Fast food and organic vegetables
For a couple of years now I’ve been looking for ways to add more vegetables in my life and have found that there are tons of recipes out there if you really want to make a change.
The problem is…
People who know the difference between fast food and organic foods don’t need to be told how to eat. They already know and they know what fast/organic looks like. So it’s actually not surprising that these same people have no clue about why eating healthy can take time and effort, or even look different to others.
We all know when we get an item at the grocery store. The fact is the number one thing that most consumers do not think about when shopping is the cost, but the least healthy part is the fat content! Fat is just something that everyone knows is bad, yet some do not realize it contains calories, fat, and cholesterol. This makes sense, since we as humans rely on fat for our survival, and with so many things coming into your body is always going to produce toxins, especially when in the form of excess fats. It also has nothing to do with whether you’re choosing organic. There is no benefit to eating only organic foods; we know this now!
The sad truth of course is that there is no way to keep up with the times without consuming fast food and processed foods. When we’re busy living their short lives, we don’t stop to consider where all the meat, dairy, and sugar comes from, and I don’t think anyone will ever convince us otherwise. However, it doesn’t mean we should sit around thinking about what we’re putting in our bodies and how much of it is good for us, or just let it go! Some of the best advice we could ever receive is how to cook healthy meals instead of following the crowd…
While some of this might seem too obvious to mention, a lot of Americans do spend countless dollars at restaurants each year while others do not. With such high prices and the availability of instant gratification, many Americans do not have time to cook or prepare any meals themselves. Even worse, they would rather spend money on other items instead of cooking from scratch, which means that they may have purchased unhealthy food and had to give up nutritious ingredients to cut costs. We can start by learning more about what goes into certain foods instead of trying to fill ourselves up with calorie-laden snacks when there is so much time that can be spent making healthier choices.
It’s easier than you think to switch over to eating better food instead of cutting out whole ingredients. One great example for this was made popular by Whole Foods Market, which changed its name several times over the last few years but never did anything to change the focus. While we know that a small portion of healthy meals consists mostly of fruits and veggies, other meal options are often loaded, or have extra ingredients added to them. To get your day started off right you actually need to choose healthy, nutritious ingredients that are less expensive than those that may be used in junk food. A study done by the University of Virginia reported that the average family spends between $2,000 and $3,500 annually on groceries, yet a vast majority of the population does not have adequate access to healthy ingredients at home either due to lack of time, desire, or both. Many families have grown up eating junk food and it is absolutely their fault, which creates huge health risks that are completely avoidable. In other words, it is our responsibility as consumers to change for the better when buying food from stores. No matter what it takes from us for these reasons, we have to stop using products from outside sources that may seem similar to ones available at our local supermarket. You may think that this would just take longer, but what if we start out with fresh fruit and vegetable, then build up to meats and dairy, which would require a little bit longer. Start slow and work at it, maybe in two days a week for 3 weeks, and it’ll feel better! We cannot expect things to come into existence overnight or that we will automatically become healthier. If nothing else, changing your eating habits to live healthier will help you stay away from health problems like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. Not saying fast food is not okay, or that all meat, poultry, fish, eggs, pasta, and other types of processed foods have the same benefits, nor does eliminating or substituting animal products with natural alternatives, does not eliminate all the negative aspects. Instead, it simply prevents some of the most dangerous effects produced by a variety of unprocessed plant-based foods. Just imagine having a salad every day that is composed solely of fresh and pure ingredients, or just being able to make a homemade sandwich on sandwiches made with the finest quality meats and cheeses. That’s truly awesome and we are not doing anything wrong in comparison to what we’re doing at this point!
With all that said, we have to remember the old adage, “what goes in, must come out”. By substituting more nutrient-dense food into our diets we are reducing waste and contributing towards environmental health. Now, it is true that we cannot control everything that enters our mouths, which includes all food, including the stuff that we buy at the grocery store. However, we can certainly make sure that our purchases, if any, contribute towards food safety and are well done.
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest mistakes people make is purchasing items in bulk that they do not need. We forget to bring along water or milk with us to the grocery store, or we purchase things we don’t need and end up wasting unnecessary food. This leads us to another problem: we tend to consume a large amount of food without having the slightest idea what it truly tastes like, and whether or not it is actually good for us or not. This is particularly alarming because the majority of processed and packaged foods are usually high in fat content, salt, and sugar. We do not know that these nutrients are still inside these food packages, not once we open them! Also, there is an immense possibility that additives are hidden in the product which aren’t necessarily good for you. For instance, artificial sweeteners are usually marketed as helping to prevent obesity, but studies show that these items are simply empty sugars which contain lots of empty calories, without any nutritional value at all! If there were 100% free of sugar, wheat flour, corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, beet juice, soy sauce, etc., the market would be flooded with these goods.
When confronted with this information, some of which is listed above, there seems to be no real solution to this dilemma. Most of the time, it simply becomes an excuse to shop at more expensive supermarkets, not knowing that the majority of the time, it just tastes terrible. On occasion, however, we may find ourselves picking up some healthier items, regardless of how much it would cost. What really matters is that we stick with what we know works best for us, which may be our favorite foods. This may sound counterintuitive, but many of us are simply curious about what healthy eating looks like, even if it does not look like anything that is healthy in reality. So we eat more fruits and veggies, or use it as a replacement for fried chicken, chips, burgers, cookies, pizza… we try to eat a mix of this and less processed food, and we start feeling healthier after a short while.
I believe the key is to start simple and see how far we can carry these principles in our everyday routine. After all, the average American eats approximately 6,000 pounds of fatty meat per year, and 2,700 pounds of cheese and sugary drinks (not included). As of March 2018, U.S. adults aged 20-25 ate 2.6 pounds of fried chicken, potato chips, and burgers per capita per year. But what if we began adding chicken to our daily intake to save $10,000? How would this affect our health? Would it eliminate all the fat, but would be much healthier? Or would it cause weight gain because it has more carbs and less protein? If we switched, we’d still lose weight and it would be not so bad, right? We simply didn’t do that enough research because it was so easy to fall under the trap that convenience food is actually healthier than actual food!
If we start eating healthy, we are less likely to develop chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, stroke, obesity and more. So next time you’re headed down the grocery store aisle, please ask yourself, “Why should I spend my hard-earned money on those kinds of processed foods?” Do the math! Before you buy food, take some time to really appreciate the components of what it really tastes like, and whether or not it is healthy for our bodies. Use the tips above for yourself and make good choices with your money and health in mind. Your choice will always be yours and it is always worth it!