Eating Well Doesn't Have to be Insta-Worthy

Somewhere along the way, healthy eating became an Instagram aesthetic. Beautiful grain bowls arranged in perfect little sections. Colorful salads that look like they took an hour to assemble. Homemade dressings. Artfully sliced fruits and vegetables. It all looks delicious. But let’s be honest - most of us are not preparing Instagram meals three times a day (or ever!)  And we don’t need to.

One of the problems with social media nutrition advice is that it can make healthy eating look much more complicated than it actually is. If your dinner doesn’t look like something you would proudly photograph and post, it can be tempting to think you aren’t doing it right or putting in enough effort.  Remember, a turkey sandwich with baby carrots and an apple is a perfectly good lunch. A frozen vegetable stir-fry with rice and a rotisserie chicken is a perfectly good dinner. And yes, sometimes dinner might be a bowl of cereal with a banana and a handful of nuts. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be beautiful. It just has to work for you.

In fact, I would argue that the less effort it takes to put together a nourishing meal, the more likely you are to actually eat that way consistently. We all know that old adage "no pain, no gain." When it comes to eating well, I think the opposite is true - "Less pain, more gain," The easier and simpler you can make food preparation, the more likely you are to make progress. So instead of worrying about how insta-worthy your food is, ask yourself these questions:

“Does this meal give me some of the nutrients my body needs?” 

“Is it realistic for the amount of time and energy I have today?”

“Is it satisfying?”

If your answers are yes, that is all affirmation you need!