Our current culture is obsessed with convenience. We need food in minutes or less. We want an easy pill for every ill. We want the fastest easiest way or we won’t do it. But that obsession with convenience comes at a cost.
The invention of the microwave and pre-made dinners has replaced the need for basic cooking skills and the health of our nation is suffering because of this.
I was listening to another person discuss how they could not eat healthy because they couldn’t afford it and cooking from scratch was too incovenient. And it occurred to me that we only consider the convenience factor when it’s “convenient” for us. We don’t actually consider how many things in our life are inconvenient because of those choices.
For example, the person who eats their pre-made dinners, fast food, and highly processed meals every night doesn’t consider how inconvenient it is for them to feel tired and haul around excess weight.
Or consider the person who would rather take a pill over change their diet and/or exercise. Most do not consider the inconvenience of the side effects they will have to deal with.
Let me be clear. I understand that there are definitely times that medications are needed and even life saving. But are all the pills prescribed needed?
According to CivicScience data, 26% of Americans take 4 or more prescription medications daily. 68% of Americans take at least one prescription daily. (CivicScience, 2025) That’s a lot of a medication, and that’s an even greater amount of side effects! It’s not uncommon for a doctor to prescribe one drug for the problem and another to treat the side effects from taking the first drug. It’s a vicious cycle.
Healthy doesn’t have to be complicated, but it is true it’s not always immediately convenient. It’s not convenient to take time to go see a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist to work through unhealthy food relationships, trauma, or body issues. It’s not convenient to cook meals at home. It’s not convenient to pause and take a 15 minute walk. It’s not convenient to go to church on Sunday morning. It’s not convenient to put down the electronics at least an hour before bedtime. But all these things have research that show they contribute to a healthy fulfilling life.
Are we sacrificing our health on the alter of convenience? I think so, but I also wonder if we aren’t using “convenience” as an excuse to avoid the reality that- IT’S REALLY NOT CONVENIENT! It’s not convenient when we start to need regular doctor appointments. It’s not convenient to daily track our blood sugar or blood pressure because our life depends on it. It’s not convenient to struggle to get out of bed, walk and move because of achiness, joint pain and excess weight. It’s not convenient to miss out on events because of fatigue.
What are we really sacrificing? What moments are we not able to fully enjoy? What relationships are suffering? Is what we call convenience REALLY worth that sacrifice? We need to seriously reevaluate our concept of convenience.
What’s the alternative? Start small. Take one step toward better health. Go to bed earlier. Pack a lunch. Cook one dinner a week. Everything doesn’t have to change in one full swoop, but you have to start somewhere. We need to start counting the true costs of our choices, not simply rating the convenience factor.
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5 ESV