Fast food, huh? It’s not necessarily the best option for food out there and yet many people inevitably resort to it, myself included. This is why I opted to go a month without enjoying or conveniently purchasing fast food. And before I tell you how it went, I’d like to establish what fast food is. When you hear these words, you think about all the fast food chains and popular shops out there. But what does it mean? According to Britannica, fast food is a “mass-produced food product designed for quick and efficient preparation and distribution that is sold by certain restaurants, concession stands, and convenience stores. Common fast foods include hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, pizza, tacos, burritos, salads, and sandwiches.” For this challenge, I tried to stay away from all of these previously stated options for a month.
Now, why did I do this? It wasn’t just to have an experience I could document here, but I’ve also been trying to dip my feet into healthier habits this year, and this was a good way to start making better choices in my life. However, is fast food as detrimental as we think? In theory, it’s not the best option to maintain a healthy relationship with food. Processed food tends to have a negative effect on us, and it’s not always the way to go for a balanced diet. I noticed my dependence on fast food, not because I was a hardcore fan of it, but because of the convenience it offered me. What type of convenience? Well, for instance, the energy that I would normally put into the time-consuming task of cooking or preparing meals went to other tasks or necessities in routine instead, like homework, chores, or work-associated tasks. That’s about the only thing fast food offers.
If you look at it this way, most of us depend on a fast food meal when we’re out of our houses, maybe lunch or dinner as well. Most people could also argue that you save money but, if this is an everyday thing, then the same amount of money we spend on fast food could be spent on healthier options by choosing a small grocery store haul every week instead of the many fast food meals. This can be done correctly if you have a well-prepared list of things you like to eat or cook and if you prepare a meal plan for the week so that you work with a previously established amount.
With this said, my experience was a bit rocky. At first, I forgot all about it and, for the first few days, I stopped by a fast food place near my work. Once I remembered the mission, I had to start all over again. It’s not easy but it’s doable. In order to make progress, I had to remind myself each night about the challenge so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake.r I made a list of the foods I like eating each day and established how much of each I would need. After I planned a budget for the food, I went to the nearest grocery store, now I prepared my meals the night before I was going to eat them. This made me conscious of the portions I had to cook and what I would eat. Since I only cooked one meal for lunch, I didn’t spend as much time cooking as I thought I would have to, so it worked pretty great for me.
Apart from trying to remind myself not to resort to the same habits, all I had to do to counter my previous behavior was prepare my meals the day before so I didn’t leave myself hanging. Let’s be realistic though, I couldn’t accomplish this every day, which is why I looked for restaurants or local places near where I work that could fulfill my needs, affordable, healthy, and convenient meals. So on some days, I relied on these other options when I didn’t have energy the night before. What did this improve? I’d say a lot of things! Starting with physical aspects, my acne got way better, and my stomach problems slowly improved. I felt less bloated and tired, and my mood was better. In other aspects, I felt like I had some extra cash lying around because of how I’d controlled the situation. This made me feel very responsible for the things I was consuming and making and how I handled things ultimately made me feel really good about myself.
It felt like I had my back and that I was moving towards greener pastures by making better choices for my everyday life. It wasn’t easy and took some getting used to, but it was achievable and just overall improved many of the things I used to worry about. I’d recommend this to anyone looking to take some steps for the betterment of their everyday routines. This was great to try and very enlightening towards the effort I put into myself. It’s a good thing to explore and get to know what’s best for you, so if you have the chance, maybe this could also work for you!