To wonder if eating healthily is worth it?

[Doesitmakeadifference]

I'm late 30s, throughout my life my diet hasn't been very good but it probably hasn't been horrendous either. I've never eaten enough veg.

Several years ago dh and I were in a rut and our diet became very bad, loads of takeaways, way too much junk processed food. Both put on weight.

So a few years ago we turned our whole lifestyle around and now eat well, we exercise every day. Every so often we go on a complete health kick and eat very clean. We go to bed early, rarely drink generally I'd say we have a very healthy lifestyle.

I do wonder though sometimes how much difference it honestly makes. To be honest nearly everyone I know eats what they want. Dh often tells me while he's eating his salad or healthy sandwich or homemade whatever all his workmates are eating Greggs, pizza, sausage rolls crisps chocolate bars.

Apart from being slimmer I can't honestly say I feel massively different to when I was eating junk food all the time. Can't say I've got glowing skin or that I'm full of energy.

Time will tell.

I think that logically you are eating for nutrition and taste - and if what you are eating is more nutritious your body should work and be better than otherwise

as we age this will become more noticeable - obesity is a leading cause of cancer, as well as eg type 2 diabetes, cardio risk etc

so you are still in your late 30s but if you still had a rubbish diet into your 40s/50s you would feel pretty rubbish

even carrying excess weight can be difficult

When I eat healthily during the week I get a real energy boost and do feel a lot lighter and less sluggish.
I do feel pangs of jealousy when my colleagues are eating curry chips and cupcakes for lunch while I'm eating a brown bread cheese sandwich and an apple. But it gives me the energy to get through the afternoon and I know that if I ate a carb heavy lunch I would be very sleepy.

I do treat myself at the weekends though with wine/crisps/takeaway and I find it a good balance.

I’ve wondered this a lot over the last couple of months as I’ve been on a pre summer health kick. My body is slimmer and people keep commenting on how toned I am but I genuinely feel no different day to day.
I think it’s probably down to the fact that I was reasonably healthy before and was more of a 2 Proseccos a week kind of person than drinking every day. Really I’m just eating less, taking my vitamins, skipping the minimal alcohol I used to drink and going to the gym more.

The long term health risks of sugar, hydrogenated fat and chemically cured meat products are not visible atm. You can’t see into your veins or bowel lining etc.

But the bigger picture stats are clear. And have been, one way and another, for decades. Studies looking at poverty as an effect on health, populations that eat a Mediterranean or Japanese diet, for example.

That's exactly it. I suppose I do feel lighter and less sluggish, but I still feel tired often just from life in general. Work, children being busy.

We do of course treat ourselves, but in moderation whereas before we'd be snacking on cakes and share bags of crisps most evenings.

I've been wondering this - as I'm giving myself a kick in the backside at the moment and joining in with my husband's successful health kick.

I think there's a lot of skinny-ish people with hidden fat from bad diets.

It makes a difference as you get older - youth, and by that I mean under about 40 - has a protective effect.

I'm 62 and I honestly see a big difference between my health, vitality, posture, you name it and that of people of a similar age or slightly older who have multiple health problems or are (bluntly) dead because they haven't looked after themselves.

And the mental health benefits of a healthy lifestyle are huge too.

It's no absolute guarantee - cancer and other diseases can have a genetic cause - but why not stack the odds in your favour?

TheRes s Dementia thread on Mumsnet. Dementia is the most terrible disease and is considered Type 3 diabetes. I eat healthily for the future benefits, not for now!

Wait until you're all in your sixties - then you'll see. (Cancer, strokes, joint pain, mobility, poorer skin, ). It most certainly IS worth it. Believe me

I'm not sure if you just get used to how you feel, but after a similar health kick, if I then have a few days of eating shite I feel absolutely awful. It's like I don't feel 'fabulous' from the healthy eating, I just feel shite with the crap eating?

