Bring Food With You
COVID-19 and the lockdowns associated with it caused a sharp rise in the amount of time spent at home. While the pandemic is over and life has returned to “normal”, the change in time spent at home has only dropped slightly from its apex in 2020.1Yes, it’s true that things feel different since COVID, like the timeline shifted to an alternate reality or the simulation we’re in is glitching. I can’t place my finger on it either but you are indeed correct that shit doesn’t feel normal.
According to the data, people are still remaining at home for large periods of the day and it’s part of a trend that started long before COVID, as there’s been a steady decline in out-of-home socializing, shopping, entertainment, and travel since 2003.
None of this applies to you, though.
At a time when people are becoming homebodies, you’re one of those people who’s always out and about.
Whether after work or on your off days, you’re hardly ever home and are instead engaging in some activity that keeps you out of the house, such as visiting the local library, volunteering for a cause, going to a community event, taking a class or workshop, attending a book club meeting, exploring new places around town, etc.
Well, if my home were also infested with rats and roaches, I’d likewise do anything that a normal person wouldn’t do for leisure as an excuse to spend as much time away from home as possible too!
But here’s the thing…
When you’re away from home for work or to participate in activities by yourself or with others, there are select places you can get food from. That food from vending machines, concession stands, food trucks, diners, fast food joints, work cafeterias, and mall food courts, for example, is typically high in calories and loaded with excessive amounts of sodium, fat, and sugar while not providing as much protein or fiber. That means the places where you can get food from outside of your home are less than ideal sources of nutrition for someone trying to manage their weight.
Food from outside sources can make a significant difference in the total calories and sodium, fat, and sugar you consume daily and weekly, all of which can increase the difficulty of staying the same weight or losing it. It’s for this reason that you should bring your own food from home whenever you’re going to be out for long periods of time. That way, you don’t have to grab whatever’s available when you’re hungry and are in a better position to control the content of what you eat and its portion size.
Saving money from not having to purchase food that’s generally more expensive than your own is an additional benefit of taking food with you, as is saving time from not having to stand in line, drive to a restaurant, or wait to get served before being finally able to eat.
The outlined are a few of the reasons to bring food with you whenever you go out. Now, concerning the safety of that food considering the vermin that have probably already contaminated it through their body, feces, or urine making direct contact with the food itself or equipment and surfaces used in preparation of it at your home, that’s another matter!
Glossary: calories, COVID-19, dietary fat, food, nutrition
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