Eating healthier is probably a goal that is on the list of many people. The benefits of healthier eating are obvious: healthier weight, fewer illnesses, and longer life. However, the most debated aspect of health eating is how to do it. That’s why there have historically been so many different types of diet plans. Each of these gained the spotlight at one point. Low carb, high protein, detox, are just some of the diets that promise healthier living. However, experts have determined that your health, in the long run, is determined your lifestyle, not by any fad diet.
Benefits of a Long-Term Healthy Diet
People often turn to a diet for a quick weight loss plan. However, several studies have confirmed that healthy eating over time strongly reduces the risk for illnesses. For example, a recent study found that teens who ate fruits and vegetables high in alpha-carotene—a nutrient found in carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potato—reduced the risk of beast cancer in adulthood by 25 percent.
The Difference Between Fad Diets and Healthy Eating
Diets and healthy eating are one in the same, right? Not so fast. Fad diets often promise one lofty goal: lose weight quickly. Sometimes the meal plans for these diets put you just one step away from a dangerously low amount of daily calories. Some diets advocate eating only specific foods to cleanse out the system. However, instead of making you healthier, these types of diets are known to put your health at risk.
Some identifying markers of fad diets are those that promise you will lose weight very quickly, or claim that their benefits are based on a single scientific study. Another red flag is when these diets involve extreme reductions of food, also known as crash dieting. Too many restrictions can push you over the edge, making you overeat unhealthy foods that you turn to for emotional comfort rather than nutrition.
That’s why it’s better to make healthy eating a lifestyle change instead of a temporary fix. It’s about consistency; while you may splurge on a high-calorie meal for a holiday or a special event, consistent healthy eating and exercise will keep your metabolism on the right track, not subjected to rollercoaster weight gain or weight loss.
Making Healthy Food Part of the Fast-Pace Culture
Eat-and-run is the new normal. People are constantly grabbing the easiest food item to eat as they are heading out the door. More often than not, the food that people grab is often something that’s processed and loaded with food additives. Food is processed and contained additives for longer shelf life and flavoring; however, consistently eating these types of foods is known to greatly affect one’s health down the road. Eating healthy needs to be more than just a fad, but a way of life.
Grab-and-Go Nutrition at Hampton Creek
Many people avoid foods that are said to be healthy for one simple reason: it doesn’t taste good. That’s why many diet foods don’t stick around for long term. People want a variety of foods that satisfy their sweet, savory and sour taste buds. An up-and-coming food tech startup understands this tug-and-pull between healthier eating, on the go culture and tasty food. Hampton Creek, based in San Francisco, developed a plant based mayo that is delicious and nutritious, as in gluten-free, non-GMOs (genetically modified organisms), and without egg.
That seems like a tall order—after all, the main ingredient and appeal of mayonnaise is the taste and texture from egg yolk. Is it possible to remove mayonnaise’s star ingredient—eggs? Hampton Creek’s Just Mayo did just that. The mayo’s creamy texture is derived from a yellow pea protein. The condiment is arguably the company’s most well-known product because Just Mayo has made headlines as being a tasty eggless alternative to traditional mayonnaise. In addition to the original Just Mayo flavor, Hampton Creek offers three other versions of the creamy condiment: chipotle, garlic, and Siracha.
Eating food products that are “real” or come pretty darn close is better for your health in the long run. Just Mayo is one of many examples that can satisfy taste buds without derailing you from healthy living.
Eating Healthy is more than losing weight. Instead it should be about establishing healthy habits. While this may seem to be at odds with a busy lifestyle, healthy products, free of processed or additives and that are conveniently available, make healthy living second nature instead of a hard choice.