Cook food at home

With busy and crowded schedules families are finding it difficult to find quality time together.  Commute to job in many major cities is each way two hours due to traffic.

Evening as it becomes late and hardly there is any time to cook, parents take easy path of getting food from outside restaurant or canteens.

Moreover, there is no time for buying groceries, vegetables and no time to cook. This gives good business to restaurants. But what effect it has on family life?

Entire family is all the time apart and depends on unhealthy food for survival. This can damage mental and physical health of children too.

Here are grandma’s reasons to wake up and consider squeezing some time to cook at home even if it is simple food.

1. Save health: Home cooked food or meals are perfect for all who wants to remain healthy. When we prepare meals at home from the scratch, we know what ingredients goes in. If children or adults are allergic to some foods, we can avoid adding those ingredients unlike the outside food. We even can take control on adding salt or sugar. One need not to cook varieties of food on week days. Try something simple and quick. There are many quick recipes available that can be prepared within half an hour. Another option is, free up two hours during week end and cook for 3 days. Store food in refrigerator.
2. Save money: This could be one the most practical reasons for many families. Takeaway and restaurant foods cost more than weekly grocery bill for many. Shop for grocery during week end – have a list for the week. Nonperishable items can be bought once in a month or so. This saves time and money. Plan for the meal for an entire week. Stick the list on refrigerator. This way you know what ingredients you need and there won’t be any waste or will be less wastage.
3. Family spends quality time together: Family who likes to spend time together will find it attractive and it also helps young people at home to interact with each other and with parents. If you make it a point to sit together to eat dinner as often as possible, you can catch up on various activities and understand what is happening in each other’s life – school or work life. Suggest or act on to make dining table a smartphone free zone. Encourage all family members to smile and have a healthy meal.
4. It increases knowledge of food: Food is much more than an “item that fills stomach”. What goes in the meal influences human body which can be positive or negative. Cooking our own meal helps us to understand our body’s requirements in terms of nutrients and energy. It boosts the morale and keeps us creative.
5. Savor the food: Preparing our own meals will lead to newfound appreciation for the items that we consume. Mindless munching and eating junk food can only harm our physical health leading to weight gain. But, by cooking the food at home, we will be conscious about what we eat and how much to consume.
6. Food safety: Food borne illness mostly happens when we eat outside food. You never know how long the food would be sitting out or when for example, flies might be sitting on the food. We all know what insects can do to the food. Cooking food at home gives peace of mind and we are assured that food is stored properly. Apart from storage, we will be conscious to keep cooking area and utensils clean.

Listen to grandma’s advice for better and happy life !

www.healthylife.werindia.com

Image credit: Photo by Alyson McPhee on Unsplash