information that is in the public especially from our government as they tend to be mostly influenced by corporate money rather than real science and history!!
The whole GOD issues is for me one that I feel is that well eating real food is eating things the way GOD made them or as close to it as possible rather than the things we call food that are MAN MADE in a lab or factory!!
It is all about education for sure, we especially need to get the younger generations on board.
L.S. says
While God does know when we’re going to die, we most certainly can die too soon! The bible specifically says we can: “Don’t be too wicked, and don’t be a fool. Why should you die before your time is up?” (Ecc 7:17 GWT)
Commenter via Facebook says
I hear so much crap. The biggest one is about the cost of organic or fresh. I tell people that my kids eat LESS orgnic food than they used to eat of the processed stuff because it stays with them longer. They would eat 2 or more bowls of crappy cereal but ONE bowl of organic and then they don’t eat for 2 hours. With the crappy stuff, they’d eat twice as much and be hungry an hour later. How is that saving money??!!
Commenter via Facebook says
I love this. I also think that people have gotten so far removed from real food that they have lost sight of what it is and where it comes from. Real food = the box of Apple Jacks or Stove Top or a can of cream of mushroom soup. Been there done that and my health paid for it, and so did my family’s. Also – I agree about money saved on medications. And I have three kids, a full time job and other professional commitments and boards outside of that and it is of top importance that my family has nourishing healthy foods. It’s all about priorities. Until people start seeing that what they eat does affect them, nothing will change for them. One last thought – the grocery store always seems to be teeming with people riding motorized carts – not necessarily very elderly people – Im talking people in their 50s and 60s who are just too heavy or unhealthy to make it through the store on their own steam. I refuse to be one of those people. Thanks Kelly for all you do!
Commenter via Facebook says
The additional money I spend on following a gluten-free diet has been offset by the money I no longer spend on asthma medications.
Commenter via Facebook says
The additional money I spend on following a gluten-free diet has been offset by the money I no longer spend on asthma medications.
mary says
I just turned 46 and have been fighting the battle of the bulge for about 25 yrs. It wasn’t till a new found friend/relative pointed me down the right path in the form of the PRISM weight loss program. This program requires that you stop eating all the processed foods that you have incorperated into your diet… The first week was hell it was my detox week but I know I had to do it because I was tipping the scales at roughly 292 lbs on my 5’8 frame the middle of October 2010. I am now down to 264 lbs. I know that the foods I was eating have been the biggest cause of how I have felt for all those years… Horrible constant indigestion, bloating from every little thing I ate or drank; you name it and I have had a problem with it … even IBS… Gone is the constant indigestion, the IBS, bloating, not being able to put my feet up to tie my shoes… etc. All because I started eating “REAL” food, whole foods. Anyone that thinks it is cheaper to eat all the other crap is either a fool or someone that really doesn’t know or understand what they are doing to their body… 96 oz of water/unsweet tea and fresh raw fruits and vegetables and good quality protiens has me burning on the average of upto 5 lbs in a week but I am weak and I have yoyoed a few times… In short we have to teach those around us just what is really means to eat right to live right… we don’t live to eat we eat to live big differance…
Robin says
Amen! I need to send this to my dad. I’m pretty sure he’s used every excuse here.
KitchenKop says
Peggy,
THAT was a cute story. 🙂
Local Nourishment says
I recently had a conversation with my mom, a little old lady who just survived a bout of breast cancer and a hip replacement. She was breaking out the soy protein breakfast bar and I said, “Mom, wouldn’t you rather I scramble you an egg?” She said, “Life’s too short to be spent bending over a hot stove.”
Later that day we had a salad for lunch. She got out the hard, flavorless grocery store tomato to slice up and said, “I don’t know what’s happened to tomatoes this year. They’re just awful.” I said, “Mom, let’s go to the farmer’s market this afternoon. Life’s too short to eat lousy tomatoes.”
That was a maxim she could get behind!
