Convenient foods; we have all be attacked by these forceful creatures! They lure us in with their pretty packaging, promise of flavor, and most importantly, easy accessibility. Our extreme hunger forces us to surrender, following our stomach’s desires instead of our better judgment. Let’s examine some vulnerable scenarios where your chances of being victimized are increased:
- You are on an airplane and your stomach is growling louder than the roar of the engine. The food options are packaged cookies, peanuts saturated with honey and sugar, and a previously frozen fried chicken platter. There are four hours remaining on the flight…uh oh, here comes the Convenient Food Force!
- You are driving from
Los Angeles to
San Francisco, and your stomach is low on fuel and needs to be filled pronto. You take the next exit of the deserted Hwy 5, and the options are McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Jack in the Box. (oh and some road house café you wouldn’t dare walk into alone) Uh oh, here comes the Convenient Food Force!
- It’s 4pm, you have to finish a report by 6, and when you look at the spreadsheet all you see is a hamburger. (guess that salad you had for lunch didn’t fill you up) You don’t have time to run out, and the only sustenance onsite is the calorie laden vending machine. You know what’s coming…run…run fast!
You have two options: you can allow these temptresses to beat you up on the outside while destroying your organs on the inside, or you can fight back!
Protect yourself from the Convenient Food Gang by carrying your defense mechanisms with you at all times. Never leave home without your brown bag, and fill it to the top with a variety of healthy foods and snacks. The options are endless: mini carrots, apples, whole wheat crackers and hummus, low fat string cheese, a sandwich made of whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, and unprocessed strawberry jam. (maybe throw a banana in there?) Instead of reaching for a quick and easy fix, you can fill your void with nutrition by simply reaching into your bag. Talk about convenience!
There will be times when your brown bag won’t have access to a refrigerator and will need to be loaded with processed nourishment. The lifespan of a packaged item makes it valuable to a hectic lifestyle, however any food found under a box or wrapper needs to have an impressive label. And don’t ever be fooled by an intelligent marketing strategy or a universal assumption. A good example is a protein bar or shake, which is an ideal weapon to bring on the run and protect you from “the force.” However, make sure you are making an intentional purchase and not buying a candy bar in costume. A “protein bar” should contain at least 15 grams of protein, be low on sugar, and hold an adequate amount of fiber. Other good foods to shield you are nuts (in their natural, naked state), baked chips, rice cake crisps, whole wheat pretzels, and trail mix deficient of chocolate and sugary dried fruit. Some things to remember when picking any packaged foods are the fewer ingredients the better and the components listed first are the most prevalent. Leave the processed snack on the shelf if:
- It contains any saturated fat (even if the packaging claims “no trans fat”)
- The first (or second or third) listed ingredient is high fructose corn syrup or anything in the simple sugar family
- It claims to be whole wheat, but the first word on ingredient list isn’t “whole” (as in whole wheat flour, whole grain, etc)
- It contains the words fortified or enriched (simply means the nutrition has been removed and replaced with an imposter)
- The ingredient list contains several chemicals and long words you can’t pronounce
Always read and comprehend the back of a box before you buy to ensure you’re investing in authenticity and not fraud. This nutrition and health article will ensure that traveling won't get in the way of enjoying yummy, healthy foods!
Remain safe in the land of convenient food with a brown bag on hand. Smuggle snacks through your carry on, take healthy food on a car ride, and keep a stash of nutrition at your desk. You can choose to venture out unarmed and convince yourself you’ll order a salad at the Micky D’s drive through, but the second you smell those fries the “gang” will shoot you down. Don’t be defeated by a force you are stronger than! The convenient food war is a battle you can always win! And victory sure tastes sweet!
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