Fork in the Road: Choosing Health at Home and Away

Over the past couple of weeks have you:

  • Eaten a meal in the car
  • Eaten a meal while walking
  • Eaten fast food
  • Eaten a meal while you continued to work
  • Skipped a meal because you were too busy

If you answered yes to any of those, you are not alone. US Foods research has found that the average person eats out 3 times a month and orders delivery 4.5 times a month.

According to USDA reports, consumers are spending more money on eating out than having food at home and the numbers are continuing to climb. Spending money on food at home is at an all-time low in comparison to money spent on food away from home being at an all-time high. I find the chart below very interesting in watching how the numbers were trending until 2020 and then the change that took place with food after the pandemic.

graph title: share of food-away-from-home spending reached record high in 2022. Showing trend of food eaten at home versus food eaten away from home from 1997 to 2022. Graph can be found on USDA at https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2023/september/u-s-consumers-spent-more-on-food-in-2022-than-ever-before-even-after-adjusting-for-inflation

When our lives are spent rushing from one location to the next, it takes planning on our part to make sure we are eating nutritious meals, and we aren’t letting rash decisions pick less optimal choices. Poor eating habits can lead to feeling tired, increased stress and a weakened immune system. Let’s explore simple strategies for eating well on the go and building a plan to enjoy more meals at home.

General rule of thumb when making nutritious choices while eating out:

  1. Select menu items with less fat: Baked, braised, broiled, grilled, poached, roasted, steamed
  2. OCCASIONALLY select: Batter-fried, pan-fried, buttered, creamed, crispy, breaded and have them as a side or split with friends
  3. Portion size- order regular or child size, order appetizer in place of main course, split meal or share
  4. Switch out the fried foods for a salad, baked potato, fresh fruit or another vegetable option
  5. Ask for your sauce on the side, request higher fat foods be left off like mayonnaise, bacon or cheese, ask to be prepared with less oil or add more vegetables
  6. You can use apps to check on the nutritional content of your selected food choice. Most restaurant menus will give you the calorie range but by using an app it will also tell you fat, carbohydrates and sodium content. Most restaurants now have their own data showing the nutritional content.

If eating more food at home is your goal, then some strategies are needed.Table setting

  1. Menu Plan: look at your family’s schedule for the upcoming week and plan meals out accordingly. This can be in a notebook, a piece of paper on your fridge or an app.
  2. Kitchen Gadgets: Depending on your work and evening schedules it may be helpful to have something in the crockpot, instant pot, grill, use the griddle or the microwave to warm up leftovers or steam frozen veggies.
  3. Cook Once Eat Twice: batch cook items that can be used in several meals (brown several pounds of ground beef/turkey for tacos, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes- extra rice for burrito bowls and then fried rice)

Whether you’re dining out or cooking in, every meal is a chance to take the healthier path—because the fork in the road is really the one in your hand.

 

Written by: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Washington County

Reviewed by: Megan Taylor, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Educator, OSU Extension Union County

 

Burnout: Reclaiming Balance

burnout written with flames burning a whole through the wordsToday we live in a fast-paced world with tight deadlines and multiple responsibilities creating a sense of overwhelming stress. We work hard and drive for success. We continue to push ourselves faster to the point of exhaustion. However, there’s a tipping point where exhaustion turns to burnout. Psychology Today defines burnout as “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.”

Burnout happens slowly overtime, often unnoticed. We start to push ourselves to get extra stuff done, gradually increasing the pressure on our accelerator. We pick up extra responsibilities at work due to cuts, there’s software changes we need to learn, a family member needs help getting to doctor appointments, driving kids to extracurriculars, home repairs, and the list continues. The next thing we know, we’ve got the accelerator pushed all the way down going 100 miles an hour. The tipping point happens when we can no longer sustain the high speed with high performance.

Understanding Burnout

We need to recognize the early signs. It’s important to pause and take inventory of all the items you’re taking care of. Be honest with yourself as you examine your response to things throughout the day. Common early warning signs include:

  • Chronic fatigue- exhaustion lingers
  • Increased irritability- small disruptions lead to major frustrations
  • Lack of motivation- tasks feel draining and pointless
  • Physical symptoms- headaches, trouble eating or sleeping, digestive issues
  • Isolation- withdraw from social obligations

Practical Strategies

Create a sustainable balance. Actionable strategies include:

  1. Prioritize self-care
  2. Set boundaries
  3. Take breaks
  4. Ask for help
  5. Reevaluate expectations

Burnout is a sign that something needs adjusted. To ease up on the accelerator, we need to work smarter and more intentionally to restore the balance. Take a deep breath, reassess, and find ways to regain control of your energy and incorporate joy into your day.

 

Written by: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences, Washington County, Ohio State University Extension, Bohlen.19@osu.edu

Reviewed by: Megan Taylor, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Youth Development, Union County, Ohio State University Extension, taylor.4411@osu.edu

Photo Credits:

Pixabay

Feelings of Heaviness?

word job on someone's back

In the poem, “For One Who is Exhausted, a Bleassing” the Irish poet John O’Donohue writes:

Weariness invades your spirit.

Gravity begins falling inside you,

Dragging down every bone.

Can you resonate with those words? Do you find yourself having strong stressors and emotions when you listen to the news or read the newspaper? You may find yourself experiencing personal challenges, financial stress, high-pressure jobs, parenting, caregiving, or dealing with a chronic illness. I find myself wondering what’s next or what else am I going to be expected to handle. If you too find yourself with a sense of struggle, being irritable, difficulty concentrating or lacking motivation. Those are sign’s you may be emotionally exhausted.

Emotional exhaustion tends to happen slowly over time and people can find themselves feeling worn out and drained. According to the Mayo Clinic, emotional exhaustion includes emotional, physical and performance symptoms.

person sitting down with head between their knees

Emotional symptoms can include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Irritability
  • Lack of Focus
  • Lack of Motivation
  • Negative Thinking
  • Sense of Being Trapped
  • Tearfulness

Physical symptoms can include:

  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Lack of Appetite
  • Muscle Tension
  • Poor Sleep
  • Upset Stomach

Performance symptoms can include:

  • Difficulty Completing Tasks
  • Increased Absences
  • Isolation
  • Lowering Commitments
  • Not Meeting Deadlines
stones on the beach at the ocean

The middle of the poem goes on to talk about getting out of the heaviness and shifting your focus.

Draw alongside the silence of stone

Until its calmness can claim you.

Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Strategies to reduce emotional exhaustion can include:

  • Balancing Your Thoughts
  • Eating A Balanced Diet
  • Exercising
  • Minimizing Stressors
  • Practicing Mindfulness
  • Sleep

Heaviness can lift. That temporary state can be overcome and when it does, you will feel light again.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,

Having learned a new respect for your heart

And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

You are stronger than you realize—every challenge you’ve faced has built a resilience within you that can carry you through this too. You will rise stronger than before.

Written by: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Washington County

Reviewed by: Megan Taylor, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Educator, OSU Extension Union County