The cost of convenience

 Hello fellow travelers,
Today has me thinking about "convenience" in food and what it could mean to your weight loss or health journey. How many of you can say you have hit the drive thru or even gone to a restaurant because you were "in a hurry" or didn't "feel like cooking?" Be honest it's probably more times than you realize. I know for me the past couple of months have been a lot of that. Maybe not necessarily the drive thru, but my food choices haven't been as good as they were. Now like most your day up to even lunch starts out great. You have a wonderful breakfast at home that was healthy and delicious. But come dinner time, you scramble to get food and end up caving and going to the nearest pizza place or maybe decide to have food delivered to your house.
The problem with this "convenience" is that you are not getting the quality of "real" or good food. Which means your body suffers. If you are like me, you can't do much greasy or "fast food" because your stomach will not just get upset but you will feel like you might be dying. Today we have a problem in the world, and that problem is "convenience." When it comes to food, be it grocery shopping or going out to dinner, there is too much available at any given time. It causes us to pick food that might taste and look okay from say a fast food joint, but ultimately if we do a little digging or research on why that food is so good, and why our waist lines are increasing, you will find that is because those foods aren't just loaded with MSGs, sugar, and salt/sodium, but also full of other chemicals or ingredients that I can't even pronounce.
I think it is time for people to stop with the "convenience" and get back to the basics with food. What does that mean? Well maybe you can start growing some of your own food (like some fruits and veggies; yes I know this is Wisconsin so that option can be limited due to weather). Plan ahead of time, meaning when you go grocery shopping, maybe instead of trying to buy food for a whole month, you buy enough for you and your family for two weeks. That way will help you think of meal ideas and then you won't feel pressured or bad when something goes bad before you get to enjoy it. When grocery shopping stick to the perimeters of the store, for most items. This can be tricky as some stores have gotten sneaky by moving things around so that you are tempted to buy the quick and easy meals over the ingredients to make a full and healthy meal on your own. Now you might be saying, but I have a limited budget for food and this is cheaper, okay I get the budget thing ( I've been on a grocery budget for years, and if I can manage to find healthy good whole foods on my budget you can do this too) but ask yourself why is it cheaper? What is actually in the food I'm purchasing?
For me I stay away from too much sugar and definitely don't buy anything with corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. It might take a little more time and effort reading labels but trust me it is worth it and your body will thank you in ways you didn't realize.
That's all for today, keep drinking water, stay positive
Namaste