Wellness Warrior gets on his high horse, an editorial.

I hear two excuses from people about why they don’t cook healthy meals at home. The first is “I don’t have the time.” and the second is “I get home, I am too tired.” …   “But”, the lady says,  “I get home from work and I am tired,  I don’t want to be slaving In the kitchen. It is easier to get some meals from Micky Dee’s.”  And she is 40 pounds overweight with high blood pressure.  “But”,  the man says, “I commute a long way and I don’t have time to go home and cook. KFC is on the way and my kids love it.”  And all the kids are bordering on obese.

I have some thoughts on this.  Let’s take on “tired” first.  If you get home tired, maybe it is because you don’t eat healthy foods.  Processed foods are “dead foods”.  This means they don’t provide energy, only calories.  Also they tend to be high in High-Fructose corn syrup and chemicals that no one can pronounce.  So here is the vicious cycle.  You eat dead foods and they don’t provide energy, then you crave more and you are caught.  It is almost safe to say that people are addicted to processed foods.  And there are more obese people than ever before. 

Energy comes from two sources, rich, wholesome foods and exercise.  Yes, exercise!!   Tony Robbins, whom I admire a great deal, says,  “The more energy you spend the more you have.” It is well known that if you keep moving you have more energy.  Energy requires fuel.  Fuel comes in eating healthy foods void of High fructose and chemicals.  The body does not know how to deal with these horrible substances.

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.  Rodin

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.  William Penn

Let’s tackle the TIME issue.  If you don’t have time to cook, I say you don’t MAKE time to cook.  If you say you don’t have time to exercise,  I say you don’t MAKE time to exercise.  It truly is a matter of priorities.  So it easy to pick up a ready prepared meal at the store and have it handy in the fridge or the freezer.  It cooks in 30 minutes or less and you feed your family a pile of “Dead Food”.  

Let me tell you a story.  About 20 years ago my wife and I used to have an agreement.  Who ever got home first was supposed to start cooking.  I love cooking so much that I started devising ways to make sure I beat her home.  I mastered the 20 minute meal.  That is,  I could be serving up dinner in 20 minutes from the time I entered the kitchen.  Everything I cooked was from scratch and for the most part very healthy. Now I can still cook in about 20 to 30 minutes and not use a single item from a box, can or package.  That is, I can eat healthy.  So how much time do you save by popping in at the local fast food store?  Here is the real question,  is it worth saving 10 minutes to give you and your family a lifetime of bad eating habits, not to mention “dead foods”?  Rachel Ray has the “30 Minute Meal” on the food network and I love that show.  It truly is possible to have it in 30 minutes especially with a little help.

Here are some ideas on how to cut the time down.  You could prepare some of the night’s dinner in the morning when you have more energy and have it waiting in the fridge.  Any child over 8 can be taught to help with chores in the kitchen, slicing, dicing, shredding,  etc.  Cook Beans, Lentils and Rice on the weekend and they last all week in the fridge.  A stew or a chili makes great leftovers and can be served up later in the week. Vegetables that have been lightly steamed or stir fried are way healthier than food that has been overcooked. That is a huge time saver.

In conclusion, a life time of bad habits does not catch up to you  ‘til years later.  The weight adds slowly and it is very hard to get rid of and keep off.  Disease does not hit you until it is too late.  Then you run to the doctor and want him to fix you.  Doctors are not taught to cure, they are taught to treat symptoms. 

“CARPE DIEM”  Take charge of the day and your life.  It is easy to eat healthy.  It tastes better to eat healthy.  You will lose weight.  You will have more energy.  You will ward off sickness. So dust off those pots and pans and start planning a better life.   I have a few great recipes in my blog archive.  Please check them out.  Contact me if you want cooking lessons.  Thanks.