Arlo says
Or maybe you could just give up your dietary god, and eat, explore, exercise and play to fulfill your evolutionary heritage. That is, what your body and mind evolved to find peace to exist in.
I believed in low carbohydrate for years until I realized it’s place in my evolution. “Real food” means the closest we can take it to the source without getting sick or disabled. Lightly roasted meats, vegetables, nuts and berries. It’s an ideal, yes, but how could it not be closest to the truth?
(I ask these questions honestly…)
Sustainable Eats says
Amy Green – I love that line – Food kills you so slowly you don’t even know it’s happening. I try to explain to my 3 and 5 year olds all the time why we eat the way we do instead of the way all their friends & neighbors and Grandma, etc do. It’s hard for them to get their minds around the concept of health and the fact that food can kill you slowly. I guess it’s just as hard for them to understand how they can be getting bigger so slowly they don’t notice it too. I’ll try that analogy next time!
Organic and Thrifty says
Kel,
I just read this post and it’s so raw and honest, but I so appreciate it. I am also the lone weirdo (I feel) in my community. It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one! I feel for folks who don’t live close enough to resources or have the space to store extra “bulk” items. We live in a condo with less than 900 sq. ft. but thankfully there’s still room for a large freezer out back!
Thanks for the link love!
LittleMissGrok says
Suzannah- I agree that people do make excuses but still buy the junk food, but I don’t buy the junk food and find the organic, grassfed meat to be too expensive to buy. I try to buy organic local produce when I can, but the meat is outrageous! $9 /lb for organic grassfed ground beef, but a conventional ribeye only costs $8/lb??
suzannah says
i agree with what someone said about how if the medical community isn’t concerned, why should anyone be? until people realize that so many “old age” diseases are largely preventable by proper eating (and how very little food is in our food!), many people won’t come around.
people complain that fresh foods are expensive, but my goodness, it’s the convenience foods that really add up, (even on sale or with coupons). people compare (and complain) about the prices of organic vs. non-organic or farmers’ market vs. wal-mart, but what they aren’t comparing is the price of meat, grains, fruits, and veggies vs. the actual cost of frozen pizza, breakfast cereal, snack foods, tv dinners, etc. eating well is not about spending a fortune–it’s about reorienting the focus of your food budget–spending WELL and wisely.
Amy Green - Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free says
I have had to change my diet due to health problems and it took a seriously focused effort for months but it’s now a natural part of how I live. I wouldn’t trade the benefits for anything.
Mostly, it hurts my heart in a big way when I see people using the excuses above because they don’t want to take the time and effort to care for themselves. Food can really kill people so slowly that they don’t know it’s happening. I love this post. Maybe it will wake some people up.
Catherine @ Healthy Fit Mom says
Oh my goodness! I often think about #6. LOL! But it is so worth the effort.
Leanne says
Great post! I’m still on the learning curve but am very grateful for all the info out there. I feel like my biggest learning curve right now is figuring out where to get healthy foods. If I look at my genetics I see that my grandparents lived into their 80’s and 90’s, but I know they ate more real foods their whole lives than I have as they were farmers and raised a lot of their own food. I’m in my 50’s already and starting to see the effects of often unhealthy choices despite being interested in “health food” for years – unfortunately the politically correct version however! I’m adopting my granddaughter and starting over as a mom and want to be around – in a healthy body – for many more years yet as God wills. I really appreciate your site and all the work you put into it.
Maggie says
Great post! I have been eating “real food” for only a few months now and it so easy to fall back in to the mindset of #5 “you only live once”.
I just came back from visiting family and there were limited healthy food choices (if any at all). I ate what they had (to be polite) and ended up being sick to my stomach all weekend from all the greasy food and crap i ate. I am actually so glad to get home to my green smoothies, oats and veggies. These foods are my comfort foods now!
