17 scientific facts to motivate you to eat healthy even when you really don't want to

It can be tough to eat right all the time. We want to reach for the fries, or the burger, or the doughnut. Or all of the above.

But a proper diet really does have insane health benefits. (Those benefits are sometimes difficult to tease apart, since people who eat healthy generally have other healthy habits as well, but the perks we've included here are pretty well-established.)

What's considered "healthy eating" is always a source of debate, but it's not actually that complicated: Nutritionists can agree that a diet rich in whole foods, with lots of fruits and vegetables, seafood, whole grains, dairy, legumes, and nuts is good for you. Processed foods and added sugar are generally a bad idea.

To motivate you to put down the cupcake and pick up the broccoli, here are 17 research-backed reasons to eat healthy: