Cook at Home and Control What You Eat

Want to know exactly what goes into every bite you have? Prepare your own meals, and there won’t be any surprises.

It’s hard not to stop at a fast food restaurant or chain diner after a long day of work. Sometimes, that side order of French fries just seems to call your name, especially when you’re tired, stressed, or really hungry. But unfortunately, cruising through the drive-thru and picking up fried chicken or that extra large burger will only hamper your health and expand your waistline.

Cooking at home doesn’t need to be a daunting task. You might think that it takes far too long to prepare and cook healthful foods, but when you think about it, at rush hour, the drive-thru line or the wait time for a restaurant table may take even more time than preparing your own meal.

One trick to avoid the drive-thru is to plan your meals in advance. That will help you conquer the dinnertime rush issue while helping you control what goes into your body. When you make your own food, you know exactly what ingredients you will eventually be consuming, but if you leave it up to restaurants, you may be ingesting ingredients that are known to be harmful to your health. Processed foods found at many chain restaurants are a lot higher in sodium, fat, sugar and calories than homemade meals, and if you eat out frequently, they could contribute to high blood pressure, weight gain, heart disease and cardiovascular disease among other ailments.

So instead of bee-lining it to the nearest quick eatery, try making a trip to your local grocery store at least twice a week to pick up healthy ingredients to round out a balanced meal. Keep frozen fruits and vegetables on hand, as well as chicken breast and fish fillets. Frozen, those will keep far longer than fresh if you’re worried about food spoilage, and you’re not losing any nutritional value. And wouldn’t it be nice to know that you have food waiting at home, and that you don’t have to make any stops?

On top of all of these benefits of eating at home, meals you prepare yourself will always taste a million times better than soggy Chinese take-out.