Mum was right - we DO have food at home

Our love for food, and how easy it is to whet a food lover’s appetite, is taken advantage of in a big way. Companies can bank on (literally!) our impulsive actions and they know every trick in the book to get us thinking we need their ready made meals and snacks whenever we leave the house. But like Mum used to say; “We have food at home”. Turns out this was yet another thing she was right about.

How do you stay strong in a world full of temptations?

I have been aware of advertising and its affects on us for a while. As an actor, I have done commercials for food and snacks, and learned tricks about how to hold and eat the food to make it appealing, and I have also read the casting briefs describing the “type of person” these companies want to represent their food. With all advertising, it goes beyond informing you about a product, we know this now and have for a while - it’s about making you think that this is something you need. Right now. The reasons - the narrative - might change depending on the product, but the aim is always the same: you need this, and when you have it, it will make you happy - like these people! In fact, you won’t be truly happy until you have it.

Even though we are fully aware of the once secrets of the marketing world, that doesn’t mean we don’t fall for it. This became incredibly clear to me one day recently. After essentially a year in lockdown, and most walks and travel happening in my local parks and woods - with no advertising flashed at me constantly - I went for a walk into the neighbouring town. Being a more urban route, I was now passing bus stops, double decker buses with ads on them, shop windows… And - funnily enough, I started getting all sorts of cravings. Things I hadn’t even thought about for months! I had to have it. But being so good at cooking my meals from scratch for so long now, I heard a voice in my head. “We have food at home”. Whoa - that voice sounds a lot like… Mum? Is that you?

Whenever we would travel anywhere when I was younger, I was so excited to see all the advertising for fast food, snacks, restaurants. I always tried to convince my parents that we needed it. But the answer was always “we have food at home”. Or, maybe more often, “I’ve packed food for us!”. I was annoyed at the time, because how boring is a packed sandwich from home when you see that big yellow M down the road? But now I’m very grateful. Planning packed lunches and bringing food on trips saved my family money, which is something I obviously value much more as an adult.

Now I want to take this idea to the next level. I want you to defeat these big corporations that take advantage of you when you are out travelling and not only get tempted by the food you see around you, but when you are legitimately hungry. On longer journeys, of course it doesn’t help knowing that you have food at home - when home is nowhere near where you are, or where you are going. Well, we return to our good friend planning. Planning seems boring maybe, but there is so much power in it. When you are prepared for the world you are going out into, you are ready to stick to the good habits you have created for yourself, and at the end of your journey, short or long, you will have saved so much money and you will feel so much better in your body.

Planning can look different for when you leave the house for short periods of time, and for longer journeys.

Let’s look at short journeys first: Running some errands in town or having a day of meetings: the only planning involved needs to be that you eat something shortly before you go out (what about a tasty Super Energy Nut Ball from the fridge!), so that you don’t start hungry shopping - and that you have something nice planned for lunch or dinner that day that you are actually excited about having (you’re not going to want a Subway if you know that in 30 minutes you can be home and have a delicious homemade tortilla wrap with feta cheese, leftover chicken and avocado). Just be prepared for what’s going to happen when you leave the house, and get ready to whack those temptations out of your way like Wonder Woman.

For longer journeys - if you are getting on a plane, or driving for miles and miles - this is where it can get really tough. Of course you can’t pack a huge cooler bag on top of your extra luggage when flying, but what you can bring is a box of mixed nuts and berries, a lovely snack that takes the edge off your hunger, and you can also, for shorter flights, pack a sandwich or even a salad! If you don’t want to carry a Tupperware box with you everywhere, fine - you can use a leftover takeaway box or something similar that you throw away/recycle later - it’s still less wasteful than buying something wrapped in plastic, right? And with your own sandwich or salad, you know exactly what goes in it and you know there’s not lots of added salt (that will make you extra thirsty, opening up for another temptation) or things that you don’t react well to. Travelling surely should be the time we take extra good care of how we feel.

If you work somewhere that has plenty of temptations for your lunch break - I feel your pain, but also, this could be a fairly easy situation in which to create good habits. You can meal prep once or twice a week and make gorgeous, tasty salads or bowls and just grab one to go every morning, find a peaceful place away from the shops and cafes and eat your food there. Your lunch break won’t be spent queuing up at a cafe, and now you can enjoy calculating how much money you’re saving every year by being in control of your own meals! There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself with a lovely takeaway coffee or a croissant from a bakery every now and then, it can be quite exciting! But if you make your own lunch, you are now choosing how to spend your money instead of thinking that you have to.

And though I’m all for saving money, the most important thing for me is obviously how you feel after the food that you have. Maybe you will be a bit more aware of what your food does to you if you made it yourself? Little tweaks you can do to improve it so it gives you the energy you need for the day, or the journey?

Take control - plan your food intake and feel better in your body and about your finances!

How do you defeat cravings when you’re out in the world - and what is your favourite packed lunch or snack? Post on Instagram and tag me @TheFromScratchBody and use the hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!