Several factors contribute to the everyday challenges people face in maintaining a healthy diet today compared to 20 years ago when it wasn’t as difficult to eat healthy and fast food wasn’t served in almost every household across the way. Most families’ meals were prepared at home while dining out was more for a treat or celebration not including those who had the money to just blow on dining out multiple times a week if not every day. These factors are often interconnected and have evolved with changes in lifestyle, food availability, and societal norms.
- Affordability and Accessibility: In today’s time it almost seems cheaper to eat fast food than it is to buy groceries, and even buying groceries can be unhealthy due to the readily available processed food options that can be hard to stay away from these foods are often high in calories, saturated fats, sugars, and sodium, and they tend to be less nutritious than whole foods, and in most cases will stretch the dollar. The rise of fast-food culture and the prevalence of fast-food restaurants have made it more convenient for people to choose quick and often less healthy meal options. In some cases, unhealthy food options are more affordable and accessible than healthier alternatives. This can be a significant barrier, especially for individuals with limited financial resources.
- Busy Lifestyles: It’s mind-blowing to know that we are way busier nowadays than fifteen-plus years ago, but the minutes within the hour have not increased by a second. Modern lifestyles have become busier, with people facing time constraints due to work, family, and social commitments. This can make it challenging to prioritize and prepare healthy meals, leading to a reliance on fast and convenient food options. Our busy lifestyles can put us under stress that we don’t realize we’re dealing with, which can affect emotional and psychological factors causing emotional eating, and the rewarding nature of certain foods can influence dietary choices. People may turn to comfort foods in times of stress, even if those foods are not nutritionally sound.
- Social and Cultural Influences: Social and cultural factors play a role in shaping dietary habits. If unhealthy foods are prevalent in a person’s social or cultural environment, they may be more likely to adopt those eating patterns. Our knowledge about foods and nutrition is greatly influenced by the social and cultural environment. Despite increased awareness of the importance of nutrition, there is still a lack of comprehensive nutrition education for many individuals. This can lead to confusion about what constitutes a healthy diet and how to make informed food choices.
The Typical diet of a truck driver
As most people probably already know, the average truck driver struggles to eat healthy on the road due to poor nutritional food options available and constantly having to eat on the go. The majority of drivers don’t have time to sit for a meal, which leaves us having to eat not-so-healthy snacks in between times just to keep us going. Our days are so unpredictable and backward to the point most drivers eat their main meal after finishing their shift shutting down and going to sleep, which could be at any time of day due to sporadic start times.
Truck drivers face unique challenges that can make maintaining a healthy diet more difficult compared to individuals with different occupations. Some of the specific challenges that contribute to the struggle for truck drivers to eat healthier include:
- Limited Food Options on the Road: Truck drivers often rely on truck stops and rest areas for meals, and these places may have a limited selection of healthy food options. Fast-food establishments and convenience stores at truck stops may offer more readily available, but often less nutritious, choices and with limited access to fresh produce: Due to the nature of their work, truck drivers may have limited access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and other perishable items. The lack of refrigeration facilities in their vehicles can further restrict their ability to carry and store fresh, healthy foods.
- Irregular and Long Hours: Truck drivers often have irregular work hours and spend long periods on the road. This can lead to irregular meal times and make it challenging to plan and prepare nutritious meals, which can aid in additional stress and fatigue: The demanding nature of long-haul trucking can lead to stress and fatigue. In such circumstances, individuals may be more prone to making quick and less healthy food choices for the sake of convenience and comfort.
- Economic Factors: Healthy food options may be perceived as more expensive, and budget constraints may lead truck drivers to opt for more affordable, but often less nutritious, food choices. Truck drivers try to spend less money on food for budget purposes due to the rise in food costs as a whole and especially at places made convenient to truck drivers.
Those are the basis of what truckers deal with on the road regarding meal options; however, times have changed and truck manufacturers are getting with the program equipping big rigs with amenities for drivers to store cold food items and outlets to plug in microwaves, toasters etc. These days in time make it less challenging for truckers to eat healthier. It’s easier to carry and store premade meals from home on the road. Drivers can even cook home-made, well “Truck-Made” meals in their home on wheels while on the road; with different home appliances such as air-fryers, flat top grills, toaster overs, sandwich makers and so much more. In a later blog, I will share my personal meal journey as a truck driver in my twelve-year driving career.