Welcome to the 21 Weeks to Intentional Health! Our next challenge is to carefully look at the 10 Health Risks When Dining Out PLUS 10 Benefits of Eating at Home.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Finding food to eat while away from home can be difficult. 10 Ideas to Implement when Traveling with Food Allergies is perfect for travelers.
Dining outside the home is only growing in popularity! People are traveling more and spending less time at home.
Recently I read an article that compared dining out to sewing our own clothes. We used to be a culture that made our own clothes at home, but in today’s culture we purchase ready-made clothing. People that chose to sew clothing at home, mostly do it for a hobby. Not sure how I feel about this comparison. It would be wonderful to see our society not give up preparing their own food at home.
Data states that 80% of Americans prefer to order fast food or eat at a restaurant. I found these statistics jaw dropping; only 15% of Americans like to cook! Check out 2018 Dining statistics here.
Americans are not alone in their desire to eat outside the home. Other countries that spend a lot of money on eating out are; France, Greece, United Kingdom, Spain, and New Zealand.
How to Approach Challenge #8.
- Reveal 10 Risks of Dining Outside the Home.
- 10 Benefits to Dining at Home.
- Challenge: Eat Our Meals at Home this week.
10 Health Risks of Dining Out
People eat out for many reasons; convenience, lack of cooking skills, social reasons, business, and travel.
When we dine outside the home, we do put our health at risk. The risks stated below, are not inclusive, they are just the 10 most common health risks.
- Eating larger portions, therefore more calories. This is due to the abundance of sides and large entries.
- Unhealthy cooking oils (plant-based oils) used at a high heat, resulting in carcinogens in our food.
- Lower grade of food.
- Increase exposure to phythalates, which are synthetic chemicals found in commerical food grade products.
- Hidden sugars in everything from our meat to the salad dressings.
- Higher risk of unhealthy cholesterol levels.
- Increased likelihood of overeating and weight gain.
- Consuming food with high unhealthy sodium content.
- Preservatives on and in just about everything from lettuce to apple pie.
- Flavor enhances like MSG. Read about the dangers of MSG.
One additional risk is exposure to disease and viruses. Tables, condiments, napkins, and serving trays are not likely to be disinfected thoroughly each time a meal is served.
Summary of Dining Out Risks
Overall, dining out increases your risk of heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure and chronic inflammatory diseases.
When you order food at a fast food restaurant, all the food either came from a box, plastic container, or plastic bag. It all has at least one type of preservative on it. Crazy, but it’s reality.
Another truth to remember is that nutrient levels will be very low in ready-made food served at restaurants.
10 Benefits of Dining at Home
The list goes beyond 10 for why we should prepare our food at home. We’ll look at the 10 most beneficial reasons to eat your meals at home.
- Save money. Your food expenses will be cut in half when dining at home.
- More nutrients in the food you consume.
- Time saving.
- Ingredients will be identified and healthier.
- Develop cooking skills, which are needed to survive.
- Allows for better portion control decisions.
- Cleaner, less likely to encounter unwanted bacteria in your food.
- Reduces risk of food poisoning. Outstanding facts on the frequency of food poisoning.
- Healthier and sustainable oils can be used like olive oil and coconut oil.
- Better cookware; we can control what are food is cooked on.
One huge benefit of dining at home is spending quality time with family and friends. Meals can be used to bring family together, to both prepare and eat food.
When we eat at home, we develop healthier habits, such as drinking water instead of soda or alcohol. We can chose a variety of vegetables at the grocery store and consume them throughout our week.
The Biggest Advantage
The biggest advantage (for those with food allergies), is you know exactly what you are consuming when you prepare your food. No worries about hidden sugars, preservatives, sodium, and chemicals.
Since over one million Americans have known food allergies, it’s safer to learn to prepare your own food.
Do I dine outside the home? I enjoy eating out at The Village Inn on Mackinac Island every couple of years. I get the same entree every time; planked local whitefish with sautéed vegetables. It’s the purest item I can find in any restaurant and they cook everything beautifully. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
Challenge:
- Consider the risks of dining out and chose to limit the meals you take outside your home.
- Purchase and prepare your food this week.
- Learn or practice a new food preparation skill.
Accept the challenge to prepare food and eat at home.
Share your challenge one of 4 ways; by commenting below, commenting on my Facebook page, Instagram page or email me your acceptance. Use #accept21weekhealthchallenge on your social media comments.
Pursuing better health together,