Why ‘Healthy’ Foods Don’t Always Feel Good

You know that feeling when you really try to look after yourself. You make the “right” choice, you choose the salad over the sandwich, you swap the pasta for quinoa, you add all the greens.

Still, instead of feeling energised, you end up bloated, drained, foggy, or just a bit off.

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Especially when you’re doing your best to nourish yourself and your body seems to disagree.

Most people assume it means they’ve picked the wrong food, or that they’re reacting to something specific. But what if that’s not the real issue at all? What if the problem isn’t what you’re eating… but how your body is receiving it?

In this week’s newsletter, we’re looking at why even the healthiest foods can feel heavy or uncomfortable when your body’s internal state isn’t ready to digest them and why this has almost nothing to do with willpower, discipline, or nutritional knowledge.

It’s about the state of your nervous system in the moment you eat.

It Starts Before the First Bite

Your digestive system isn’t just a tube that breaks down food. It’s directly wired to your stress response. When your body thinks you’re under pressure, even subtle, everyday pressure, digestion becomes a low priority. Your body shifts blood flow away from the gut, tightens your core muscles, speeds up your breath, and prepares you to push through rather than slow down.

You might not even notice it happening. You could feel fine emotionally yet still be physically tense without realising it. Your jaw might be tight, your breath slightly shallow, your shoulders lifted… tiny signals that tell your body, “Not now. Survival first.”

And then you sit down to eat something healthy and nourishing, but your body isn’t in “receiving mode.” It’s still in “protective mode.” The food itself isn’t the issue. The state you’re in is.

And because your body is incredibly consistent, it reacts the same way every time you eat under tension: things feel heavy, slow, or uncomfortable, no matter how nutritious the food might be.

When Your Body Wants Simple, Not Perfect

There are moments when your body doesn’t want complexity, even if complexity is technically good for you. Think of raw vegetables, big salads, high fibre blends, or dense nutrient-rich dishes. They require digestive softness. They require your gut to be awake, oxygenated, and ready.

But if you’ve been under prolonged stress, if you’ve been pushing through the day, or if your nervous system is a little overactive, your body might prefer something warm, soft, simple, or easy — not because those are “healthier,” but because they’re easier for a tense digestive system to process.

Your mind might crave improvement.
Your body might crave ease.

And that mismatch can be surprisingly common.

Your Body Learns Patterns and Keeps Them

One thing people rarely think about is how much the body learns through repetition. If you’ve spent years eating quickly, eating while distracted, eating while stressed, or eating while trying to get to the next task… your body has learned to stay in a semi-activated state around food.

It isn’t trying to sabotage you. It’s just doing what it has practised.

Even when you consciously choose better foods, your digestive system may still be running on old instructions: stay alert, brace the core, move quickly, tighten the belly, keep going.

Those learned patterns can make good food feel “wrong,” not because it is, but because your body hasn’t yet been shown how to shift out of protective mode.

And the good news is: your body can relearn. Gently. Slowly. With signals, not force.

What Helps Your Body Receive Food Better

Start with noticing how you feel before you eat. Not emotionally, but physically. Are you breathing easily? Do you feel rushed even if you’re sitting still? Are you already thinking ahead to the next thing?

If the answer is yes, your body isn’t broken. It’s just not ready yet.

One or two gentle shifts can make a huge difference. Slowing your exhale before your first bite. Relaxing your shoulders. Pausing for a moment so your body can transition from doing to receiving. There’s something surprisingly powerful about giving your body even ten seconds to settle before you eat.

When you do, digestion feels different. Food feels different. Your whole system interprets nourishment differently.

This is what regulates your relationship with food from the inside out. Not rules. Not restriction. Not “clean eating.” Safety. Softness. Presence.

Your body digests best when it doesn’t feel like it’s bracing for something.

A Lesson Most People Never Learn

So many people assume something is wrong with them because “healthy food makes me feel rubbish.” They blame the ingredients, blame their discipline, or assume their body simply doesn’t respond the way other people’s do.

But it’s rarely about the food.

It’s about the pattern. The state. The posture. The breath. The underlying tension that shapes every internal response.

And when you shift those things, even slightly, your body’s ability to receive nourishment changes in a way that feels almost magical. Foods that once felt heavy start feeling supportive. Meals that used to leave you bloated suddenly feel grounding. You stop overthinking what you “should” eat and start noticing what your body truly wants in that moment.

Because the goal isn’t perfect eating.
The goal is a body that feels safe enough to digest.

You’re not doing anything wrong by trying to eat well. And your body isn’t rejecting your efforts. It’s responding to a state you might not even be aware you’re in.

When you approach meals with a little more softness, when you give yourself that brief pause before you begin, it’s like telling your nervous system, “It’s okay now. You can receive this.”

That’s when healthy food starts feeling good.
Not because the ingredients changed, but because you did.

Until next time treat your meals as moments, not tasks. Your body feels the difference long before you notice itLebanese

The information provided in this newsletter is for general guidance and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your health and wellness routine.

Wishing you good health,

The Wellness Valet Team

Recipe of the Week: Lebanese Lemon Chicken with Garlic and Sumac

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon ground sumac

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• Cracked black pepper

• A small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

• Optional: roast some sliced red onion in the same tray)

Method

• Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).

• In a small bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, sumac, coriander, lemon zest, half the juice, salt and pepper.

• Rub this mixture all over the chicken thighs — including under the skin if you can.

• Place on a lined baking tray, skin side up.

• Roast for 35–40 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear.

• Splash the remaining lemon juice over the chicken while it rests for five minutes.

• Scatter parsley on top before serving.

Serve with warm rice, roasted vegetables, or flatbread and yoghurt.

Slow-roasted chicken with warming spices supports digestion while offering high-quality protein your nervous system uses to stabilise mood and energy. Bright acids like lemon wake up the gut gently, helping your body absorb nourishment rather than fight it.