I'm not sure if it's just we get used to how we feel day to day, whatever 'normal' is for us.

I’m 40 and noticing more and more how the odd much a takeaway or bag of sweets/bottle of wine makes me feel like shite. I usually eat fairly well, lots of veg, pulses, minimal refined carbs, meat and dairy.

For me it’s partly that I’m eating well for now, because I don’t want to be fat/ spotty/ grumpy/ lethargic/ have flares in my autoimmune condition. But it’s massively also for the future. There is a lot of nasty shit in my parental bloodlines on both sides - dementia, cancers, gut issues - and I want to hold all that away from myself for as long as possible. It’s scientifically proven that bad (sugar, bad fat, bad carbs, no veg) diets lead to serious health problems in later life. I don’t understand people who would ignore that evidence.

Saying this I will of course have the odd burger/ treats at cinema/ wine with friends. It’s just not every day any more like it was in my early twenties!

It’s like paying into a pension. You don’t see the benefits until you really need them.

Moat people eat what they want but it’s also the reason the almost had the population of the UK have insulin resistance.

For the unconvinced: https://joinzoe.com/learn/category/podcasts

Could your tiredness be more related to stress than diet?

Well not dying of a cholesterol induced heart attack before you are 60 could be classed as a benefit.

It's not just eating healthy fresh food but unprocessed food. Or at least less processed food.

The amount of chemicals/sugar/saturated fat in junk food can make your mood variable, poorer quality sleep, lethargic etc... In the long run it's a very good thing.

This.

Oh believe me it is making a huge difference. If you kept on eating all junk food and drinking alcohol you would certainly not look as good in your 60s compared to what you do now . The aging process creeps up slowly .All the healthier food is good for your mental state too .Being overweight causes lots of health issues . I also believe in living , so have all the good stuff in moderation .

All it means is that your the one left behind when your partner dies. Dh never held back, food, booze he just did what he liked and died of a cancer caused by radiotherapy 40 years ago. Lifestyle changes were not going to save him.

So here's me little miss healthy eating left behind eating unhealthily and refusing screening etc to try and tip the odds in my favour.

I worked in elderly care for 13 years too so I'm under no illusion that old age if enjoyable.

I think eating appallingly ie constant fast food, sugary fizzy drinks and no fruit veg or decent protein will make you feel awful and is bad for your health...but...I am actually quite sceptical about how much control we actually have over our health. So much, including certain cancers, seem to be genetic.

I try and eat healthily. However, I know 3 people in their late 80s and early 90s and their diet has always been quite bad. High salt and sugar, pride themselves on never eating veg or salad (that’s for rabbits according to them), fry a lot, eat a lot of red meat, drink alcohol regularly and only really eat convenience foods. They all have good health.
By contrast I know several people who ate relatively healthy who all died young of cancer. So I’m not sure I think healthy eating is the key to a long healthy life.

I’m mid 50s and have 2 distinct groups my age to compare.
Friends- mc, fit and slim. Living the same lives and doing the same activities they did in their 20s travelling park run and half marathons, beach and walking holidays. Mix of veggie flexitarian/ vegan but definitely “eat your veg and fresh air is good for you” types.
Colleagues- long term health conditions, struggle to walk far, restricted in what they can eat where they can go. Lots of meat and energy drinks, don’t feel comfortable being outside.
There’s a third group of colleagues younger than us all who at the moment are active and enjoying a full life

The big one for me is constipation (tmi!) I’m 59. A short term unhealthy diet without enough fruit and vegetables leads inevitably to constipation for me, often followed after a couple of days by a uti. So I try to avoid processed stuff where I can. In my 30s I tended to eat whatever I wanted.

It depends how you feel about diabetes, heart disease, increased risk of certain cancers, restrictions/pain in mobility etc. Keep eating unhealthily and don't exercise and these are far more likely.

I don't want to be 60 and just existing, in pain, limited mobility etc. I want an active, enjoyable and varied life.