at home regularly. A big part of the Slow Food Movement is cooking your own meals at home on a daily basis. Make an effort to cook most, if not all, of your meals at home. Create a meal plan and buy ingredients at the beginning of the week so you have them on hand. Prepare healthy meals at home with fresh ingredients so you know exactly what is going into your food. If you tend to eat out most of the week, take small steps by trying to cook one to two nights a week. Over time, you can transition to cooking most nights of the week and saving one night for eating out. at home. Another key aspect of the Slow Food Movement is getting actively involved in where your food comes from and how it is grown. Try growing your own vegetables at home in a backyard garden or a greenhouse.  Start with a small vegetable patch in your yard or a few herbs in pots. Over time, you can expand your garden to include more vegetables that you can pick and eat fresh. Build a home hydroponics system to make growing vegetables easier. Avoid eating the same things day in and day out. Instead, challenge yourself to have a variety of foods in all your meals. Try different vegetables or fruits. Prepare different grains like quinoa, barley, and couscous. Add different herbs and spices to your foods. Make sure your meal plan includes a variety of different sources of protein, dairy, and grains. Having variety will ensure you treat eating as a fun experience, where you expand your palette. The Slow Food Movement was created as a healthy alternative to fast food and prepackaged food high in additives, preservatives, and fat. Stay away from fast food restaurants and prepacked foods at the grocery store. Go for fresh, local options instead. A good rule of thumb when you go grocery shopping is to stay on the perimeter of the store, as this is usually where the fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy items are stocked. If you do decide to eat out, go to restaurants that focus on local, clean food. Some restaurants will note that they participate in the Slow Food Movement. You can also ask if the restaurant uses locally grown produce and focuses on no waste or very little waste in its kitchen. Restaurants and eateries that follow a “tip to tail” policy when they prepare meat are usually considered part of the Slow Food Movement. This means they use the entire animal when they prepare meat and do their best not to waste any of the animal.

Summary:
Cook Grow your own vegetables Include a variety of foods in your meals. Avoid fast food and prepackaged food. Eat at restaurants that promote Slow Food.