My food revolution: a year without fast food

There has been a trend in people who have been giving up fast food across the country. From Jamie Oliver’s new show Food Revolution to Michael Pollan and clips of Food Inc. showing up on Oprah, more and more Americans are being influenced on the way they consume food. I’ve personally been swayed and have attempted to cut out fast food for one year of my life.

Today marks three months since I returned from trip to Sri Lanka and also a quarter of year of not eating fast food. So far I haven’t lost weight, in fact I’ve gained weight because I’ve been working out less and working more. But, I feel good about not consuming processed foods, not eating beef, not sitting in a drive thru (other than a McD’s by LAX while dropping off a friend who wanted to pick up food for himself), and not feeding the machine of a fast food nation.

Difficulties thus far have been my discipline. I’m weak. I can barely push myself to do another set of curls at the gym let alone go to my Well Fargo ATM without sniffing the In-N-Out next door.  The smells of fries have consumed my life. The smell of chicken nuggets and sweet and sour sauce – ok not going to go off the deep end. Ultimately, it’s been tough to adjust.

Visits to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have increased. I’ve also tried to use more greens and also eat 80% less meat. I’m not a vegetarian – I couldn’t go veg cold turkey (pun intended). But, I think if every person could consume less meat, we’d definitely be on our way to turn the ship of obesity and water consumption. I also have managed to get by with eating at dine in restaurants like La Salsa, Subway, and random cafes because of their non-fast-food-like preparation methods and healthy meal choices. Lastly, I don’t preach to others about my change in lifestyle.  I don’t make others change their behavior – I simply vote on going elsewhere when it comes to choosing a lunch choice.

One quarter of the year done. My goals for the next three months are to continue to avoid fast food restaurants, work out consistently, eat MORE greens, and drink more water on a daily basis. Wish me luck!