We have been fed a lie. The lie that processed junk food is better tasting that healthier alternatives. Large corporations have been pummelling us with advertising for the last 50 years and we have been convinced that their food MUST taste better! If you say something often enough it starts to become real. I am not convinced that junk food tastes better than healthier alternatives. 

Mental associations

The mind has a huge impact on how we view the world. Different people will see the same situation in totally different ways due to their preconceived assumptions. You can see this in the way people hold political or cultural beliefs. The same is true of food! Research has found that people will rate foods as tastier if they have been told it is unhealthy. The brain is a strong influencer on our taste and means that taste is very subjective.  

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Eating is one the most basic things that humans do. We do it several times a day and it can become a side issue and even an annoyance that we have to spend so much time on it. This is unfortunate as eating is one of the most pleasurable activities we do and focusing on a few small things can increase the satisfaction and fulfillment we get from it. More satisfaction means less overeating and being much more content with the food you eat. 

The approach I will be talking about is known as eating mindfully. Mindfulness is a common term used in regards to meditation. In the most basic sense it means thinking about what you are doing when you are doing it. For food, this means paying attention to your meal and not being distracted by the endless distractions present in the modern day. It is used as opposed to mindlessness, where you are eating without thought of the food and sometimes not even remembering eating.

When we think of investment we might think of stocks, housing or high interest accounts. Something we do not often consider is an investment in our own health and well-being. Investing into your health can seem confusing as it is difficult to see the return on your money. Money spent on your health is not wasted and is likely to provide an even greater return on your initial investment than many other investment options.

What do I mean by investing in your health?

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The physical benefits of exercise are well known. Regular exercise will help your physical health in many ways but it also offers many mental benefits. Often these can be overlooked as the focus of exercise is predominantly about how we look rather than how we feel. The following are just a few non physical benefits regular exercise provides us:

Improved confidence