FREE Subscription
The World’s Most Popular Natural Health Newsletter   
 
 
POSTED BY
March 02 2005
1,699 Views

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

Last Minute Meal Planning Leads to Poor Nutritional Choices

 
Fast Food Kid

When it comes to meal planning a survey found that over one-third of Americans decide what they will be eating at the last possible minute. In addition, over half prefer a dish that requires minimal effort to prepare. The online survey of almost 53,000 people also revealed that 6 percent based their meal selection upon nutritional value and around half admitted to zoning out in front of the television while eating.

The main concern seems to center around what’s quickest and easiest to prepare to feed the family. Oftentimes this results in nutritious meals taking the back burner to the convenience of fast food.

Top Four Desires When it Comes to Meal Preparation

  • Easy to make
  • Satisfies their hunger
  • Takes little or no planning
  • Can be made with ingredients on hand

Most Common Home-Cooked Meals in Order of Popularity

  1. Meat
  2. Poultry
  3. Sandwiches
  4. Italian dishes
  1. Casseroles/oven dishes
  2. Fish
  3. Frozen-prepared main dishes

Because people want that fresh flavor and have little time for prep work they are opting for ingredients such as pre-washed salads, precut and washed vegetables, pork tenderloin and boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

For busy two-parent households one professor of pediatrics recommended involving the kids with meal preparations as the chances they will eat what they help make are much greater.

USA Today February 14, 2005



Dr. Mercola Dr. Mercola's Comments:

One-parent households, kids and time crunches are causing families to bring home fast food for dinner now more than ever before. This survey clearly reflects that when it comes to meal preparation, most Americans believe the quicker the better. Unfortunately, it’s this way of thinking that makes it so easy for people to leave the responsibility for their health on the back burner, until the inevitable medical crisis makes these bad habits impossible to ignore.

With that said, one of the best things that you can do for your family and yourself is to carve out some time to prepare healthy food. If you want to get or stay healthy, someone is just simply going to have to spend some serious time in the kitchen. The time you save by eating at fast-food restaurants or pre-packaged foods is not worth the future health complications it could cause. Besides, the price you pay for "convenience" could be higher than you thought: Your health or your life.

I strongly recommend reviewing one of the more popular articles I've written on time-saving tips to prepare healthier food for you and your family.

I understand that with today's fast-paced society this can be a difficult task for busy families, however, there are some healthy solutions for families (and individuals) on the go.

You can be a bit more proactive, as, after all, it is no mystery that you will need to eat lunch during the day, so plan ahead and make healthy choices. That is the best choice. However, if life beats you up and you simply don’t have time occasionally a better option to fast food is Living Fuel Rx, as it is a completely nutritious convenience food. Living Fuel Rx provides concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fats and enzymes in a convenient powder form.

Also, if you aren’t yet convinced of the danger of avoiding fast foods I would strongly encourage you to view Super Size Me. It will help you more fully appreciate the challenges that our obsession with fast food has on our health. One of the little known, but major, problems with eating at McDonald's, or any other fast food outlet, is that you are decreasing your input of direct energy from the sun, or biophotons.

If you are interested in reading more about why fast food chains like McDonald's are significant contributors to worldwide poor health I suggest reading the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. In this book you will find compelling insight on how under-trained the work force in the fast food industry is and how the widespread corporate conformity discourages the very individualism that brought these giants their initial success.

Related Articles:

Meal Super Sizing Explodes in U.S.

Fast Food Industry Concerned About Health and Nutrition

Is Fast Food Addictive?

Fast Food Twice a Week Linked to Obesity & Diabetes

TV and Eating Out Makes Kids Fat

Junk Food One-Third of Diet

Did you find this article interesting?  Interesting Not Useful
Community Comments ( 0 )
Comment on this Article

 
Truste
 
Mercola