This post is part of a series. If you haven’t yet read “A Journey to Health: An Invitation to Walk Through the “Fair” Differently,” you may want to start there. Click the link below to get a better understanding of where we’re headed with this series.
Have you ever met “that mom?” You know the one. She’s like Mary Poppins with her magical bag—complete with Band-Aids, a tiny screwdriver, wet wipes, aluminum foil, a portable phone charger that covers both android and apple, Neosporin, tweezers, a fidget spinner, a sewing kit, a stain-remover pen, snacks for three different age groups, a Sharpie, and a partridge in a pear tree.
If the wheels all come off, I want to be with her.
I probably don’t want to be her, though, because I’m not sure I’d find the actual appropriate item for the situation fast enough. I’d be digging through the whole dang bag while everyone else waited.
I am not that mom.
I toted a diaper bag for decades, but once my kids were out of diapers, they were pretty much on their own.
You’re probably wondering what that has to do with the fair or with weight loss – hang on, it’s coming.
If I were to go to the fair with a baby and a toddler without a wagon or stroller, money, wet wipes, diapers, extra clothes, a pacifier—and my phone was dead—my experience might be a little different than “that mom.” I’d be unprepared, and what could have been a fun time could quickly turn into misery.
I’d be lugging a baby on my hip while simultaneously trying to keep little Charlie from sticking his fingers into the goat’s mouth. I couldn’t even call in reinforcements. And heaven forbid someone soil a diaper! Without a wallet, I’d truly be up a creek without a paddle.
How often do I approach my health journey much the same way?
How do I expect to make nutritionally sound choices if my fridge just contains ketchup and some moldy cheese, while my freezer holds nothing but frozen pizza and ice cream? When my day has been rough and I open the cupboards to find Oreos and chips calling my name, I’m probably more likely to choose something without the nutritional value my 8 a.m. self would desire.
My 8 a.m. self may have the best intentions, but by 6 p.m., she may need a little help.
For me, I give myself that help by being practically prepared. You know what I mean… I try to give myself a fighting chance to choose a healthy option—or, if I’m being honest with myself, to eat at all.
For many years, coffee was my go-to until dinnertime simply because I wasn’t prepared with something quick and healthy for breakfast and lunch and I got sucked into work. My intentions might have been good, but without something nourishing and convenient within reach, I often defaulted to nothing at all.
Here are some practical food prep ideas that have worked for me:
- Make a big pot of soup…love the leftovers
- Salad jars (google them… amazing)
- Egg casserole or egg bites
- Hard boiled eggs
- Veggies sautéed and ready to throw into eggs or other dishes
- Cut up veggies and fruit
- Chia Seed Pudding or Overnight oats
- Protein shakes with spinach… (can’t taste the spinach)
- And of course make extra protein options (chicken, steak, hamburger, grilled meat, etc..) so leftovers are an option
So much of it comes down to having the food at home. I’m much more likely to choose something that doesn’t align with where I want to go when I don’t have a healthy option readily available.
Maybe practical preparedness is one small way I can practice wisdom and stewardship. For me, that means making sure I have plenty of great options I enjoy and that are fresh and ready to eat.
When I go to the grocery store, I look for lots of colorful vegetables and fruits and make sure I’m stocked up on protein too. I tend to spend most of my time shopping around the perimeter of the store, where I can find many of the fresh foods that I want to build my meals around. I don’t avoid the middle aisles altogether, but I am more intentional there, knowing that’s where I can easily fill my cart with highly processed foods, added sugars, and ingredients I don’t necessarily need.
I’m not trying to make my grocery cart perfect. I’m simply trying to stock my kitchen with foods that make it easier to nourish my body well when real life happens.
Scripture tells us that the prudent anticipate what is ahead and prepare for it. I’m not trying to create a perfect food environment or rely on my own willpower. I’m simply trying to make the choice I want to make a little easier when I’m tired, hungry, or having a hard day.
I’m preparing not because I don’t trust God, but because I want my everyday choices to reflect what I believe about caring for the body He has entrusted to me.
We see in Proverbs the example of the wise ant who prepares its food. I love that! The ant doesn’t wait until it’s hungry to start figuring out where its next meal is coming from. It gathers and stores provisions ahead of time. There is something wonderfully practical about that little ant!
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8
Could I learn something from it? Being prepared doesn’t guarantee I’ll always make the best choice, but it certainly gives me a fighting chance. When I take a little time to plan, shop for nourishing foods, prepare a few things ahead, and make healthy options easy to grab, I’m setting myself up for success when hunger, fatigue, or a difficult day arrives.
Wisdom looks ahead. It considers where we’re going and prepares accordingly. Perhaps my refrigerator and pantry can become part of that preparation—not places filled with rules and restrictions, but places stocked with good things that help me care for the body God has entrusted to me.
Next Steps: Stock Up and Set Yourself Up, Girl!
SPIRITUAL
This post is more on the practical side, but I love that we can meet God in the every day mundane moments. When you are doing your food prep, pump up the tunes and enjoy some worship music.
EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
Decision fatigue is a real thing! By the end of the day, I often don’t want to make any more choices—except, sometimes, the ones that are really easy.
Preparation gives me the gift of not having to make a decision in the moment. I want to be proactive with my food choices rather than reactive.
Setting myself up for less decision fatigue might look like defrosting meat in the morning or putting a crockpot meal together before the day gets busy. Sometimes it means cutting up vegetables and assembling salads or soup over the weekend so my mornings go more smoothly.
You do what works for you, but the more you can plan ahead, the fewer decisions you have to make when you’re tired, hungry, rushed, or distracted.
Prepare when you can. Then, when the moment comes, you have one less decision to make.
PHYSICAL
Supporting blood sugar stability — Preparing balanced meals ahead of time can make it easier to combine protein, fiber, greens, and carbohydrates rather than grabbing something that leaves you hungry again quickly.
RELATIONAL
I used to go to one of those meal-prep kitchens back in the day. It was great because I could prep a bunch of healthy meals and stock my freezer for my family, but I also got to socialize in the process.
You could do the same thing in a grassroots kind of way. Maybe you get a few friends together for a massive cooking day and split the booty. You prep a bunch of meals, fill your freezers, and enjoy some good conversation along the way.
We can make almost anything a way to connect with and encourage the people in our lives. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity to turn an ordinary task into an opportunity for community.
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