5 reasons healthy eating is easier than you think

As dietetic students and members of ICFBS, we have kept the tradition of our hotpot meeting for almost two years. Although the idea of a spicy pot of foods topped with red oil makes many people, especially those counting their calories frown and scowl, we find it a great and easy way to enjoy a variety of foods, socialize, and bridge our cultures. In fact, evidence has shown that strict calorie counting, especially weight-loss dieting, increases stress and disconnections with one's body. In the end, the arduous effort only results in weight-cycling, which increases risk of mortality and cardiovascular diseases.

The new Canada's Food Guide released recently shed light on many aspects of healthy eating that many have not thought of before. Indeed, healthy eating is a much greater concept that goes beyond calories, food groups, or the amount of servings each meal. It's more about how you prepare and enjoy food that is affordable and culturally appropriate. Here are 5 reasons on how healthy eating is also much easier than you might think.

1. There's no set rule.

Admit it, there is no prefect diet or meal plan, and no fixed grades on how you eat. Everyone has different metabolisms, preferences and cultural backgrounds. Any guidelines or recommendations serve only as a reference. The truth to a healthy diet is to understand what you like, and how your body feels to foods.

2. It's enjoyable.

Food is a big part of our enjoyment in life for many of us. But do you know enjoying your foods is also a part of healthy eating? Shopping, cooking, and eating a variety of foods you like with friends and families helps you better enjoy your foods.

3. It helps you connect with your body

When we are bombarded with real or fake nutrition information and link food we like with guilt and shame, it becomes difficult to have a healthy relationship with our foods. It is time to let go of the stress, and start listening to your own body. While eating and pay attention to the foods and your feelings. It helps reconnecting the eating experience and building consciousness of your eating habits.

4. It's affordable

Many instagram gurus and work-out enthusiasts have their own interpretation of healthy eating, but not everyone can afford (or enjoy) quinoa, kale, and smoothies. In fact, enjoying healthy eating is affordable for many of us. Buying and cooking your meals with seasonal vegetables and fruits, frozen vegetables, plant proteins (canned beans, tofu), and whole grains makes healthy eating on a budget easy.

5. It's a habit you can build for life.

There's an old Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Healthy eating is a beneficial habit that you gradually build when cooking your foods, enjoying your foods, connecting with your body, socializing over foods, and learning about nutrition labels and food marketing. Before you know it, the habit has already been feeding your well-being for a lifetime.