The challenge of eating healthy

For the last little while I've been on my own personal quest to lead a healthier lifestyle. Coming from a girl whose favorite food is poutine (thank you Quebec), that means making big changes. Believe it or not changing your habits is not easy. At ALL.

I thought packing my lunches would lead me to healthier eating which would translate into the rest of my non-lunch meals. I was so terribly wrong. Although it has helped me with things like portion control (lol what is that even?), eating more fruits and vegetables, and actually eating more than two meals a day, my unhealthy food habits have stuck.

I blame this all on one thing: restaurants. I love food, I love going out to eat and trying new things. I love the whole restaurant experience, especially the socializing. But I think I love it too much. A couple of weekends ago I went out to eat six times in three days! That's five times too many.

Even though there are healthy options at restaurants, the reality is we're more likely to order something unhealthy. Something fried, cheesy, and/or filled with carbs. And I know it's not just me! The culture at restaurants, unless you go to a place like The Sidedoor, is large portions which just promotes overeating.

Delicious donuts from The Sidedoor. Contrary to this photo, they actually DO have small portions & healthy food!

So do I have to stop going to restaurants to fix my unhealthy eating habits? Not necessarily. It's not realistic to ban myself from going out to eat with friends. What I will do is put more thought into what I eat when I do go out. Maybe even have a small homemade healthy meal before I go out and order a salad or something similar while I'm there.

What I know is this: to start eating healthy, I need to start appreciating the food that I'm eating. Part of that appreciation comes in the preparation of the meal. Dining out so often means that I cut out an important step in becoming a healthier eater. Not to mention, it means spending a lot of money.

What do you think?