Fast Food Vs. Hearty Home Cooked Meals
There's no doubt that in your fast paced world, the convenience of grabbing a quick meal is appealing. And while fast food options used to be mostly unhealthy, there are now some decent choices. So what's the better choice for your health and your wallet?
There are pros and cons to both fast food and hearty home cooked meals. Fast food is easy to get, typically affordable, and doesn't require any cooking skills. However, fast food is often unhealthy and can be high in calories. Hearty home cooked meals take more time to prepare, but they can be made healthy and low calorie by using fresh ingredients. They can also be cheaper than eating out at a restaurant. Ultimately, the best option depends on the person's preferences and goals.
Let's look at fast food first. Is there any benefit of consuming this kind of food? If the answer is yes then what could they be?
To be totally honest with you, I am personally against fast food. I avoid them when I can, however sometimes fast food can be an okay option if you're on a tight schedule. In our busy life there is not always time to cook at home especially weekdays. It is always good to have a backup when you need to feed your family on the go.
Most of fast food chains have started offering healthy options. The most popular one is probably Subway. Other popular chains like KFC and Pizza Hut now have healthier options and other lighter meals. The trick is finding the right one for you. For example, Subway can be expensive if you order two sandwiches or a wrap. However, if you order a larger meal you can eat more for lower cost.
Another benefit of fast food is if you're on a budget. The price of fast food is generally much lower, than a restaurant. Another benefit of fast food is that it is usually available at many places wherever you go you can easily find one. Of course there are cons. Many fast food items are high in fat and calories. It can also make you gain weight if you don't watch your portion size.
Fast food can also be expensive. It can add up to be a rather large amount if you eat there once or more a week. It is also hard to find a fast food place, that serves healthy options, especially in non-grocery districts.
So should you eat fast food? As I said it can be ok sometimes. It can be low on calories, affordable, and convenient. However, it is not the best choice if you are looking for healthy options. It is up to you to decide which is better in your opinion.
Now let's look at home cooked meals. Is there any benefit of consuming this kind of food?
I am a big fan of cooking at home even outside on open fire if I can. There are loads of benefits for home cooking besides it is way healthier. Cooking is enjoyable and not to mention, when you cook you shop your ingredients beforehand, so you know what is in your food. People say you are what you eat, so I do my best to eat as healthy as I can. You might spend more money on your shopping, but it is true to say, that you cook in larger amount, that can feed the whole family.
The other benefit is, that you make your meal according to your taste. You are in total control how you make it and how much you make. Another benefit is if you have time you can do batch cooking. Make several kinds of meals and freeze them. When you don't have time or you had a busy day or week and you are not in the mood for cooking, just pick something out of the freezer and your dinner is sorted for that evening.
It is convenient and saves you a lot of time and energy. That way you can have your dinner on your table in just minutes and it will be as fresh as you would have cooked it on that evening. You may have to prepare some additional bit and pieces, but that is not a major thing and it can be ready very quickly.
Of course there are cons as well. If you want to make your lunch or dinner from scratch it can be challenging. Nothing can be more demotivating, than when you open your fridge and you find it empty. And on top on that you have no idea what to cook. Is that familiar? I am sure it is. It happened to me before and honestly quiet often.
Preparing your own meal at home can be very time consuming. Especially when you have to go to the market or the grocery shop first. Preparation take a lot of time too before you actually start cooking. So you made a lot of effort starting with thinking about what to cook, then going to shop, then prepare your ingredients and finally cook. Then you realize, that you spent hours to provide the meal for your family and before you know it, it is all gone. But for sure nothing gives more pleasure, when you see your food you have prepared and cooked is all gone and you fed your family.
Thank you for reading.
Lead image source: Pexels
Oh I love the way you explain everything. I enjoyed reading. Anyway I also sometimes eat food from fast food, but not as always as here in our place we can even save money if we will cook our own food at home than buying food from the fast food. Indeed you are right preparing our own foods is more healthier.