Healthy Living: Limiting Fast Food

Over the next few weeks, I'll be providing insight into the checklist items for the #teamhealthyliving challenge! Many of you have asked how I've come up with the items, and quite frankly, there's no real way that I do lol. I just take a look at items that will push us to implement certain principles in our lifestyles!

Checklist Item(Week 2):  

Eat fast food ONCE this week.

Principle: Practice discipline, prepare your own food, and limit the amount of processed, fried, loaded in sodium, etc. foods!


Reasoning: Having to only allow yourself to eat fast food once this week will push you to be consciously thinking about your food choices. Nowadays many of us pass AT LEAST 5 fast food restaurants within a 10 minute drive and it makes it easy to stop and grab a bite to eat, MINDLESSLY. Sometimes I stop just because of the restaurant, not because I'm actually hungry. When you push yourself to only eat out one day a week, you're more conscious about your decision.


Eating out less/ only eating out once will also push you to eat at home more. Even if you don't know how to cook, you're much more likely to eat better options when you prepare them from home, and/or take more time to eat them. With fast food, we tend to eat, well, fast. Studies have shown that if you are slowing down to take full bites and fully digest your food, you're less likely to overeat, because you're giving your body time to KNOW and TELL YOU that it's full. When we eat too fast, sometimes we've stuffed ourselves before our body has sent a message to the brain to tell you it was full.


Lastly, fast food just isn't the best option. It was designed for convenience when people are unable to prepare a meal, however, we have MAXED OUT our fast food capabilities and then some. Now we as Americans just rely on the meals and it's killing us! While there may be healthy options at these places, why would you want to set yourself up? Too many times I've gone to McDonalds and told myself to get a salad and then I end up with a side of fries, barbecue sauce, and a soda lol.