You know there are many reasons to make a lifestyle choice. I’m not really sure which of these is most important to me now that I’m in my forties. Truth is all of them are kind of important.

Lose weight

People judge you you by your weight. Thinner people get better jobs, make more money. There is a strong correlation between weight and personal success. People who are thinner get better medical care and more respect from medical professionals.

At the same time, it’s not entirely unwarranted. It’s tough to stay physically fit in a world full of processed foods that are calorie rich. To be fit means you have to work hard to keep off the weight. Never under estimate the struggle of the physically fit individual.

Live longer

You know when you are in your twenties and thirties you often feel kind of invincible. While some people die in those years of life, it’s usually from freak events, something distant from the rest of us.

But hit forty and a lot changes. You see your parents getting into their later years. You see the consequences of diet choices. Diabetes is a real concern and heart attacks certainly can and do happen to people in their forties and fifties.

Have more energy

Food is fuel. Garbage in, garbage out. While sugary foods and especially carbohydrates can give you a temporary boost in energy, the truth is that the quicker you go up the faster you crash. It’s much better to get sugars from fiber rich whole foods while also maximizing foods that combine protein and lots of vitamins with fiber.

The truth is my previous carbohydrate rich diet which relied heavily on white pasta not only was making me fat despite all my exercise but also lead to blood sugar spikes and crashes. All that fatty foods like sausage patties, burgers and beer left me feeling lethargic when camping. Healthier foods keep you going all day.

Save money

Eating healthy is a mixed bag when it comes down to it. Meats of all types, cheese and butter have seen much higher rates of inflation then most fruit and vegetables. I don’t spend my money on labels like organic or preprocessed meals.

The flip side is I find myself needing a lot more ingredients and going through a lot more fresh food then those big bars of cheese and pasta of yesteryear. It’s a lot harder to buy whole foods in bulk bar beans, rice, frozen fruit and vegetables. Many whole foods are inexpensive on their own but you end up buying a lot more different things, especially right now when I’m experimenting with my diet, trying to learn what I like best.

Less trash

Whole foods usually are much less packaged. Many fresh fruits and vegetables have no packaging at all. Dried rice and beans come in simple plastic wrappers as do most frozen fruits and vegetables.

I have been saving all my food scraps – mostly banana peels, apple cores, pepper cores for compost. Rarely do I have fresh food spoil as I eat it quickly. I drink about a quarter of the milk I once did, and get it in paper cartons which I stuff with wrappers as fire starters. No more milk or apple juice plastic bottles in the trash. No more plastic bottles from the pasta sauce to be discarded. Recycling is a scam.

Eat more local food

They sell whole foods mostly at the farmers market. As that’s what I’m eating primarily these days it’s easy to substitute in better farmer’s market or farmstand foods for grocery store foods. In most cases now it’s a one on one replacement from what I’m already eating on a daily basis. Hello, fresh tomatoes.

Eat adult food

It’s kind of embarrassing but when I would often go to restaurants for work functions I would have no idea what to order. I would go to receptions and see all these werid largely whole foods but have no idea what they were even if they tasted good.

Eating healthy has really opened my eyes to what is out there. Now when I see a restaurant menu or food at a reception I know what I’m looking at and what is good and what is not so good to eat. Nutrition really takes a forefront on what I put in my mouth these days.

Eat food I can produce myself

It sounds silly but learning to eat healthy, nutritious foods offers more options to eventually grow my own. You can’t really do that with processed foods, and while you may be to produce milk or even make homemade pasta and pasta sauce it’s a lot of work compared to eating simple whole foods that are closer to nature.