Are you someone who enjoys preparing and cooking a meal?
Or, would it be more accurate to say that cooking isn’t your favorite pastime – that, given a choice, you’d prefer someone else did the cooking for you?
Or better still – why not dine out?
Well, here are 3 simple reasons why it’s always a good idea to prepare your own food and eat at home.
You’ll Save Money
Do you balk at the price of organic produce?
Have you convinced yourself that only the ‘elite’ can afford to eat “that way”?
First of all, I want to stress that organic food is not a fad.
It’s not a food snob or an elitist thing – it’s a straight-up health thing.
Also – it’s the way food used to be grown. (Your grandparents will likely agree with me here.)
Think about that!
Second, if you frequently eat out (or rely on frozen or packaged foods for easy, quick meals) – you’re definitely not saving money!
Why not ditch the expensive processed foods, full of suspect ingredients, and replace them with healthy organic options – especially when it comes to produce?
Buying quality ingredients and preparing food at home can save you money in the long run.
Plus, when your diet is healthier, you’ll also feel better – and when you feel better, your medical expenses will also go down.
I call that a win-win.
You’ll Know Exactly What You’re Eating
For anyone who is following a gluten-free protocol, dining out can be a challenge.
Restaurant menus are usually very limited.
Not to mention – do you really know, for sure, whether the chef was extra careful in preparing your food?
Does the restaurant of your choosing even have an accurate awareness of what it means to be gluten-free – and on a medically prescribed diet?
Or, have they simply jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon, treating the gluten-free diet as more of a fad?
(By catering to the folks among us, who are quick to jump on any fad diet whatever it might be, especially if it holds the promise of losing weight).
And this doesn’t even cover what’s actually IN your food!
Meaning, do you know for sure what ingredients were used?
Are the vegetables fresh, organic and locally grown? (Or did they come from a can?)
Is the beef grass-fed, the salmon wild-caught?
Did the kitchen staff know to use dedicated equipment to cook your meal?
Or, did they use the same frying pan – or the same section of the grill – as the breaded cutlet ordered by another diner?
Your Digestion Will Improve (You Might Even Lose Weight!)
Preparing a meal actually begins when you shop for ingredients.
Let’s think about what happens when you spot the first juicy raspberries of the season, and immediately envision the brighter taste of your breakfast cereal.
Or a luscious dessert topped with the delicate berries.
You begin to salivate, just thinking about it.
Or, it could be the fresh, locally raised chicken that inspires a memory of your grandmother’s recipe for a favorite chicken stew – which you instantly decide to make for dinner that night.
Regardless of what might have captured your imagination, the result is the same – you start to envision the final dish, or that first bite, and again, you salivate in anticipation.
Back in your kitchen, as you chop vegetables and sauté them on the stovetop, a heavenly aroma fills the air.
Your family asks, “What smells so good?”
Now they’re anticipating the meal also!
And here’s something that might surprise you:
Anticipating a delicious meal initiates the process of digestion – getting your digestive juices flowing, even before you’ve taken a single bite.
Optimal digestion is really so important, and here’s why.
Adequate saliva – along with chewing – helps to alleviate bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.
Plus, it plays an important role in losing weight – because you’ll feel satisfied on less food.
Surprisingly, this is one of the first steps in getting your health back on track.
And an awesome reason to start cooking your own food at home!
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