Five Unhealthy Habits to Break Now (If You Want Real Change)
We Naturally Do What We Grew Up With
The food we ate, the rhythms of our kitchen, the patterns of daily life — they come from family, tradition, and what we’ve always known. And that’s not always a bad thing.
But what happens when your goals change? When the life you want no longer matches the lifestyle you’ve unconsciously inherited?
This article is about that moment — when you realize it’s time to break the old pattern. Even if it was once good for you, even if it’s what you’re used to. This is where fundamental transformation begins.
My Story: Growing Up Traditional, Living With Intention
I grew up in a traditional and naturally Ayurvedic Indian household blended with modern ingredients like sugar (yes, it is contemporary — it didn’t exist during Ayurvedic times). Our kitchen was full of warmth — and full of rice, dals, sweet chai, rotis, ghee-laced treats, and generous meals. In many ways, it was wholesome — rarely processed but heavy in grains.
But when I became a health coach and began learning about macro- and micronutrients, inflammation, blood sugar, digestion, and metabolism, I had a realization.
My goals had evolved. But my kitchen hadn’t.
Even though I was learning so much, I was still surrounded by the same staples, containers, snacks, and routines I had grown up with. It wasn’t until about 15 years ago that I made a conscious decision: I redesigned my kitchen and habits from the inside out.
If you’re on that edge too — here are five habits you can break, starting now.
1. Throw Out the White Sugar — All of It
Refined sugar is not your friend. At this point, the research is clear: sugar spikes your blood glucose, fuels inflammation, and drains your energy — especially when it’s added into everyday foods.
So here’s the challenge: get rid of it. Yes, completely.
Replace refined sugar with healthier and natural alternatives like raw honey, pure maple syrup (I live in Canada — the home of maple syrup, this is easy for me), or dates. These still count as sugar, but they come with trace minerals and a more natural profile that your body processes differently. Use them sparingly, with intention.
You won’t miss that bag of white sugar once it’s out of your kitchen — but you will feel the difference in your energy, skin, and cravings.
My kitchen has been sugar-free for over 20 years now. I haven’t bought that white stuff in a long time. But I do purchase cake on birthdays or occasional cookies and pastries. The point is, you don’t want refined sugar to be a part of your daily life.
2. Say Goodbye to White Flour
This one hides in plain sight — bread, bagels, rotis, muffins, pizza crust, crackers. If white flour is a staple in your pantry, it’s time to switch it up.
Why? Because white flour breaks down just like sugar in the body. It offers quick energy, but then comes a crash. And more cravings.
Start challenging yourself with healthier grains — almond flour, oat flour, quinoa, buckwheat, even whole grain options if you tolerate them well. Your body adapts when your kitchen does.
3. Purge the Processed Junk (And Stop Relying on Willpower)
Here’s the truth: it’s not about willpower. You will eat what’s available to you.
If your cabinets are filled with chips, packaged snacks, cookies, and crackers, you’ll eventually reach for them — especially on a tired afternoon or a rushed day. That’s human.
So make it easier on yourself. Get rid of the junk.
You don’t have to be extreme — I still enjoy chips at a summer barbecue or a chocolate chip cookie once or twice a year — but those are intentional, rare moments. My everyday space is clean.
Create a default environment where healthy choices are the only choices.
4. Declutter the “Just in Case” Items
Let’s talk about your containers, tools, gadgets, and shelf-stable items that you keep “just in case.” That dusty jar of sauce, that old tin of cookies, the mismatched plastic tubs, the ten-year-old packet of cake mix — it’s all part of the pattern.
Every item in your kitchen sends a signal. It either supports the lifestyle you’re building, or it pulls you back into old habits.
Be ruthless. Keep it simple, clean, and aligned with your actual life.
5. Stop Romanticizing the Old Way — And Design for Your Future
This is the mindset shift that matters most: stop telling yourself why you can’t change.
Why do you need to keep that sugar for guests?
Why do you need snacks “just in case”?
Is it really too hard to start?
You are creating a lifestyle for the future you.
Breaking old patterns will feel uncomfortable at first — but that discomfort is the bridge to something better. And it’s worth it.
Reflection Time: What You Allow, Persists
Habits aren’t just routines. They’re stories we keep telling ourselves.
The story that says, “this is how I eat,” or “this is what I like,” or the most common one, “this is how I grew up” — even when it no longer matches your energy, your values, or your body’s needs.
So choose new stories. Break the habits that hold you back.
And let your kitchen become a space that reflects who you’re becoming — not just who you were.
