A few years ago, I began “brown-bagging” (or packing) my breakfast and lunch, mainly to save money. I was a college student at the time, working in an office. I soon found that the average American spends $1200 on fast food a year. That cost is for individuals only and doesn’t include the price for a family! This made me change and do some math. Here’s how the numbers calculated.
- Bringing my lunch cost approximately = $ 2.45 per day
- Buying my lunch cost approximately = $8.80 per day
That’s about $25 a week or $50 per pay period, based on my three-day work schedule. So working five days per week is more. I figured, it’s about $80 – $100 per pay period for a person working a five-day work week.
What I Take for Breakfast
- Oatmeal
- Banana
- Bagel
- Cereal
I also invested in a Keurig, so I could bring my coffee to work and avoid Starbucks.
What I’d Take for Lunch
- Leftovers from dinner
- Frozen meals (caution: these are high in sodium)
- Sandwiches
- Homemade salads
- Fruits
- Chips
- Cheese and Crackers
Besides money, there are many other reasons you should avoid fast food. I started to see my body changing with the food choices I was making. Here are a few health related reasons you should avoid fast food:
- Fast food has too many calories, not enough nutrition
- One fast food meal can contain a full day’s worth of calories
- Fast food can cause various health issues including:
- High blood pressure and headaches as a side effects of high blood pressure
- High cholesterol which causes plaque in arteries. Clogging arteries makes it harder for blood to flow to heart and organs. This plaque can start forming at the age of 15.
- Spiked blood sugar, which tells our body to make more insulin, due to the amount of carbohydrates fast food has
- Carbohydrates also increase acnew
- Depression linked with commercial baked goods (cakes and donuts) because it is considered feel good food
Did you ever watch the documentary "Supersize Me"? After watching that and seeing how fast food affected them not just physically, but mentally, I began purposely limiting my fast food intake. I didn’t want to deny myself the food altogether, because hey, life is meant to be enjoyed and fast food is addictive. However, I probably only eat fast food 6-8 times a year now. Especially with McDonald’s I notice a depressive crash more and more, so I’ll probably cut back even more.
Good post; thought provoking!
Hey Keisha,
I did watch Supersize Me in school and it changed my life! Fast food does serve its purpose especially if you are always on the go like me! The fact that you cut it down to 6-8 times a year is phenomenal! Keep up the good work girl! My next challenge is to reduce how much "slow food" I eat. That’s really where my money goes to. Thank your for liking and taking the time to comment on my post Queen. Keep up the good work!