Foods and Feeling Good

By Rachel Reardon

I’ve heard this phrase my whole life: “You know, someday, your eating habits are going to catch up to you!” Though this could be considered extremely damaging to mental health and self-image, that statement never really affected me personally. Sure, I didn’t eat the best, but I always thought that someday in the far away future I would change my ways. Someday, my diet would matter more than now. 

When I started college, I was unique in feeling this way. A lot of the people around me were making choices to eat healthier because they claimed that eating healthier foods made them actually feel better throughout the day. One friend wanted to eliminate dairy from her diet for no reason other than the fact that it made her stomach feel better if she drank oat milk. Another friend chose to eat vegetables instead of French fries because she knew how she would feel sluggish after eating fried food. I had never heard the idea of food being eaten in order to actually feel good. At that time, I only associated eating badly with my weight and never recognized this as a problem until I saw other people thought differently about food. When I began to think about food as a way for me to feel good rather than just be full, I changed my perspective.

But, here’s the thing. I despise all fruits and vegetables. I am not lying when I say that I hate every single fruit and vegetable, I have tried—and I have tried quite a few. Unfortunately, now that I actually understand that eating healthy affects more than just my weight, I genuinely want to have a healthier diet. I want to feel good, not weighed down or tired by 1:00 p.m. But I don’t like salads. I hate fruit cups. I despise every vegetable I have ever tried. And because of that, I always felt like being unhealthy was just a guarantee. That all changed when I looked into resources that showed me that I could have healthier alternatives. So here are some healthy options that I like for my fellow picky eaters to try integrating in their diet as well: 

-       Whole grain bread

-       Smoothie bowls (I don’t like plain fruits, but I like them in a smoothie. Weird, right?)

-       Organic peanut butter (Not Jif or Skippy)

-       Oat milk 

-       Veggie chips

-       Sweet potato fries

-       Dried fruits/chocolate covered fruits

-       Juices (the ones with fruit, not just processed sugar)

-       Vitamin supplements for where your diet may be lacking

I will always eat unhealthy foods, likely on a daily basis. It’s just how I am. I’m not going to completely abandon things that I like to eat, and I encourage you to keep eating what you like even if it’s not the healthiest option. But I think that making small changes in your diet is important if you want to feel better. Eating foods that help your body thrive really makes a difference for your energy and mood, and little changes can go a long way.