The Need For Fast Food

My husband and I were having a conversation today and he mentioned that one of his co-workers was looking forward to the prospect of having his child grow up so that he and his wife can get back to eating healthy. His premise was that their lives are currently too busy to lead a healthier lifestyle and that fast food and take out are basically all they can find the time to eat.

I hesitate to write this, because journaling it is an admission of having – and thereby creating the necessity to live by – this knowledge, but that argument is completely false. This man’s idea that the greasy options at the drive through window are the only way to feed oneself when pressed for time just couldn’t be further from the truth. I wish it wasn’t so! I would love to continue using that as one of my own all time favorite excuses for persevering with unhealthy habits, but I now know better.

In today’s society, fast food is indeed prevalent, but so are the menu options that have largely followed suit with the general public's desire for better choices. I can't think of a single drive through that doesn't offer a salad. Yogurts, fresh fruit, bottled water, vegetarian meals, whole wheat bread products, and many other items are available at most convenience restaurants nowadays.

When ordering in or picking up take out food it is just as easy to ask for the options that include vegetables as it is to order saucy or fatty items. Steamed rice instead of noodles, grilled without the skin instead of batter drenched, Caesar salad instead of pasta, vegetarian instead of meat lovers, tomato sauce instead of cream, chicken or fish instead of beef or lamb, fruit salad instead of cheesecake, thin crust instead of cheese stuffed... these are just a few examples of how altering our ordering habits can bring benefits without increasing the time needed to obtain food on the go.

Frozen dinners are another huge contender for providing the quick fix when short on the opportunity to prepare a proper meal. Yet even these prepackaged time-savers offer a wide variety of healthier options. There are even purely broccoli, cauliflower, mixed veggies, etc. varieties that I know are just as easy to find as the macaroni and cheese or rib style pork complete with brownie.

I would love to keep on kidding myself that the world just isn't built to accommodate a healthy lifestyle when a person is constantly moving from one project to the next, but the reality is that there are so many choices available that it is our own failings that create this false belief. I know that it is simpler to order the cheeseburger and fries to comfort oneself when holding onto the idea that it is all that is available, but I am also aware of too much evidence to the contrary now. I have quite literally eaten the apple of knowledge and cannot turn back towards ignorance.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 11 glasses of water throughout the day
- 2 cups of grapes
- 2 cups of green leaf lettuce with light Caesar dressing and croutons
- 2 scrambled eggs with tomato and pepper
- 6-inch sub on a parmesan oregano bun with ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, onion, light mayonnaise, mustard, and pepper
- 2 1/2 cups of lemon and garlic green beans

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 20 minutes of walking completed in two outings (1 hour and 5 minutes long and 15 minutes long)
- 2 sets of 15 lunges for each leg
- 2 sets of 15 squats