Cook your own dinner

The 21st Century lifestyle is so fast-paced, we hardly make time to even take care of ourselves. One area we should make sure to look after is our health. Home cooked meals are healthier than most restaurant fair, and the art of cooking is itself a pleasurable experience.

Why should I eat at home?

Budget
If you are on a budget, there is no easier way to save money than by preparing your own food. A lunch out at a fast food restaurant can run about $8.00, on average. A dinner at a national chain-restaurant can easily cost about $22.00 each. The budget for home cooked meals can be met just with a lunch and dinner out.

Learning a skill
Learning a new skill and applying it is one of the most satisfying feeling a person has. Learning a new cooking technique is exciting, and fulfilling. There are dozens of easy to understand books to learn cooking. Community centers often have cooking classes. The internet is full of cooking instructional and videos. And with TV networks like Food Network and HGTV, we have more information on the art of cooking than ever before.



Health
California law requires restaurants provide nutritional information to patrons for all menu items. This has greatly increased my awareness of what goes into my body when I eat out. Even the more "healthy" dishes at the average restaurant is loaded with sodium (salt, sweeteners, MSG, preservatives). Just as one example, I'll randomly pick what one might consider a healthy meal from a T.G.I. Friday's menu. The Mediterranean Chicken Salad sounds healthy enough. Everyone knows Mediterranean food is healthy, and salads are a good alternative for the health-conscious. It does only have 425 calories, and only 12 grams of fat. But look at the sodium: 916 milligrams. That's nearly 40% of the daily recommended allowance for sodium (for a 2,000 calorie diet), just in one salad.

For the purposes of this article, I won't even talk about how much fats and calories are in restaurant foods - we all know it's astronomical. So let's review what high sodium can do to your health: High sodium diets can cause high blood pressure (hypertension), which substantially increases the risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Too much sodium has also been linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer.

Home made foods generally contain far less sodium. Why? Chain restaurants often have large prep-kitchens in distribution centers that prepare food portions, and then ship them to the restaurants for the final cooking. Because of this, they're loaded with preservatives to maintain color, moisture, and flavor. Additionally, restaurants load foods with sweeteners, MSG and salt because these enhance the flavor palette of the tongue, making everything else taste better. They want you addicted to their food so you'll come back. At home, you don't have to deal with shipment and storage times, and when you are adding salt to your dish, you're acutely aware of the amount you're using. You will only use enough to flavor the dish, not overwhelm your taste buds.

Plus, you never know what goes into some of this food.



Relaxation
I enjoy restaurants, and sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than blowing off domestic obligations for a nice night out. But oftentimes, we use the convenience of to-go foods to stuff more things into our daily schedule. Forcing yourself to take the time to be creative in the kitchen allows you to focus on something other than the trials of the day, and makes you slow down for about an hour.

A stronger family
If you're a parent, nothing can create a strong family relationship as easily as a family dinner. Pick a time, and be consistent. Even if nobody feels like being together, just do it. Time spent together creates strong bonds. Plus, studies have shown that a family dinner is a very reliable indicator of a child having good grades in school, and a more successful career.