Food. Everywhere I turn I’m being bombarded with countless choices of snacks, sweets and treats. While out running some errands this afternoon, I became painfully aware of just how much the snack industry has infiltrated even the most unsuspecting of places. At every cash wrap there was an endless array of pre-packed junk just waiting for your little hunger pangs to tempt you to grab a bag as a snack on the way home. When did this become such a prominent practice? Having worked in retail once upon a time, I am aware there is something called a UPC or Unit Per Transaction. Most retailers have a goal to have the consumer buy a certain amount of goods per purchase. While upselling at the register is usually a little challenging, I could see how having something yummy and delicious close to check-out would help boost those numbers. Tricky isn’t it? It’s arguable that this endless temptation of junk food is placating the consumer from a)making healthy food choices and b) making any effort to prepare their own meals. Here me out on this one… I have a soap box to stand on for a minute.
Now by no means am I claiming to be the authority on nutrition and caloric needs, nor am I suggesting that people cannot make healthy food choices. What I am saying is that in a world of convenience, grabbing a few of these last minute snacks a few times a week will add up to several hundred, maybe even thousands of calorie poor decisions. We all know that consuming calories is the easy part. Burning up all those excessive calories is where it becomes challenging. Let’s do a little experiment shall we? Think about all those gas station, superstore, discount retail shopping trips made in the past week and add up how many times you bought one of those last minute “snacks” or beverages (yes sports drinks count too!). Now take that number and multiply that by 200 (I’m estimating the usual calories in ONE serving of those snack bags. Most have several servings per container). What was your answer? Is it under 1,000? Is it over 1,500? I’ll put those calories into perspective for you; one pound of fat is 3500 calories. If you’re eating more calories than you use AND add empty calories (and by this I mean offering NO nutritional value), this is from where your mystery three pounds manifested. Think about what you consumed. Was there any nutritional benefit from those snacks? Probably not.
What's the point in even eating any of it? I have a one word answer for you. Addiction. Addiction to sugar, salt and the dopamine that is released in the brain every time we eat. It feels good to eat! We all love it, hence why Thanksgiving is a meal we all look forward to and then regret after eating way too much. The solution is to break the habit of over consuming, especially the wrong types of foods. I can speak to addiction on an expert level. For over 15 years I was addicted to food, and might I add, food that offered no nutritional value at all. I suffered in plain sight to the power of my food addiction. I was ashamed and defensive all at the same time. Eventually, I overcame the eating disorder(s) that held me captive for so many years because I learned how to say NO. What?!? I learned how to have boundaries both with food and my emotions. I learned to say no to those pre-packaged pretzels at the convenience store and go home and eat food that had nutrients that would help my body function. At first, all I could see was all the temptations of terrible food choices. It took a lot of time and will power, but slowly (and I mean SLOTH pace slowly) re-learned how to eat properly. In my mind, it was a life of death choice; make a smart decision or else face the imminent end. After a while I just stopped noticing all the junk food because it wasn’t even an option for me to consider.
Besides the chemical effects of these ingredients on the body, people are also faced with the convenience factor. It’s easy to grab a bag of chips instead of going home and make yourself something to eat for lunch. We are all guilty of that. I’m too tired, or I’ve been working late and just want to eat something and go to bed. How do we remedy this issue? From my personal experience, I started to travel with healthy foods if I knew it was going to be a long day. Today for example I packed raw almonds to take with me because I KNEW the hunger pangs would start right about the time I was half way through my errands. Sure enough, my belly started to growl and I was prepared to make smart snacking choices AND save myself money on snacks while I was at it!
Rewiring your brain to make new behavior changes is challenging, but it can be done! The next time you’re out running errands and go to grab one of those convenience snack foods, just remember not only are they costing your food budget, but also your health as well. There is no amount of convenience that will make up for good health. Just like anything in life, food fitness takes practice. The more you make positive food choices, the more practice you get. And the more practice you have, the better you get at a healthy lifestyle. I encourage you to find support through family, friends, or heck even me when it comes to your food journey! Future you will be happy you did.
Comments