How many times have you heard (or had the thought yourself): “healthy food tastes bad” or something along those lines?

It’s okay if it’s more than you’d like to admit. One thing is for sure, you’re certainly not alone!

Coming from the person who regularly ate an entire *40 piece* bag of pizza rolls as a meal and a bowl of Oreos (yes bowl– line the biggest bowl you can find with Oreos, add milk, and eat with a spoon as you would cereal) as an after-school snack, I could assure you that if healthy food tasted bad, I would NOT eat it! Let alone have a dedicated space for healthy recipes and the like.

So how can you make food that’s good for you also taste good?

Find or make a healthier version of your favorites

AKA essentially how SUNutrition and the *tastes too good to be healthy* recipe mantra came to be; through the deep desire to feed cravings without any leftover feelings of guilt or remorse. Nourish the body and mind.

Have you heard the phrase “if you want something done right, do it yourself”? That can be applied here. If you want a healthier version of your favorite crispy fried chicken or gooey brownies, try to make it yourself. Search for a KFC dupe for instance. It may not have the best of the best ingredient ratios, but it gives you control over what goes into it, sparing you from the preservatives and subpar ingredients found in most convenience foods.

And you could always tweak the recipes you find by using higher quality ingredients than what’s called for or making simple swaps such as:

• replacing canola or vegetable oil with walnut, almond, or another lower inflammatory oil
• unsweetened applesauce in place of oil or butter
• instead of deep frying in oil, try an alternate cooking method like baking, air-frying, or grilling
• use cooking spray, water, broth, or a combination to pan-fry, stir-fry, or sauté
• replace table salt with unrefined sea salt or decrease the amount and use herbs + spices to add flavor
• swap fattier cuts of meat for leaner ones – so take ground beef, choose a lower fat percentage beef or use ground turkey, venison, or elk as an alternative – or do half ground beef + half a leaner option
• cut down on the sugar by using monk fruit, stevia, or another sweetener
• use 100% whole wheat pasta, bread, grains

And similar to this Cinnamon Toast Crunch, it might not be as convenient as store-bought or fast food, but doing it yourself very well could turn out to be easier (and have a better result!) than you may think.

TikTok, Instagram, and Google are a few of the countless resources at your disposal. The internet is your oyster– or shall we say cake *or whatever your vice is* as that sounds far more appetizing.

Just because it’s healthy, doesn’t mean you have to like it

If you don’t like running, don’t run – explore other forms of cardio. If you’re not hungry in the mornings, don’t feel the need to prepare an elaborate, stereotypical breakfast spread, just eat something light or try a smoothie or protein shake.

Personally, I’m not a fan broccoli 99% of the time – they’re like little trees with that texture where you chew, chew, chew and still don’t know when to swallow – so I don’t eat broccoli often, only once in a blue moon when I have a taste for it.

It really is that simple!

While you should give healthier foods a chance to grow on you, you don’t have to (and shouldn’t) force yourself to eat something you genuinely do not like just because it’s deemed “healthy”. Food is meant to be enjoyed; healthy food included!

Everything is fair game

You don’t have to go all in, all the time.

In college, I competed in bodybuilding competitions and I was extremely strict (too strict) with my eating. On the very rare occasion I ate something out of the norm, I’d hear *gasp* “are you REALLY going to eat that??” followed by a dramatic attention shift as whoever was near waited in anticipation for my response.

As if it was that big of a deal.

While the comments were harmless and weren’t intended to make me feel bad, they often did. Or they did the opposite and made me feel sanctimonious for having the self-control to choose tilapia and 6 stalks of asparagus and resist my perpetual cravings. Regardless, it created an aura that eating healthy is all-or-nothing, go big or go home.

Just because someone eats “healthy” doesn’t mean they abhor unhealthy foods (it usually is quite the opposite actually). In my experience, people choose to eat well a majority of the time because it makes them feel their best physically, mentally, and emotionally. BUT they still eat conventionally “non-healthy” foods because they make them feel good too!

If you swear something off or label foods (such as “good” or “bad” or “off limits”) you’ll likely find yourself thinking about, wanting, and craving it even more than you did in the first place.

That’s why moderation is preached so universally; it truly is crucial. And so is making all foods fair game.

Food is food. Some more beneficial and nutritious than others, but still food. And unless you’re allergic, there aren’t any foods you “can’t have” either. Whether it’s active or subliminal, it is all a choice (albeit not always an easy one– recreating food rules and finding balance). Choose to allow yourself to embrace and eat all foods.

You deserve food freedom.

A concept that took a long time to grasp, and that some may never realize: healthy [eating, exercise regimen, lifestyle] looks different for everyone! In regards to eating, it’s crucial to put blinders on to the eating habits of others and to focus solely on yourself – what’s doable and enjoyable for you – and only look to others for sources of motivation and inspiration!

PS: if you’re curious as to why “healthy” is often in quotations, check out this post!