by Julie Hall

As food wise man Michael Pollan tells us, how much one eats home-cooked food is a powerful predictor of health, even more powerful than one’s income. Eating food prepared at home is also a great way to save money, establish more environmentally responsible habits, and strengthen relationships. (For great ideas on how to cook more efficiently, read Tips for More Efficient Cooking.)

Reasons Not to Eat Out or Take Out:

• You don’t know what’s in it, who prepared it, and how fresh and safe it is.
• It’s usually prepared in a less healthy way, such as fried, cooked in excessive amounts of butter or oil, oversalted, and overseasoned. (See more on the health and financial cons of eating out in Save Money and Your Health: Eat In.)
• The portions are typically too large, encouraging overeating.
• It creates more packaging waste.
• It is generally more expensive.
• Pick up or delivery driving takes time and adds to CO2 and traffic levels.

Reasons to Cook

• Healthier and safer ingredients and preparation.
• Healthier portions.
• Less expensive.
• Less packaging waste.
• Less driving.
• Encourages more time with family.
• Provides good modeling for your children and teaches them about food and cooking.

It’s impossible to make time to cook, you say? If the above reasons are not persuasive enough, perhaps this is an opportunity to reevaluate your priorities. Overworking ourselves and overscheduling our children’s lives are for many of us unnecessary sources of stress and fatigue that often keep us on the run and disconnected from one another and our best selves. If you add up the monetary, practical, and emotional costs of working more and spending less time at home you may discover it doesn’t make sense.

Cooking is not just about filling the belly. It is about nourishing our bodies and our spiritual selves, and it is a powerful source of connection among family and friends, across generations, and within cultures. Beyond health, food is about pleasure, comfort, identity, and communion. When we neglect its importance in our lives we neglect our fundamental humanity.

Image by Julie Hall.

©2009 ProgressiveKid

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