I was just reading about a young local entrepreneur who is peddling a product called “VitaPerk.” It’s a “coffee additive” containing fifteen vitamins. His pitch: “There are over 5 million cups of coffee consumed in the US each day. Most people are living busy lifestyles. They don’t have the time to eat healthy.” Okay, hold it right there. They don’t have the time to eat healthy. Let’s reflect on that notion because (a) it’s a cliché repeated ad nauseum, and (b) it’s false.
“Most people are living busy lifestyles.” I hadn’t noticed. Well, yes, actually I had. I personally have four very active kids (five, if you count the husband—and I do), a dog, a blog, a budding health coach business, nutrition education coursework, membership on several boards, and so on. With that going on, I am far from the busiest or most harried person I know. Yes, it’s busy for us all. Yes, it would be quickest to stop at the drive-through for lunch. Yes, it would be easiest to order my kids Pizza Hut for dinner. Yes, it would save time to load the pantry with Costco mega-boxes of Cheetos and Pringles and the freezer with prepackaged dinners.
But here’s what no one has time for: an overweight, depleted, exhausted, and sick body. Because what do you think this “I don’t have time to eat healthy” mindset really amounts to? Here’s a little bit of what happens when you fuel your tank on crap:
1. You don’t digest well.
2. You mess with your metabolism and gain weight.
3. You clog your heart.
4. You don’t sleep well.
5. You don’t have energy.
6. You risk depression.
7. You increase cancer risk.
When I hear the chorus—”People today don’t have the time to eat healthy”—I find myself wondering who exactly has time for all of this?
It’s crazy to think about what “I don’t have the time to eat healthy” costs you in lost productivity and joie de vivre. Do you want to be out there living or sitting in a doctor’s waiting room? Do you want to be sleeping at night, or up staring at the ceiling, then exhausted and unproductive the following day? Do you want to deal with stomachaches, cramps, and bloating every time you eat, or do you want to feel energized by clean food? Do you want to overload your heart so that you can barely climb a flight of stairs, or strengthen it so that you can stay active for decades? Where do people who claim they are too rushed to buy and eat real food plan on finding all the time they will need to devote to the medical care that will be required to manage their sick bodies?
“People don’t have the time to eat healthy” is exactly backward and exactly wrong. Talk about a time suck, or robbing Peter to pay Paul. No offense to the young, clueless entrepreneur I mentioned, and I hope he finds his path. But no more cheap sales pitches and quick fixes when it comes to caring for ourselves. There’s no insta-cure for eating shit. A major part of my goal in KALEandKANT is to share ways that I myself have learned to incorporate healthful eating and living into a very busy life and household. It’s not Hegel or astrophysics. It just takes some planning and a little education. I promise it will make you happier and, in the long run, save you time.
I just stumbled across your blog, and am enjoying it! I hate the time excuse. It takes me just a few minutes at home to slice up veggies for a salad, spoon in some beans and add salsa as dressing (and I bring greek yogurt and fruit, too). As opposed to coworkers who leave the office, drive to Fast Food Joint, wait in line….they are usually gone for 20+ minutes. So how are they saving any time??
Don’t get me wrong…we enjoy eating out on Friday nights as a family. It’s our treat night. But I own it as pleasure, not “saving time”. It is always faster to prepare a meal at home than to wrangle kids into the car, go to a restaurant, wait for the meal, etc.
I agree! And think about the time involved later on to deal with all of the medical ailments one inevitably develops after years of eating junk. People often don’t realize how much quicker and cheaper it is to just cook!