One of the things I've heard as to why people do not eat healthy is the amount of time it takes to prepare the food. This morning while my oatmeal was nuking in the microwave, I tossed three chicken breasts in the crockpot (on sale for .99/pound). I had time to take the skin off and everything and still had them salted and peppered by the time the micro "dinged." So, no more than three minutes. Making my salad took a little longer, tearing up lettuce, opening a can of tomatoes and pouring oil and vinegar on the salad. I mean, that was at least as long as it takes to place an order and wait for food at the drive-thru.
I was fortunate that I had a mother who cooked and we ate a variety of foods (even as a picky eater), most of them very healthy. Now I have time to plan, think through the strategy and shop purposefully.
Planning may be an obstacle to healthy eating. Planning is not the same issue as accessibility or affordability.
I am fascinated by this.
ReplyDeleteI think planning is the biggest obstacle to healthy eating. It requires the time to sit down and think through all your meals and snacks, be it on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
I am lucky enough to do this but I am still overwhelmed by it from time to time. Some days I just want to eat whatever I want, when I want. I can see why some decide it is too much effort.
I think planning also has to do with money. If there is no flexibility (or extra) to pay for some of the deals (peanut butter and pasta and canned/frozen veggies at buy one get one free) you can end up paying more money for those items instead of stocking up, eating healthy and in the end saving your wallet some money.
However, we are not a society that prides ourselves on long-term planning and current "denial" for later gains. Some days I want to go buy the $1.00 cheeseburger and call it a day. But I know in 20 years that might be the most expensive and stupid decision I ever made.