Eating healthily should be easy, right? Yet despite all the knowledge and choices available, many of us struggle to give our bodies what they need. The truth is, the food system we live in today poses real obstacles, making healthy eating a challenge. Here’s why:
1. Our Food Lacks Nutrients
Much of the food we’re consuming today is nutrient-deficient, even when it looks healthy.
- Flavour Over Nutrition: Food suppliers focus on flavour to attract buyers, often at the cost of nutritional content.
- Soil Depletion: Decades of industrial farming have stripped the soil of vital minerals, meaning the fruits and vegetables we eat today are far less nutrient-rich than those our grandparents ate.
- Unnatural Animal Diets: Animals raised for meat, dairy, and eggs are no longer fed their natural diets. This changes the nutritional quality of the food we get from them, with lower levels of essential nutrients like omega-3s.
2. Too Much Abundance, Not Enough Nutrients
We’re surrounded by food—yet many of us are still not eating enough of the nutrients our bodies crave. Our bodies send signals to eat more, driving us to consume excess calories in search of nutrients we’re not getting. This leads to overeating, especially of processed, calorie-dense foods.
Modern foods are engineered to make us crave more, with the perfect balance of sugar, salt, and fat, triggering pleasure centres in our brains. Yet despite all this eating, estimates suggest that only 22% of Canadians are eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, while 74% believe they’re eating a healthy diet. Canada’s food guide recommends 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but forward-thinking nutrition scientists now suggest eating 30-35 different plant foods each week to achieve optimal health.
3. Convenience Has Disconnected Us from Food
Modern life doesn’t leave much time for preparing vegetables or other whole foods. Many people see meal preparation as too time-consuming, especially when juggling work, family, and other commitments. Convenience foods have become a way to save time.
However, this convenience comes at a cost. Not only are we eating less fresh, whole foods, but we’ve also lost our connection to nature. We no longer have to forage, hunt, or farm for our meals. And because food is so easy to obtain, we’ve lost the physical activity that was once part of getting it. Getting outside and moving is essential for health, yet it’s often neglected.
How to Get Back on Track
The key to overcoming these challenges is to be more intentional. Prioritize whole foods that are grown in healthy soil, and make time to get outside, even if it’s just for a short walk. And if chopping vegetables and meal prepping feels like too much of a hurdle, consider swapping in convenient nutrient-dense foods for some of your meals. This leaves you more time to focus on what really matters—moving your body, feeling energetic, and enjoying life with a sense of balance and equanimity.. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it for your long-term health.
Susan Patterson