Remember the days when television advertisements were all about glamourizing a home cooked meal so that the kids could eat it? How the paranthas were turned into “parantha pizzas” by applying a dollop of cheese on them when the child showed disinterest in eating a regular homemade food. How ‘Jammy’ a.k.a Rahul Dravid made every food look delicious with a little bit of fruit jam! From then to today, the generation that fed off of those advertisements and the home cooked meal, has grown up into a generation of take outs and dine outs.
One may allocate the credit or blame to the corporate culture and the hustle that comes with it which requires the GenZ to eliminate those things that can be out sourced so as to make more time and head space for effectively executing the work at hand. Whatever may be the reason, the fact is that the concept of having home cooked food has been gradually declining.
The question that we must however, ask ourselves is whether outsourcing food is a wise decision and does it have an impact on our overall quality of life? While eating out or delivery services, especially during the pandemic have surely been a life saver for many, what you eat and get delivered at home also makes a lot of difference. Much as we would like to disagree, the food that we consume has a direct impact on our mental health. After all, we have heard the saying, “you are what you eat.”
So, what do you eat? And why are home cooked meal better than the take outs? We have collated a list of ten benefits of having delicious home cooked food, read it and decide for yourself, whether the reasons are good enough to alter your food choices.
1. Customise Your Needs
The first step to eating is deciding what to eat. If you are a person who prefers specific kind of food or likes their food prepared a certain way, then a take out limits your options considerably. On the other hand, cooking at home means you have absolute control over how you wish to make the food, what ingredients and in what quantity you may use them. There never really is anything more satisfying than not having to worry about whether the delivery person got your customisations right. And this satisfaction is derived from being your own chef and preparing your own meals.
2. Quality Control
One of the biggest issues that is faced while ordering outside food is the concern for quality. The oils that are used in mass food preparation often tends to be over heated and re-used way beyond its nutritional capacity, leading to medical issues like high cholesterol which has become one of the leading causes for heart diseases even among the younger generation. In order to save time and money, people resort to fast foods, adding to their bellies and medical woes. With homemade food, the biggest advantage is quality control. When you are the chef, you know what ingredients to use in order to ensure the best quality of your meal.
3. Nutritional Control
Let us face it, the one thing that has taken the biggest hit in our life due to the fast food culture is nutrition. The alarmingly increased rate of hidden sodium, sugar, gluten, starch and other such contents in the food that we consume has led to excessive lethargy, low stamina, poor sleep cycle, mood swings and chances of high mortality.
Despite the fact that a good home cooked meal, traditionally is rich in nutrients and hence, is one of the reason for the long and healthy lives of our ancestors. Which ironically means, that the reason we shifted to take outs was to save the time that we are inadvertently paying as the cost of these meals. Perhaps it is time to revisit the RoI on this one?
4. Hygiene Control
The one very important, not to mention basic and non-negotiable things that the pandemic has taught us, is the importance of hygiene. Imagine a global pandemic that can be avoided if only you kept clean! There cannot be a bigger sign from the universe, if we were to receive any. The food that is prepared for mass consumption cannot possibly ensure hygiene. The vegetables that are cut in huge stocks need to be washed with clean water and salt to ensure that the pesticides which have been used on them do not make it to our bodies.
But is it financially feasible for a fast food joint to ensure that the vegetables are cleaned in filtered water and also deliveries are made in time? As a result, we get food with questionable hygiene. A home-cooked meal can ensure that the food is prepared in a clean and hygienic manner, because right from cleaning the vegetable to using the right utensils, everything is in your control.
5. Portion Control
Another very important aspect of healthy eating is to ensure portion control. what you eat is important, how much you eat is equally important. We all know that excess of anything is bad. Preparing a home cooked meal ensures you measure in the ingredients and also allocate the portions on your plate as per the nutritional and calorific requirements. That ensures not only a nutritional, fulfilling but also a healthy meal. Which in turn keeps away the brain fog, lethargy and other mental issues that limit productivity.
6. Knowledge Gaining
When you are indulging in a home cooked food, especially one that is prepared by you, it is inevitable that you will learn about the things you are eating. Cooking entails reading and watching food recipes. It also adds to the knowledge gaining in terms of which foods to increase in your diet and which to decrease so as to strike a nutritional balance. You will inevitably develop interest in mixing and matching various flavours, learning about the nutritional content of the ingredients you are using. Before you know it, instead of following the chefs making home cooked food, you are the chef doing that for your family! How is that for family bonding!
7. Allergen Control
Given the environment we are living in and the absolute lack of information on our body’s tolerance levels, we are often unable to ascertain and control the allergens that are consumed by our body. While some allergies, like peanut allergies are too obvious and hence can be noticed and avoided, most allergies are such that we are barely aware of, such as gluten intolerance, starch intolerance, not to mention the most common- lactose intolerance. These contents, while not immediate threat to life, can very well be slow killers for those who are intolerant to them but are not even aware of it. It is not possible to point out the problematic ingredient in a food that is made outside because you are not privy to all the ingredients in the recipe and do not know exactly which ingredient to avoid from next time. When preparing food at home, one can study the impact that a certain ingredient has on the people eating it. For instance, gluten intolerance might look like serious constipation. Sugar intolerance can lead to extreme break outs on skin. When you have control over what you are putting in your food, you can easily catch the culprit and remove that ingredient from your diet.
8. Environment Friendly
Every time you order food from a restaurant, you are contributing to the waste on the planet. The food is packed in unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable packages, the person delivering the food contributes to the carbon emission and not to mention the food wastage that the restaurants engage in, just to ensure enough supply of food, just in case. While cooking at home, you will be conscious of using only the amount you need, thereby reducing wastage. The utensils at home are reusable so we avoid the plastic boxes and packets. Additionally, if you source locally grown food, you are further ensuring that the local farmers are supported. So maybe opt for a mint chutney over a guacamole the next time you’re making a dip. You will contribute to your local economy and consume a lot of nutrients at less than half of what it will cost you to make guacamole. Go vocal for local. Just a thought!
9. Easy on the Pocket
Let us talk economics. We all weigh time and money while deciding whether to cook or order in. Consider this, anything healthy and good for your gut will not come cheap. What does come cheap costs you your health, mental as well as physical. Instead, even if you cook a nice simple meal at home, not only will it ensure quality, nutrition, hygiene and taste, it saves you far more than what you may eventually end up paying for a bowl of salad or worse, in medical bills. Besides, making time to feed yourself and your family, if you are staying with them, is a love language. There really is no cons here!
10. Cooking as a Therapy
The most under-rated therapy is perhaps cooking therapy. In this busy world, with all the things that weigh us down, we tend to feel out of control. This lack of control is one of the biggest contributors to urban anxiety. Cooking your own meals can give you a sense of control and calm your nerves. When you know that what you are going to eat and how you are going to prepare it are decisions well within your control to alter as you please, then you tend to feel calm and confident.
The act of successfully preparing a meal releases dopamine and endorphins in your brains leading to a happier you. When you share this meal with your loved ones, it releases serotonin and oxytocin, both in your as well as the receiver’s brain. We have the entire set of happy drugs being released in your brains by just preparing a delicious home cooked food! Honestly, you’re not just saving on a meal outside, but also on therapy! There you have it! All the reasons why we must consider going back to having home cooked meals. Making your meals at home ensures a happier, healthier, richer and a more environmentally conscious you! Not to mention, once the end product is ready you can pat your back for having made the best home cooked food and boast about it to your friends and colleagues! You’re welcome!