{"id":3430,"date":"2019-03-26T15:06:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T20:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/?p=3430"},"modified":"2019-03-26T15:06:38","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T20:06:38","slug":"a-case-for-home-cooking-why-ordering-healthy-at-restaurants-may-not-be-so-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/a-case-for-home-cooking-why-ordering-healthy-at-restaurants-may-not-be-so-healthy","title":{"rendered":"A Case for Home Cooking: Why Ordering Healthy at Restaurants May Not Be So Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dining out is a fun\nindulgence. Who doesn\u2019t enjoy having someone else cook? But if you\u2019re trying to\neat healthier, home cooking is the way to go. For the most part, even ordering\nlighter fare at restaurants isn\u2019t as good for you as preparing food at home. Keep\nreading to learn why home cooking is a real value meal, and find tips for\neating healthier on occasions when you dine out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trouble with Restaurant Food<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The average\nAmerican dines out 185 times<\/a>\na year, or three and a half times a week. Unfortunately, restaurant food may\nnot be doing us any favors. In general, it\u2019s high in calories<\/a>,\ncholesterol<\/a>,\nfat, and sodium<\/a>.\nAnd the portion sizes are bigger than what most people eat at home. In a study<\/a>\nof restaurant meals in five different countries, 94 percent of them contained\nmore than 600 calories, which is the amount per meal recommended by health\nexperts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And because restaurants\nneed to keep food costs down, they typically choose lower quality ingredients than\nhome cooks rely on. For example, most restaurants use highly refined cooking oils<\/a> such as soybean instead of extra virgin olive\noil, which is generally considered a healthier option. Many restaurants use\nlarge amounts of sugar<\/a>\nand salt<\/a>\nto enhance the flavor of dishes. And some restaurants use food additives such\nas monosodium glutamate<\/a> (MSG), a controversial flavor enhancer that\ncauses headaches, sweating, numbness, tingling, muscle\ntightness, and weakness in some people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Few restaurants source\ntheir ingredients from organic and local farms<\/a>.\nAnd even when a restaurant says it uses organic ingredients, it\u2019s hard to know<\/a>\nexactly what you\u2019re getting. That\u2019s because restaurants aren\u2019t held to the same\norganic certification standards as food companies. A restaurant can say its\nfood is organic if it makes a \u201creasonable effort,\u201d to use organic ingredients,\nwhich is a subjective standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restaurant food may\nalso expose people to higher levels of potentially harmful chemicals than\neating at home, according to a study<\/a>\nof 10,000 Americans. People who ate out at restaurants in the study had 35\npercent higher urine levels of phthalates, the chemicals in plastic that are\nlinked with reproductive issues, asthma, obesity, and behavioral issues in children.\nPhthalates may leach into restaurant food when it comes into contact with packaging\nor food workers\u2019 vinyl gloves<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cook Your Way to Good Health<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately,\nthere\u2019s a great alternative to eating restaurant food, and it\u2019s as close as\nyour own kitchen. People who cook at home six to seven times per week eat fewer\ncalories and less fat and sugar without even trying, according to a study<\/a> of nearly 10,000 adults. Plus, people who\nfrequently cook consume more fruits and vegetables and are 28 percent more\nlikely to have a normal body mass index and body fat percentage, according to another study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, not\nall home cooking is healthy. French fries and boxed mac \u2018n cheese don\u2019t automatically\nbecome a health food when you make them at home. But because you have the power\nto choose your ingredients, cooking methods, and portion sizes, your meals can\nbe as healthy as you want them to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking at home\nalso encourages families to sit around the table and eat together, which is especially\nimportant for kids. Children who eat dinner with their parents five or more days<\/a> per week eat healthier, perform better at\nschool, have better relationships with their parents, and are less likely to\nhave trouble with drugs and alcohol when they\u2019re teenagers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Eat Healthier in a Restaurant<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eating out can be a relaxing treat, and indulging occasionally\nwon\u2019t harm your health as long as you eat nutritious food most of the time. But\nif you want to choose the healthiest options on the menu, try these tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n