By Wilma Young, CPT
I got home today and what was my mailbox FULL of? Fast Food ads! A bucket of “this” and a biscuit stuffed “that” served with a huge side of heart disease and high cholesterol. I came home a bit tired and not wanting to cook so I can understand how hard it can be to resist these easy fast meals but I urge you…NO I beg you not to do it. The sodium, hydrogenated fats and useless “filler” of a food may be cheap today but our body’s will pay dearly in the future. Yes, this economy makes us think that the $2.99 special is the way to keep us going but please, think this through. You will pay for that meal with a slowing digestive tract, a weaker immune system, less nutrition in the body, poorer sleep and eventually a waistline that will bring in chronic disease and dare I say, jeans that will know longer have a home because you will have out grown them. I did not have an exciting dinner. No, I must say it was bland but I didn’t have the creative strength to whip up a Julia Child entree. So what did i eat? I had an easy omelette. 10 minutes from prep to plate…and it only cost me $3.01 (and no sales tax:)!. This was using only the best ingredients, a high Omega egg ($.36) , egg whites from a high quality source (@ $.75), organic steamed broccoli (@ $1.00) and some low fat cottage cheese ($.90). Not the dinner that I had in mind but I have added good nutrition, better sleep, lower blood pressure, a good mood and lots of “positive brain and body food” to my life. I can do this because I shop smartly and keep the best staples in my fridge and pantry, Julia Child may not be impressed but I will guarantee that you will thank yourself for a meal well prepared and a waistline that will fit in to your future the way you have always dreamed it would!