Kathy says
Wow– thanks for this post. I’m still in the learning curve, and it does take more time for us to have real foods on our table. And it does cost more, and we’re in the process of figuring out where we can spend the money and where we have to compromise. And I know there’s a lot of room for improvement and learning…
And I’m grateful to have found these ideas in my 40’s while I still have some time to improve my health. I’m noticing the impact of the years of politically correct nutrition, and I have no intention of becoming a weak, dependent old lady. I want to be energetic and alert and able to function well, as long as I can. I had a grandma who traveled and gardened and really LIVED for most of her older years. She did have health troubles, but she’s a good role model for me.
Eating real food is making so much more sense to me now. I’m amazed that people don’t get it. They eat processed supermarket food, that takes them little time and money, and they think they’re really living. They think it’s not worth it to spend the time and money it takes to eat well. The more I learn, the more tragic this is to me.
Charles/Campaign for Real Health says
Mischele, above, added number 9, and here comes number 10. “My doctor says there’s no reason to eat such a diet. He says organic food is not better for you and that it’s OK to eat sugar. Besides, if I get sick, my doctor can fix me up.”
I know a sweet little older lady in her 70’s who had breast cancer recently. I saw her at church out on the patio after a service and she was eating a cookie(!!) I asked her “do you think eating sugar is such a smart idea just having been through breast cancer?” She replied: “my doctor says it’s OK.”
Weston Price said, “You teach, you teach, you teach.” Obviously with all the excuses listed on this post, there is much teaching we ALL must do. Kelly, you are leading the way. Great post as always!
Martha says
Yet another great post, Kelly!
Mischele says
I could add one more excuse. “I can’t find real food.” I had that problem until a few weeks ago. Most of the health food stores in my area just carry supplements and organic junk foods. To get real foods I had to drive at least 2 hours one way or use mail order. Some things I just could not find (raw milk). And living in a tiny apartment makes it hard to stock up on some things (frozen items). Thankfully several local farmers started a farmers market just down the street from me a few weeks ago. Organic fruits and vegies, grass fed meats and even raw milk in glass jars!!!! After years of struggling to eat right with a very limited range of real foods available this is wonderful. And I have found many more internet resources (your site included). I have to say thanks for all the wonderful ideas and info.
Erin says
This is encouraging to those of us that really do feel like the “lone-ranger,” and yet, I don’t want to come across condescending to others either. Thanks for the excellent post!
LittleMissGrok says
@Jessie- I love watching cooking shows, yes. BUT I also like getting ideas from those same shows for something I’d like to cook at home. Good Eats, Iron Chef, Chopped..I LOVE those shows!
Vin - NaturalBias says
Awesome post, Kelly! These two drive me CRAZY!
4.
Jessie says
Great post! Regarding #2 – the word “stewardship” comes to mind. God calls us to be good stewards of his creation – including our own bodies. Regarding #7, I heard an interview with Michael Pollan about how cooking has become spectator sport – something you watch on TV, but not something you do. He quotes a figure that the average American spends 27 minutes cooking & 4 minutes cleaning up a day. Wow. How could you be cooking if clean up takes 4 minutes. Americans aren’t cooking period. The interview was on Fresh Air & the link to it is https://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=08-03-2009
Betsy says
Oh, yeah, if we can’t bother eating well because we’re going to get hit by a truck tomorrow, or whatever, then why get an education? Why get a good job? Why have kids? It’ll all be gone in a poof, so why bother with anything?
Sheesh!
Great post, Kelly!
Shannon says
#2 really gets me because this is what I hear from my mom. The truth is that God is sovereign over all, but also commands us to do certain things and desires us to be obedient. While His salvation is entirely by grace through faith so that we can not boast, doesn’t Jesus also say that if we love Him then we will keep his commandments? There are no contradictions in the Bible, only our wrong interpretations.
Sorry for the rant :).
CHEESESLAVE says
Love this post, Kel. I agree with you — it is a little more effort but it’s so worth it. Especially when you think about being able to be healthy as you grow older. I want to be as healthy as possible as long as possible.