Intermittent Fast-food
Intermittent Fast-food
The act of resorting to fast-food only when necessary.
I can’t believe I’m eating at Chowking this afternoon. I miscalculated my satiety period. Okay, so I shall just choose the macro that could satiate me for the next 3 hours or so. I’ll be home by then anyways. Definitely not fried chicken. Who knows how many times they have already used the oil to fry the chicken in? Plus, these industrial grade cooking oil are no good for the health anyways. It could tip the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio in favor of Omega 6.
Back in the days when I was working for Jollibee, the McDonald’s of the Philippines, I would envy these three kids who would eat at Jollibee everyday. I would clean after they eat. I thought to myself, these three kids must be so wealthy they can afford to eat friend chicken everyday, each with more than one chicken per meal. I would wish that I could do the same. Looking back, though, it was a naïve longing. Knowing what I know now about processed foods, I would not give it a second thought of eating fast-food daily.
I remember the security guard who used to work for Jollibee, in the same year I was working there; I was just 18 years old. About 5 years later, the guard developed liver and kidney failure. I know correlation doesn’t equal causation. But he worked there for years. And he would be given free Jollibee food daily. I’m not sure if it was the whole three meals that he was given for free. But at least one meal, it’s on the house.
Nowadays, most of my meal is made inhouse. I would shop for fresh produce and vegetables at least 2 times a week. This has caused much inconvenience. But I thought, what’s my alternative? Eating out every time I feel hungry? That takes toll not only on the wallet, but also on the health. It’s not sustainable at all. Sometimes I would shed tears from slicing and chopping ingredients, asking existential questions such as: “What is the meaning of life?” Is chopping onion all that there is?
Then it dawned on me that the modern fast-food industry did not exist a hundred years ago. Sure the French had their gourmet restaurants, but most people would just devour home-cooked meal. Nowadays, though, cooking has become a lost art. This is because fast-food delivery has become the norm. But not all normal is healthy. It’s like blood pressure; many believe that 120/80 is normal. Well, it may be normal because it’s the average reading. But that doesn’t mean it’s optimal.
So are you saying that if the majority of the population is unhealthy and the average blood pressure is 140/90, is that the normal now? Yes, it may be normal because it’s the average, but it doesn’t automatically imply it’s healthy. If a false belief is shared by 99.999999% of people, will that belief turn into truth just because the majority agrees with it? So today, just because many people eat at fast-food restaurants doesn’t make it normal, let alone healthy.
Why don’t we merge the ancient wisdom with modernity. Instead of eating fast-food most of the time and home-cooked less of the time, why not inverse it? Why not eat whole food 80 percent of the time and eat out only when necessary? Even if you are a billionaire and can afford eating out for eternity, you would still reap what you sow. You only have one liver and a couple of kidneys.
And this is where the fun part begins. Some people may argue that Warren Buffet, a billionaire, eats at McDonalds every morning. He may be an extreme case, but we can’t really know absolutely what makes one sick and what is the ultimate healthy food. There are Octogenarian smokers. And there are healthy people who die early for some reason. So just because we cannot control what the future holds we just resort to hedonistic indulgence? It’s like saying, oh we cannot really predict accidents on the road, so I don’t need to wear my seatbelt or my helmet or check my tires. After all, even the most careful driver and the most conditioned vehicles get into accidents.
With food, if you want to take chances by not getting your nutrition together and just consume empty calories, that’s your call. But as for me, having the majority of my food coming from fresh and less processed ingredients has given me more energy, less fatigue, and more mental clarity. Who knows, you brain fog may be caused by your sugar-laden glazed dessert? Again, this is not medical advice.
This is for ranting and entertainment purposes only. You are still responsible for your own well-being. But as for me, despite the hassle of shopping, the time it takes to prepare the food, and the resources used to purchase the highest quality ingredients is worth the investment. But if you could also cook inhouse, especially healthy cooking, it will be worth your while, too.
Hope this content on food became a food for thought for you. Pun intended.