Posted on 01/27/2022 10:40:12 AM PST by nickcarraway
Home is where the heart is — especially the healthy heart. Just by way of cooking your own food, you’re likely enjoying a healthier diet than those who rely on eating out, a new study finds.
Researchers at the University of Washington interviewed 437 residents of nearby King County, asking them to fill out a questionnaire detailing their eating experiences. They compared this data to a metric devised by the USDA called the Healthy Eating Index.
The index, which evaluates one’s compliance with federal guidelines set for a healthy diet, is weighted on a 100-point scale.
The study showed that those who cooked at home about three times a week had an index score of 67. That score rose to 74, however, for individuals who doubled their at-home cooking rate to about six times a week.
The home-cooked meals saw families enjoying diets lower in calories, sugar, and fat, the study determined, without adding any extra weight to a monthly food budget.
🔇4 “By cooking more often at home, you have a better diet at no significant cost increase, while if you go out more, you have a less healthy diet at a higher cost,” notes Adam Drewnowski, the study’s lead researcher and a professor of epidemiology, in a university release. “The differences were significant, even with a relatively small study sample.”
With about half of all food expenditures being spent on food prepared outside the house, this study may help illuminate a potential cause for high rates of obesity and malnutrition— more than a third of Americans are obese, while only one-fifth meet the USDA’s dietary guidelines.
Americans generally work more than individuals from other Western nations, which may lead to what epidemiologists call “time poverty,” making the habit of cooking a luxury. Interestingly, the researchers didn’t find a correlation between income or education level and one’s propensity to eat out. Common wisdom would suggest that those who are poorer might resort to eating fast food.
While the study involved self-reporting— a methodology prone to faulty memory— Drewnowski explained that the vast majority of nutritional research is done this way.
The study’s relatively small sample size also warrants further examination. The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
My wife is a professional cook (retired)
We don’t eat out much.
Don’t need or want to.
There is a big difference between going to Appleby’s or the Olive Garden and eating at the fine restaurant where the entrees are $50. I have little doubt this article is talking about mass-market dining out. But even at those places, you can get healthy food it you want to order it.
I stopped the routine of going to fast food slop joints loong ago...
Stop going to restaurants and you’ll save wheel barrels full of money as well.
‘going out’ to eat is a treat for me,,, and then I prefer to go the burger pit and enjoy the greasy food as much as I can ..
There used to be a few of them, but there’s just the one on Blossom Hill now?
My wife is a good cook so we rarely eat out. On the weekend I grill stuff, so no need to eat out.
I don’t know where else I can have Pasta Puttanesca other than at home.
i make that dish also!
I’ve read that the authentic versions do not contain onion
Sure, as soon as the delivery trucks get to the supermarkets. Oh, there’s a driver shortage? Never mind; got to get to the pizza joint to pick up my cheesesteak/chicken parm/veal parm hoagie.
By the time you pay sales tax and tip on food costing at least 2.5 times what you can buy it for, it’s turned into a crummy deal, unless you’re in a hurry or are OK with the occasional change of atmosphere. Sorry to say. I feel for the folks who just want to open a modest folksy eatery. They have so little control over their input costs and then you get co inspector coming around fining you for a shard of something that fell on the floor. A very tough business.
yeh- we eat out maybe once every other week. And when i do i always order things i don’t make at home; pasta with seafood, mushroom sauce. Never lasagna or baked ziti- I’m king at that. I even find since i’’ve done a lot more grilling and smoking, the ribs don’t taste as good at restaurants as they once did.
18 months of covid-very little restaurant food. Then 6 weeks on a road trip-nothing but. I’m back home and can’t stand the sight of restaurant food. Deli at Safeway is as close as I get.
Wendy’s turned out to be my favorite fast food btw. They had good non-entrees like chili and more than one salad-it was $7 but worth it as all the floured burgers and battered chicken tenders started looking as gross as they tasted. Even KFC didn’t have the roasted stuff down south. The batter cools down as it’s being eaten and eating fast is not enjoyable.
My home cooking has less salt and more fiber and folic acid (green or orange vegetables). I love to eat out because it is generally cheerful and because somebody else does the work. But there are some things I do that are unique and if I want them I have to make them myself.
Some cooks...shouldn’t. My ex-mother-in-law was one. She heard I liked liver and onions, but she had never cooked it. So, she bought some beef liver (not the more tender calves liver) and poached it in a tomato liquid. When it arrived at the table, it looked like an autopsy gone bad. I tried to eat it, but a better use was to tie it to my feet and use it as sandals.
We usually eat at home about 29-30 days per month.
That’s my own opinion. For what it costs to eat out at a restaurant, I can cook a much nicer meal than I can buy. The other day I made a butternut squash risotto with broiled salmon and asparagus, with a peach wine. That meal would have cost a lot at any eatery. Especially since most of the ingredients are locally sourced (I grew the squash, asparagus and peaches; I made the wine)
Going out once in a while is fun. But one shouldn’t do it too often.
“Just Stay in: More You Eat Home-Cooked Meals, the Better Your Diet”
We had basically entered this reality before the Covid B$.
My wife is a superb cook using fresh veggies and the best fresh protein (seafood, chicken thighs, lamb racks and ocean salmon in what ever form.)
Living in N. California, there is a lot of great local produce and ranch products.
When these markets close up for late fall/winter, I shop at a small chain store with a great produce section and a good butcher staffed section.
I’m on a first name basis with the deli people, produce people and the butchers.
About the only frozen items are veggies and a good local pizza (one a week).
My wife has actually lost a couple of pounds during the pandemic, and I am at the same weight and size shirts/pants, before pandemic B$!.
During the late spring, summer and early fall. I charcoal/grill most dinners for us and any guests. I started
charcoal/grilling in college and no complaints from any guests or family besides, “Is it ready yet?!”
We have converted horse/water troughs for growing a lot of our veggies during the grilling season. Our Meyer Lemon tree has matured into basically a year round producer, and our fig tree produces incredible figs from Labor day to all most Thanksgiving. Nothing like fresh tomatoes that are gathered, washed and served minutes before the main meal.
One of our sons and his son are really good hunters and fishermen. They and a couple of young men, who, have adopted us, during the legal seasons, drop off great game to be grilled.
There is an incredible place to order gourmet meals on line to pick up for holidays or special occasions. These meals have basically replaced going to a restaurant and doing their games to get a seat, order and on and on.
We have met family at a good outdoor restaurant for lunches..
One son was a chef for about 2 decades and decided to have a life and left that business. He likes to have us up to his home for about once a quarter for an incredible meal. His wife is very good with salads and deserts.
So with the above, not much need to go out to eat.
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