Lucrative is when you talk about the American fast food industry. Come on, would you say anything less of an industry recording a whopping annual revenue of $110 billion? This is all thanks to 50 million Americans eating fast food every day.
Of course, I am well acquainted with how fast life is today and how everyone appears to be starved of time for cooking. I know how the kitchen appears to be a million miles away when you come home exhausted from work. Why go through the stress of cooking when a darling McDonald’s burger or a Starbucks snack is just a reach away?
As ready and relieving junk food from fast-food restaurants may appear, they are actually killing you one patronage at a time. Have you ever thought about the hefty chunk of sodium and sugar unhealthily piled up in those foods?
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The health risk is alarming. From depression to diabetes as far as fertility handicaps, there is a lot of damage each visit to that fast-food restaurant is causing you. How can you put an end to such relentless fast food patronage?
Make sure to plan beforehand
Meticulous would be a step too far, but it is important to plan your food regimen ahead diligently. Having your healthy meals budgeted and packed is one of the most efficient ways to manage your cravings.
Such planning helps to mentally tune you to what to expect in your next meal. This saves from the impulsiveness (to grab an unplanned food) that comes with perceiving certain food smells or being exposed to specific food cues (typically from social media, chats and advertisements) as we go along our daily routine.
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It is not true that planning will make your dieting monotonous and lacking flexibility. If you ask me, you can space out your Sunday for your grocery shopping. Next, prepare sizable quantities of healthy foods you have been craving that would last you through the week.
Get them preserved in foils or your typical storage containers. Every morning, say on your way to work, you can pack a cut that you would eat when out.
With such efforts invested in introducing predictability (or certainty) into your feeding routine, you are far less likely to hop into that fast food restaurant either during lunchtime or on your way back from work.
Ensure you are managing stress
Believe me, a large bulk of your cravings is facilitated by stress. You are most likely to jump at junk food from that fast food restaurant when you are feeling emotionally or mentally exerted – with such fast food restaurant becoming your much-needed culinary haven.
So instead of going for jump food as a stress-coping mechanism, how about you adopt healthier stress management systems like exercising (the likes of running, swimming, or cycling), yoga and meditation, and sharing your problems with a trusted loved one?
Fruits can keep you off that fast food restaurant
Fruits boast a wealth of antioxidants, essential vitamins, and water. More importantly, these fruits are rich in fiber which can help you feel full, effectively managing that craving for fast food. Furthermore, fiber reduces the possibility of a sugar crash.
Fruits like strawberries, bananas, and apples contain as much as 4 grams of fiber. Raspberries step it even further, containing 8 grams of fiber in each cup serving, while guava has as much as 9 grams.
By integrating these fruits into your meals, you would progressively fall out of love with manufactured sugar. This would eventually keep you out of those fast-food restaurants.
Sleep may help
I know it may not sound like the soundest advice, but healthy sleeping habits can significantly reduce your patronage of those fast-food restaurants. Let me explain.
People with poor sleeping habits suffer sharp drops in their energy levels in addition to experiencing emotional rollercoasters. What does this result in?
You energetically crave fast food. A visit to the nearest junk food depot – otherwise your fast food restaurant – would naturally follow.
Interestingly, a study revealed people who sleep less are more susceptible to strange hunger pangs and an obsession for delicious (but not necessarily healthy) snacks.
So one of the fastest courts to process your divorce papers with that fast food restaurant could be your bed, sleeping soundly. Ensure to sleep early when you can. Also, avoid eating too close to bedtime.
Lastly, integrate more protein into your meals
Just like the fiber-heavy fruits I mentioned, proteins can help you manage your cravings by making you feel full. You can consider combining healthy proteins with your meals like fish, beans, and nuts. The more full you feel, the less appealing the thought of a fast-food restaurant would be.
Keep being healthy!
