| Written by Chrisy O’Connor, on 05-06-2007 04:40 |
Homemade Meals Make for a Healthier, Wealthier You
By making meals at home, you're not only saving your money on meals, you are also saving money on the future doctor visits. A local nutrition expert has four good reasons to dine at "Chez You" more often.
If you like to eat out, your diet is probably suffering and you're
definitely spending a lot of money. In a restaurant, you pay at least
twice as much for the same meal that you could have prepared at home,
and you miss out on all these nutritional benefits of preparing a meal
at home:
1. Home made meals are under your control, which means several
advantages: You are in control of portions, as well as the ingredients
that can lower the fat content of a meal and the sodium content. Also,
with smaller portions, you are more capable of weight management, if
that is your goal.
2. You can use fresh ingredients from the grocery such as produce,
herbs and lean proteins. When you eat out, that does not always mean
fresh or good ingredients.
3. If you make a plan for your homemade meals, you will find eating in
is easier if you give the days of the week a theme, such as Monday
nights: Pasta night, Tuesday night: Mexican tortillas, and Wednesday
night: Marinated Chicken and vegetables. This can make it easier to
come up with ideas for the homemade meals to get prepared.
4. Stocking your shelves with good ingredients is essential: Frozen
vegetables that can be steamed in the microwave are a great substitute
to fresh vegetables steamed, with most of the same benefits. A good
brand I suggest is Birdseye. Good pasta like Barilla Plus varieties,
offers the fiber and the omega 3s, which are good for the heart. A good
tomato sauce is Paul Newman brands, Bertolli Organic or Healthy Choice.
Also, I suggest buying the Amish Chicken breast when they are on sale
and stocking up in the freezer.
Think less sodium and less fat when you take the time to cook good home
meals, and watch out for the portions. You are in much more control
than a chef, who wants you to come back for more!
A great Web site for meal ideas is www.mealsforyou.com.
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