It's only natural for people to eat what tastes good to them, and companies easily take advantage of this. The processed foods that fill the shelves are made with manufactured ingredients and artificial flavors that appeal to your taste buds. While junk food is acceptable in moderation, it's not what your body needs to stay active, healthy and strong throughout each day. The additives and high sugar cause many types of junk food to even become addictive. This starts a dangerous cycle that can damage your body, as this food cannot properly fuel your body in a healthy manner.
Think of your body as a car. Whenever your car needs fuel, you add only a specific type of gasoline and a specific type of oil. Anything else, and the car will eventually break down; sooner rather then later. The exact same thing happens with our body, as it breaks down with various ailments and disease as we grow older.
Will power is a short term solution. A long term approach requires a change in our mentality. When we look at a menu or in our refrigerator, our thought process should not be 'what looks good' but more towards 'what does my body need?' From those items that you identify as healthy fuel for you body, you can then pick what is more appealing to you. Not the other way around. While eating for pleasure is tempting, we need to understand it's due to addictive, unhealthy ingredients. Pleasing your taste buds should come second to giving your body the nutrition it needs.
In order to keep your body going and growing strong, it needs healthy foods that promote energy and wellness and that allow the body to heal. Foods that are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, complex carbs and proteins are an excellent way to maintain high energy levels. The key word there is 'naturally'. The best quality fuel for your body is as close to its natural form as possible. The more processed, the less healthy it is. With junk food, you will find yourself in the short run crashing or experiencing highs and lows throughout the day, and damaging your body in the long run. By keeping a steady diet that is rich in nutrients and natural, your body gets the fuel it needs to function, to heal, and to live long.
Eating healthy can require you to make a conscious effort to pick foods that are better for your body. But what you're really doing is changing your mentality and creating a new habit. If we understand that our attitude towards food is heavily influenced by the hundreds of advertisements we see and hear ever day - almost all of them pushing processed, artificial food - we can realize that our thoughts on food are not our own. Make things simple and realize the purpose of food is fuel and nutrition. Fuel your body, don't just fill it up.