Fast Food

When I was growing up fast food was pretty much unheard of. I lived in a very small that consisted of one small grocery store and a single Mexican food restaurant. The Mexican food restaurant was a big treat for my family. We didn’t have very much money so eating out didn’t happen very often. I can remember when McDonalds was built in a town about an hour from my home. My grandmother lived about two blocks from the new exciting place. One Saturday my sister and I went to spend the afternoon with her and we begged and begged to go there for lunch. We had heard how amazing it was from all of our friends. Not only did they have cheeseburgers, but also their meals came with a toy. Another awesome perk was they had a play ground! After a lot of begging my grandmother finally gave in and took us. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I got the cheeseburger happy meal and my sister got the chicken nugget happy meal. The meals came with a Winnie the Pooh toy. We were so excited to finally have the chance to eat at this place we had heard so much about. Unfortunately the excitement was short lived. The food was unlike anything I had ever tasted and to be honest I hated it. It was a huge disappointment, and as hard as I tried I wasn’t able to finish my meal. As much as I was disappointed in the food it didn’t stop me from running wild and having a blast on the playground. I don’t think I ate fast food again for the next five years or so when they put in a Jack in the Box in that same town an hour away. Jack in the Box was a different story, the food was amazing! I was instantly hooked on their three-piece egg rolls. Jack in the Box became a huge treat for my family and I. We would go to Jack in the Box once every few weeks when we went into town to do our bulk shopping. Once I got married and moved away from home, fast food became a bigger part of my life. For most of my early 20’s fast food was on the menu at least four to five times a week. During that time I gained weight that I chalked up to coming with age and I had no energy, which I figured, came from having two small children. I had no idea of the damage I was doing to my body.

            Over the past several years I have became very invested in my health and the health of my family. It’s almost like one day a light came on and I started realizing that my eating habits weren’t benefiting me in any way. I slowly stared paying attention to the things I put in my mouth. I recently read a book called, “Eat This And Live” in the book it talks about how awful fast food is for you. The book really opened my eyes and I haven’t eaten fast food in over a year. The thought of eating fast food at this point literally makes me nauseous. I can’t say, “I will never eat it again” but I can say, “I hope I never do.”