Transitioning to Real Healthy Food… A Real Challenge!

Tonight I can say that I am close to breaking down and cry because of the pressure and possibility of failure. About what? About eating real healthy food only.

I have never been this dedicated to changing something that I have enjoyed in my life, usually I just let it run its course and see where it takes me. But in the area of eating, it is where I have totally no more control, or almost (since I still avoid any soda and commercialized iced-tea).

I'm on my transition period. There were days where I only ate real food, days where I did not. I already found not-so-expensive healthy food and have been making comparisons with my unhealthy diet. You'd be amazed what I discovered, I will talk about it in the near-future.

It is the pressure and possibility of failure, both of which I hate (being an Aspie [a person with Asperger's Syndrome]), makes this transition period harder than I ever imagined. What more if I start my personal challenge? However, I've made some progress already, though small but still progress. Giving up now is no longer an option - and never was since we're talking about eating right which means life or death.

All I can tell myself in Korean style fighting! Yes, and I leave you with the first rule I now always check: only buy and eat packaged food with no more than five (5) ingredients, as Michael Pollan said, "Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients. The specific number you adopt is arbitrary, but the more ingredients in a packaged food, the more highly processed it probably is."

That doesn't mean your recipes should be no more than five! It applies to packaged food that we buy in supermarkets, grocery stores, food stalls, and the likes. If you are preparing your own food, obviously you wouldn't put unhealthy ingredient in your list. So don't mix it up.

Additionally, it doesn't mean you should not eat if you have no other choice. For example, if you are looking to eat only fruits and vegetables for the day, and unfortunately there are only processed and industry-produced options, then buy it. It doesn't have to be organic or fresh. Fruits are fruits, and vegetables are vegetables. Don't choose to get hungry just because…

I'll have more soon, and I hope you'll share yours too because there is only so much that I can learn and research on my own. Help from everyone is very much welcome, especially with what I am going to share in the coming weeks.

---

Cover image: "Vegetables In Wooded Boxes At French Market" by Ed Gregory is free of known copyright restrictions.