Most times, we have the best intentions with our health. Working out, eating healthy foods, meal prepping, you know the list. But sometimes, these healthy habits can unknowingly turn into something that sabotage our healthy efforts! If you know me, you know that I am anti diet culture. I don’t believe in severe restriction or calorie counting or buying into the latest fads. I do believe that most of you reading this actually have a genuine interest in your health, or you wouldn’t be reading this blog! A few simple tweaks can ensure that all of your good efforts don’t go to waste!
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
HEALTHY Habits That Are Actually UNHEALTHY
Today I bring you totally life changing advice, vegetarian or not (ha ha slight dramatization!). I am about to share with you the most common things that you might be doing because you think they are healthy, but they actually are unhealthy! Let’s go!
You Drink Smoothies
Yes, there are worse things you can drink. However, a smoothie can derail your healthy efforts very quickly. Why? Drink the wrong smoothie and you can end up drinking an entire day’s worth of fruit at once and quickly spike your blood sugar. OR you drink a “weight loss” smoothie and end up with nothing more than watered down fruit and maybe some plant-based milk and you are hungry in 30 minutes!
What should you be doing?
First of all, don’t use processed juices as the base. Secondly, if a smoothie is your go-to for convenience, that is fine, but be sure to add protein powder and/or a healthy fat (nut butter or avocado). Be really careful to make a smoothie for one person not the entire blender full.
You Eat a Salad To Be Healthy
Again, yes, there are worse things you could eat. In reality, a salad can be a canvas for a beautiful meal. Personally, I love salads. However, salads can be a trap for processed, high sodium add-ons that are high in saturated fat that you would not normally eat but for some reason because they sit atop a bed of greens, they are ok? Well, not really. If you love a certain food, eat it. If you eat a food just because it is in a salad bowl, don’t do that!
What should you be doing?
This is a habit that is super healthy if you do it with good intentions. When it comes to salads, be intentional. Veggies, protein, healthy fats, and color! Eating a salad can certainly be one of those healthy habits that are actually unhealthy if you aren’t intentional! I have written about this before, start with my tips: How To Build A Healthy Salad (That Still Tastes Good). After that, check out My Favorite Oil-Free Salad Dressings.
Store-Bought Frozen Meals are Your Go-To
So you think you are doing a good thing by buying a frozen meal because it is portion controlled? Do you know what BHT is? Many people don’t know what it is, but they eat it. A lot of it. How about MSG, or HFCS? I’m guessing your answer is no. But you eat it? Frozen meals can pack in these toxins alongside an entire day’s portion of sodium, fat and even calories if you aren’t careful.
What should you be doing?
Firstly, ditch the 1950s TV dinner on a personal folding table to start. Secondly, it’s not 1950 anymore. Third, the food industry has started using a lot more chemicals compared to 1950. Most importantly, a bag of frozen veggies and a frozen veggie burger are a better choice in a pinch. Or check out my article and do some of these things so that you always have a healthier option ready to go: 10 Things To Do On Weekends To Make Weeknight Cooking Easier or How To Enjoy Cooking At Home.
You Don’t Fuel Your Workouts Properly
There has been controversy over this through the years. Unfortunately, there are still two very divided camps on the topic. After suffering with RED-s (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), I battled my way back to being a healthy endurance athlete and I am here to tell you … fuel your workouts if you want to get the most out of your workouts! Pre and post nutrition + hydration are essential. Fasted workouts (especially for females) are not the most effective way to work out.
What should you be doing?
Pre and post workout nutrition are the key to your success in your workouts. If you find yourself binging on foods later in the day and into the evening, your body is screaming for nutrition. Feed it what it needs to get you through your workout + recovery period, and it is like magic! You can work out more and you will not be looking for all the snacks later in the day! Check out my article where I go into lots of detail on this topic: Tara’s Tips For Plant-Powered Athletes.
