Have you seen the new Burger King commercial advertising 10 chicken nuggets for $1.49? When it came on the TV last night, I jumped out of my seat. “What a fantastic deal!” “That’s too good to be true!” I screamed. Grant laughed and responded with “Are you kidding? You would never eat fast food.”
I thought to myself “Wow.” I have successfully transformed myself from someone who ate fast food nearly every day, to the kind of person with a reputation of not touching it with a ten foot pole.
In the city where I grew up, there was a strip with a McDonalds, a Wendys and a Tim Hortons all next door to one another. During high school, my friends and I would regularly drive thru all three, choosing one item off each menu. My regular order was a McDonalds cheeseburger, Wendy’s chicken nuggets with sweet & sour sauce, and a chocolate chip muffin from Tim Hortons. Not only did a version of this occur almost daily, it was not a part of breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Here is a photo of me at the beginning of college.
It’s crazy to think about, but that is just what kids do in high school, and nobody thinks anything of it! There isn’t really much else to do besides get into trouble, and I definitely wasn’t cool enough for that!
So you, reader, are probably not going through 3 drive thrus a day. You may not even call yourself a fan of the concept of fast food. You may have even skimmed a couple internet lists of “The 12 Worst Chemicals You Never Knew You Were Eating”. But I can almost guarantee that you still eat fast food from time to time. Today is the day to swear it off once and for all. No amount of “convenience” is worth poisoning your body. Fast food has absolutely zero redeeming qualities. Nobody is morally “pro” fast food. Nobody. It is not going to be a very controversial decision.
If you are stuck in a routine, however, it can be hard to change. Let’s say you and your favourite coworker enjoy Wendy’s every Wednesday, or you and the guys/gals routinely go out for Taco Bell after a night at the bar. Or on family road trips you stop at McDonalds for your beloved McFlurry and French Fries. It’s hard to break with traditions. You might feel embarrased to tell the coworker or friends that you are no longer eating fast food. But I’ll tell ya, it’s just the first few times that are awkward. Before long, everyone will know you as a person who would “never eat fast food!” and you will feel so great about that.
The moral of the story is, you can change any characteristic that currently describes you. You can be an infinite number of versions of yourself. I bet your facebook friend, the avid runner, remembers the version of herself before she went for her first run (even if you couldn’t possibly picture her any other way).
I am going to make my own chicken nuggets this week. I bread the chicken with falafel mix, and it is divine! Try it sometime. Love, Kayla.
CHICKEN NUGGETS (Fried): Chicken Breast Pattie Fritters with Rib Meat Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Water, Flavoring [Potassium Chloride, Flavoring, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin (Corn, Potato), Salt, Chicken Fat, Contains less than 2% (Chicken Broth, Citric Acid, Dextrin, Disodium Inosinate & Disodium Guanylate, Dried Chicken, Mannitol, Modified Cornstarch)], Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sodium Phosphates. BATTERED WITH: Water, Wheat Flour, Modified Wheat Starch, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Sodium Gluconate, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Dextrose, Spices, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Extractives of Turmeric. PREDUSTED WITH: Wheat Flour, Modified Corn Starch, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Leavening (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Sodium Gluconate, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Potassium Chloride, Spice. Breading Set in Vegetable Oil.
real food. home made. 
This was so refreshing to read! And it is so true — as a teenager, taco bell and mcdonalds were frequent stops. Now, I can’t even remember the last time I ate at either of those places. Clearly, the hardest thing to give up is the convenience, but it CAN be done. I feel so bummed when I hear people say something like “yeah, I know all the reasons I shouldn’t eat ___, but it’s just so easy, I don’t have any other options” — when really, they do. Even if you’re really busy, there are changes you can make to move away from those kinds of foods. And amazingly, the more distance you put between yourself and a big mac, the less appetizing it sounds, and the less you’ll crave it. I think so much of making the change comes from deciding you *can* make the change, instead of telling yourself you “can’t,” or that it will be too hard.
Oh, and breading your nuggets with falafel mix is straight-up brilliant (and sounds WAY better than mcnuggets). I’ll have to try that sometime. 🙂
I had a hard time not going on various other tangents with this, because it is a very complicated issue. There is a lack of priority on food. It’s like, “Gotta feed the kids somehow, what’s the easiest way?” instead of “I am so excited to fuel my loved ones with life-enriching nutritious and delicious food”. Sure it takes extra time, but it’s the best way I can think of to spend my time. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more!