BLOG 222 EATING OUT
Dining out. Eating out. To-go. Fast food. Restaurants. Delivery. It’s food served to you and not prepared by you. When cooking at home is not on the to-do list or packing something just isn’t happening, eating out is the solution. No matter the reason, your wallet is paying the price in addition to your waistline.
Eating out allows you to be sociable. It’s a nice change of scenery. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate. It’s less work than cooking. Most times the food is great. Eventually, eating out can become the new norm for you, and suddenly your meals are taking place in different settings three or more times per week. Maybe the following will serve as convincing argument to stay at home more often.
1. Eating out is expensive. Your no effort to cook means that you are being served by someone else and you are paying for this luxury of labor. You also have to add in transportation and the tips.
2. It’s not healthy. The food tastes so good because of the extra fats from oils, condiments, and sauces that add flavor. Fast food is completely salt filled.
3. You don’t really know what is put in the food. If you are watching your waistline, you don’t know what all is included in the cooking process.
4. There is more to be tempted by. You are always asked if you want dessert. The effort to make a poor choice is so much easier than baking a cake yourself. Any day becomes a special occasion.
5. Tradition can be lost. Home cooked recipes are a favorite of everyone. Don’t let their novelty wear off or their passing onward be forgotten. Teach the next generation how to cook up your favorite meals.
6. Time consuming. Eating out can be a waiting game depending on when and where you go. Plus the drive time there and back. This doesn’t hold true for fast food, but fast food can take time off your life by increasing health risks.
7. Portion control. Let’s face it you are likely to eat much more than you would have if you made the meal yourself. Having the will power to just eat some and take the other part home for later can be a daunting task that feels like you are depriving yourself.
8. You tend to drink more beverages that are sugar filled and calorie filled. Free refills so why not have more. Since the alcohol is there why not and another round.
9. You can’t really relax. There are social norms that come with eating in front of others. You aren’t in your pajamas. You typically have to hold conversations too.
10. Guilt. You just keep going even though you told yourself you would eat out less and when you did eat out you wouldn’t order poor choices, have extra drinks, or dessert. But you walk away yet again having done it.
Challenge yourself to 30 days of eating at home. See what happens as your own experiment for your health.