Conviction: Eat healthier!

I claim that I eat healthy food. To say that healthy food is not always an option is some times the truth, but usually just an excuse. I do get frustrated when I can't eat healthy and am "forced" to eat what has been provided for me. At times I need to eat what has been provided to be respectful, but usually I end up eating what is there because, well, it's there. And therein lies my biggest problem: I eat "what's there." I'm not going to starve any time soon, so why do I feel like I need to eat--even if it is "meal junk"? How often am I eating when I'm hungry anyway, and not just eating because it's "that" time?

I don't purchase junk food (unless you count the occasional dark chocolate), but others come and visit my apartment and bring junk with them. They bring in the chips, the soda, the brownies, the candy, etc. A group of ladies come to my apartment every Thursday night for a Bible Study and they always bring snacks to share with the group. We were doing mainly healthy things for a long time, but that changed when the seasons changed and not as many healthy options were available. Oh no--I'm just making another excuse! They know I LOVE twizzlers and someone usually brings me some. I eat them to be "respectful"--another excuse.

I grew up in the inner city in North Philadelphia where healthy food literally was not available. There were no supermarkets in the neighborhood and we didn't have a car. I remember taking the bus with my mom and my siblings to the supermarket. Not fun. My mom doesn't really cook and when she did she made "junk." My idea of a meal was a Philly soft pretzel on my way to school in the mornings with a hug and a bag of chips from the corner store for lunch. The corner store was where you did your household shopping from laundry soap to cigarettes to macaroni and cheese. The poor people's market. There were no fruit and veggies available.

I grew up eating like this and didn't really get to "make" my own food choices until I moved away to college (again, another excuse?). It was in college where I began to learn about how and what to eat. I met with a nutritionist several times in graduate school and was proactive about learning how to eat healthier. I felt better and invested more in my health.

I moved to a section of NY where food is not only expensive, but difficult to access. Again, I don't have a car and will not have a car until June when I move. The place that I live provides lunch and dinner daily, but it's not good for me. They try as much as they can to provide healthy food, but it's hard when cooking for a large group of people.

Which finally brings me to my conviction...I need to stop making excuses and need to eat healthy! The investment in my health will be worth it. I know that already. I've done it before. It's just inconvenient to eat healthy while living here--another excuse. I shop at Trader Joe's but TJ's isn't close and I always have to borrow a car to get there--I'm still making excuses!

I need to do it. I want to do it. Writing this blog is my commitment to it. I need to eat healthier.