And so it begins... - May 1, 2012

IT CAN'T BE DONE!

This is the most-common thing I hear when I talk to people about my idea of giving up all fast food for an entire year. They tell me that I'm crazy and that I can only last a few weeks doing this at most. They say that our entire food system in this country is too dependant on fast food and that I will run out of options quickly. They tell me that I will  go insane and start randomly eating small animals that I come across. They tell me that they don't want to see me for the next year because I'll be an angry person. In short... they don't believe it's possible. I plan to prove them wrong.

I believe that it is not only possible, but easy to do. I believe that giving up all fast food will not only be healthier for me, but also that it will result in a higher-quality diet made up of better food, that it will make eating a lot easier for me, and what may seem surprising to some, that it will actually save me money.

We do love our fast food in this country. And it shows! Not only in our ever-increasing size, but also in our wallets. We've been advertised to by this industry for most of our lives to see fast food as a part of a "balanced diet"... as an inexpensive way to feed our families.... as an oasis in the desert of hunger that materializes to bring nourishment to our bodies. I call bullshit.

Fast food is among the lowest-quality, worst-made, least value food for your dollar. We've become satisfied paying top dollar for garbage that only makes us fat, only increases our cholesterol and blood pressure, and leaves our bodies craving real nutrition. Your typical extra-value meal has little usable nutrition in it and is mostly made up of synthesized fillers that don't even exist in nature. Why do we keep scarfing it down?

We keep gorging ourselves on this crap because we've been very carefully socialized to think that it is a normal way to eat. We think we can't get by without it. We believe that it will sustain our bodies. We believe it's cheaper than eating a nutritious diet. Again, I call bullshit.

This blog is going to chronicle the next year of my life, from May 1st 2012 to April 30th 2013, of living without eating any fast food. I'll be doing weekly updates on how the project is progressing, what obstacles I'm encountering, and what surprises I discover along the way. I'll examine why fast food is not only so bad for us, but also why it is such low-quality food to begin with. I'll also show how I'm saving money by not eating fast food. Most importantly, I'm going to show how much better I will be eating and how my overall satisfaction with food will be much higher without fast food.

The Ground Rules

The biggest question I get from people is "what do you consider fast food"? This is truly a complicated question to answer. I've spent some significant time thinking about it and have come up with these guidelines:

- If the majority of food business at a place involves speaking into a sign to order and getting your food through a window, it's fast food.

- If most of the food options on the menu are arranged into preset meal combinations that take less than a few minutes to get, it's fast food.

- If the food is something that I would not usually be able to walk into my kitchen and make myself, it's fast food

- There are, of course, the obvious culprits: McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut (yes I'm including pizza delivery), Braums, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, KFC, Krispy Kreme (a hard one to give up given that I'm a cop), etc. There are several on this list that are obvious.

- Simple beverages are NOT included in this project, such as coffee, Diet Coke, etc. This is about food quality, and basic fluids are easily something that I can get at home anytime. So, yes, Starbucks will remain a part of my life, but I will have to hold off on the snacks that I typically get with my dark roast.

- Cafe-style (Denny's, IHop) or Cafeteria places are NOT considered fast food as the food is typically more fresh and the options are more akin to home cooking than fast food.

- Sit down restaurants are NOT considered fast food. This is for the same reason as the point above.

- In any situation where I face a "gray area" I'm going to default on the side of abstaining to make sure I do this thing the right way.

So... Off I Go!

So, here I go on this journey! I'll keep everyone posted about once a week about how it's going. Wish me luck!