You Choose Extra Light Olive Oil
“Light” DOES NOT refer to the oil being lower in calories. “Light” in this situation means refined. The food industry strikes again. They took pure dark green olive oil and made it pretty. Pretty sells better but refining this oil has stripped it of the natural vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in olives (the ones that are good for you). However, it also strips it of its deep olive taste and is likely diluted with cheaper oils that aren’t even olive oil at all.
What should you be doing?
Have you heard of this trendy new acronym, EVOO? Use it. Don’t buy the light stuff. Need more help choosing an oil? Start here: How To Choose A Cooking Oil OR stop using oil all together! Check out my article here on going oil-free.
Diet Soda is Still on Your Shopping List
Stop it! Stop drinking diet soda now if you care about your body, your mind, your bones, your skin, or your teeth. This is a big deal. This is just another one of those (not really) healthy habits that are actually making you unhealthy. I know it is hard to stop. I once loved diet soda. This stuff is just bad for you. Yes, it has zero calories, but artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking you are getting something sweet so your body releases insulin. When it doesn’t get the something sweet it keeps looking. Then look for more food (sweet food) and you end up eating even more calories. It also strips your body of the calcium that your bones need and the enamel that your teeth need. AND you are drinking the nasty BPA that lines those cans.
What should you be doing?
There are no alternatives. Kick the habit. Is it the bubbles you crave? Get a soda stream. That is how I did it. I used that for a few months and drank homemade bubbly water that I squeezed a fresh orange into. After a few months, I didn’t even want that any more but when the craving calls, I go for bubbly water. An occasional diet soda is not the worst thing! If you want one now and then, don’t obsess over it, just drink it! However, if you drink one or more every day, might be time to reassess this habit.
You Stopped Eating Carbs
Carbs are not the enemy. Processed carbs, binge eating carbs, carbs covered in sugar and fat + buried under a pile of foods you can’t recognize, ok maybe there is a carb issue there. Beautiful whole grains, oats, rice, quinoa, not your enemy. If you think you are doing the healthy thing by cutting carbs, think again. Fiber is crucial for our gut health, and we get that from carbs! Our bodies need carbs to function + think + to exercise to our fullest potential! Whole grains are your friend not your enemy! This one should be at the top of the list of Healthy Habits That Are Actually Unhealthy!!!!
What should you be doing?
Make peace with food. Restriction to the point of cutting out an entire food group so that you can be “good” or because it will prevent you from being “bad” never ends well. Check out my article to start: The Truth About Carbs.
Relying on Calorie Tracker Apps
First of all, they tend to be highly inaccurate! Inaccurate in telling you what you need, what you will lose, and how much is actually in your food. Secondly, if you use nutrition during exercise there is no perfect way to calculate that in to the app using their algorithms. Above all, these apps/programs teach you to obsess over portions and packages instead of intuitively feeding your body what it needs and wants.
What should you be doing?
This is a healthy habit that can quickly take a downward spiral into unhealthy. Be mindful, be intentional. Learn about Intuitive Eating, ditch the obsession with measuring + weighing + tracking. TRY to ditch the food rules + restrictions + just eat! Your body is smarter than you give it credit for. If you rely on an app to validate if you had a good day or a bad day + how many pounds you will weigh if you could just eat this way every day for the next 41.5 days, ummmmmm you aren’t living! Just another one of those healthy habits that might not be as healthy for your mental health as you think!
Food For Thought
Small changes add up to big results! If something is a habit for you on this list, don’t sweat it. Start small! If it is calorie tracking in an app, check out intuitive eating or reach out to me personally + I can talk to you about how I ditched the apps and the scales and the rules + learned to eat intuitively! Above all, enjoy good food in the company of good people + don’t beat yourself up about the occasional Diet Coke! Habits are the key to success! Make the things you do regularly as healthy as possible + as easy as possible and you will be just fine! – Tara 💚
⭐Do You Have Some of These Healthy Habits That Are Actually Unhealthy? Leave a comment below!
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