In the battle between convenience and health, why do many of us choose convenience?
Walk or drive? Drive.
Cook dinner or eat out? Eat out.
Call, email, or text? Text.
Buy a book in a store or download it to a Kindle? Download.
Pack a lunch or fast food? Fast food.
In some ways, I totally get it. We’re busy. We have families and kids (well, not there yet myself). We have jobs.
While convenience has allowed us to be more, do more, achieve more, and stay MUCH more connected, it’s also come at a cost.
We choose instant oats, cereal, or Pop-Tarts for breakfast; shin ramyun, Lunchables, or McGriddle sandwiches for lunch; Campbell’s soup and frozen meals or pizza for dinner.
In a country of wealth and abundance of food, we’re unbelievably undernourished.
It’s not actually the carbohydrates, fat, or protein grams that matter so much.
It’s WHAT you’re putting into your mouth on a daily basis {real food or fake food? Antioxidants or anti-nutrients?} that matters, because food talks to our cells and tells them what genes to express or not to express.
And fast food loaded with bad meats, bad oils, toxic chemicals, and sugar will alter your brain, your gut, your energy levels, and your overall health for the worse.
Case in point, rates of obesity, heart disease, allergies, childhood autism (and obesity), and diabetes have all continued to skyrocket due to convenient and cheap foods.
The result?
We sacrifice health for more time or more money in the short-term.
Then, we end up sacrificing our time or money to restore our health in the long-term.
The moral of the story? A quick and cheap stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken WILL end up making you feel terrible and will contribute to a hospital stay in the near or long-term future, depending on your day-to-day eating and lifestyle decisions.
I get it. There’s just not much time these days to cook a Thanksgiving meal every day.
I am right there with you.
Our world’s pace isn’t getting any slower, so how do we fit in REAL, healthy food in our busy lives??
Tips to Fit REAL Food into a Fast Lifestyle
1. Grocery Run
- On the road or in between appointments? Find a grocery store. Park. Sprint to the door (exercise!).
- Buy some deli meat (non-processed, if possible), a bag of carrots, an apple, maybe some nuts, a Lara Bar, or an avocado, and eat it in your car. Seriously, it takes just as much time as going through a drive-through, but you’ll get a workout in and feel a WHOLE lot more energized.
2. Egg McNothin’ (Don’t you love that?!)
- Boil eggs for the week for an easy breakfast on-the-go.
3. Quick Oats
- Steel cut oats – Soak steel cut oats like these overnight with almond milk and a dash of cinnamon and vanilla. While you’re showering, cook the oats, throw some fruit in it, and bring it in a mason jar or a thermos on your way to work.
- No cook oats – Soak rolled oats overnight with chia seeds, fruit, almond or coconut milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a mason jar. Eat chilled in the morning.
4. Speedy Smoothie (think apple pie!)
- Protein (organic whey protein, organic brown rice protein, or Garden of Life protein) + fruit of choice + unsweetened almond milk + spoonful of coconut oil + ice cubes + dash stevia/cinnamon/vanilla = smoothie to go!
- Or, if you REALLY want a nutrient-packed smoothie, try a green smoothie: 1 cup of spinach, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cucumber, coconut water (or just water), and/or 1 stalk of celery.
My delicious beet and avocado smoothie!
5. Travel Cooler
- Buy a travel cooler like this that can plug into your cigarette lighter in the car!
6. Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait
- Grab a full fat Greek yogurt and a banana or apple on the run.
7. Trail Mix
- Throw together nuts, seeds, dried fruit, unsweetened coconut, and dark chocolate chips and bring on-the-go.
8. Crockpot Meal
- In the morning, throw in a chicken with rosemary, basil, a dollop of butter. If you have more time, chop up some sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery. Set it on an 8-hour setting and you’ve got dinner when you’re home.
9. Join a CSA and have produce delivered to your door for the week.
- Check Local Harvest for a local CSA in your area.
10. Fruit/Veg & Dip
- Chop carrots, peppers, carrots, and apples
- Buy or make guacamole, hummus or nut butters to dip
11. Meat & Cheese Roll-ups with Avocado
- Buy some deli meat (we like Legacy brand) and roll over raw/organic cheese
- Use a spoon to scoop the avocado
12. Protein Bars
Just remember that you can spend a BIT more time and money up front for a much better quality of life… and less spent time and pain at the doctor’s office.
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Your turn! If I missed any REAL “fast food” snacks, please share below!