Cooking at Home
Americans spend more time and money eating outside the home than ever before. They spend about 50% of their food budget at restaurants now compared with 25% in 1955 according to the National Restaurant Association . Eating at fast-food restaurants has been shown to be a major contributor to obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease .
The excuse that many people give for increased meals away from home is that cooking is a challenging and time-consuming task they cannot fit into their busy lifestyles. Whether they lack the energy, time, or skills, the medical team needs to encourage more cooking at home through quick meal suggestions for better weight management and healthier food choices.
- • Buy a good set of knives to cut and chop food.
- • Prepare and cook big batches of food on weekends or time off so lunches and quick dinners are always available. (If it takes an hour to make four servings, then that is 15 minutes per meal that can fit into anyone’s schedule.)
- • Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and wash them as needed instead of grabbing for chips, cookies, and snack bars.
- • Plan for leftovers when preparing the evening meal.