Being healthy is more of a taboo subject these days. While everyone claims to “start a new life” and change their eating and exercise habits every New Year’s Eve, statistics show otherwise. Romania is ranked the 2nd country with the most obese infants in Europe and over 11% of the population is diabetic, which is no wonder when a new fast food restaurant pops-up at every corner. In a country where consuming junk food is mainstream, is eating as healthy as possible appropriate?

Eating healthy is a matter of education and personal choice that has a lot of consequences from one’s well-being to creating an indirect impact on those around. When talking about a person’s health, there are only advantages of eating more carefully. Studies show that those who eat nutritious foods look better and feel better: they have better outer appearance and are less likely to develop disorders of any kind, mental or physical. Also, one’s actions influence other people as well. The power of example is strong and usually individuals tend to follow those around them in order to fit in. Therefore, by eating healthy, a person is actively helping to spread good habits and customs.

However, there are downsides, too. One of them is about socializing; there are few restaurants or cafés that serve healthier and good tasting alternatives to their usual menus which could become an issue for social gatherings. Another problem might be that it is time-consuming. Clean-eating requires a lot of preparation and research on the ingredients in certain products in addition to the time spent cooking and portioning food and could be rather inconvenient.

All in all, eating healthy sets an example to others and has a lot of benefits regarding one’s well-being, but, at certain times, when talking about eating out or cooking, can be problematic.