Eating out can be tempting, but if you eat out often you are probably sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Cooking your food at home is more nutritious, and has many benefits for weight loss and overall health. And it doesn’t have to take as much time as you think.
Let’s look at some of the weight loss benefits of cooking at home.
Hormonal benefits
Eating out can play havoc with your hormones. Too much sugar and carbohydrates in restaurant meals can lead to blood sugar imbalances and insulin resistance. Sugar and alcohol can contribute to imbalances in estrogen levels. Inorganic vegetables, processed grains and factory farmed meats and fish are hormone disrupting nightmares.
And if you take your meal to go you’re probably being exposed to phthalates which are linked to fertility problems and complications with pregnancies.
When you cook at home you’ll experience:
lowered insulin levels,
fewer cravings,
less hunger,
Better energy
Optimized gut health
Balanced mood
Male and female hormone balance
You can choose ingredients that will avoid these issues. Organic produce, grass fed meats and wild caught fish should be at the top of your list. Sugary processed foods can be more easily avoided when cooking at home.
Benefits Of Cooking At Home
Portion control is easier
Portion control is a mainstay of weight loss , but restaurant portions are out of control. It’s not uncommon to have a restaurant meal add up to an entire day's worth of calories. This can make portion control almost impossible when eating out. Even if you split the meal in 2, you’ll likely still eat more than you should.
When you cook at home, you can easily cook for reasonable portion sizes. If you cook for your family you can take that into account when you decide how much to cook. Leftovers can be stored for easy meals at another time.
The recipes I provide my clients have easy fat, protein and carbohydrate counters to make meal planning easy.
Control over Ingredients
Restaurants often don’t use the most nutritious ingredients. Some even use MSG, which can disrupt the satiety hormone, cause headaches or dizziness in some people, and may affect brain health. Or they use too much fat, sugar or salt to improve the taste.
If you make your meals at home you have control over the ingredients that you use. This means you can control how much fat goes into a dish, avoid preservatives and control the sugar and salt content.
Higher quality ingredients
Restaurants will also usually choose lower cost ingredients. You won’t see organic produce or grass fed meat except at the most expensive restaurants.
But with home cooked meals you can choose the most tasty, and nutritious ingredients. And you can avoid the low quality fillers of most restaurant meals.
Better side dishes
Both expensive and fast food restaurants will often fill plates with low quality carbohydrates. Root vegetables, white rice, and white bread are common. French fried potatoes are everywhere. These are foods that are cheap to prepare and easy to store. If you request a salad it often comes with wilted lettuce, and drowned in dressing.
When you cook at home, you can choose healthy green vegetables, salads or legumes as your side dishes.
Better cooking methods
Restaurants will often use the quickest and most efficient means of cooking so food is tasty. This can mean things like deep frying or pan frying which add extra fat to your meals. When meats are grilled they are often overcooked, or dangerously undercooked. Vegetables may not be cooked in ways that maintain nutrients.
When you cook at home you can use cooking methods that will maintain nutrients, while still maintaining the safety and the flavor of the foods.
More fiber
Getting enough fiber in your diet helps with weight loss, hormone balance and gut health. Restaurant meals rarely contain much fiber. White bread, buns and rice are low fiber additions to many restaurant meals.
Home cooked meals can be prepared with high fiber vegetables, and legumes to make your meals a fiber powerhouse.
Less salt
While you need some salt to function, too much salt in your diet can cause water retention, high blood pressure and stroke. Restaurants often use salt liberally to increase the flavor of your meal. My patients often report feeling bloated or water retention for days after a restaurant meal.
With home cooked meals you can have a much lighter hand with the salt shaker (it’s better to measure), or use spices and other flavoring methods to make your meals taste great.
Less sugar
Excess sugar, especially added sugar, in your diet increases the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart disease. When you eat at a restaurant you’ll likely consume more sugar than when eating at home. You’ll be more likely to consume a sugary drink and sugar can be hidden in sauces, side dishes and dressings. The amount of sugar you eat adds up quickly.
Cooking at home means control over the amount of sugar you add and it’s easier to avoid foods which are naturally high in sugar.
Lower cost
It’s likely no surprise that home cooked meals cost less than restaurant meals. But you might be wondering how this can help with weight loss. The money saved from cooking at home can be put towards a new pair of running shoes, a yoga class or a weight loss program.
Why you might be reluctant to cook at home
Despite the benefits, you might still be reluctant to cook at home. Here are some of the objections I often get:
Not enough time
Don’t know how to cook
Don’t have the equipment needed
However these objections are easily overcome. You can use meal preparation techniques to save time and create healthier meals. It’s easy to find simpler recipes to get started and you can get started with minimal equipment and work up to more. I provide my clients with recipes that are easy to make, don’t take too much time and most don’t require any special equipment.
My experience
Some of my clients are reluctant to give up eating out. But they find that cooking for themselves has many rewards. One is that it’s much easier to lose weight when they are preparing most meals at home. With the recipes I provide, they find that home cooked food can be much more flavorful and satisfying. They avoid the bloating that often occurs after a restaurant meal. It also makes the occasional meal out feel that much more special.
How I can help
My custom, holistic weight loss programs provide steady but sustainable fat loss. We co-create a plan that includes delicious recipes and healthy eating ideas that will fit your lifestyle. Your personalized plan will make the difference you are looking for. Book a free nutrition assessment to find out how I can help.
Warm wishes,
Vicki Witt | Clinical Nutritionist | Holistic Coach | Reiki Master | Certified LEAP allergy therapist Over 25 years of successfully helping you achieve optimal health and weight loss 🍏| www.vickiwittweightloss.com
About Vicki:
Vicki Witt is a Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Coach, and Reiki Master. She has been practicing over 25 years and specializes in holistically customizing diet and lifestyle plans to each individual for weight loss and hormonal control. Her clientele often report they feel the best they have ever felt and wish they had started sooner. One of the USA and Australia's top Nutritionists, she has won multiple awards for her services in the industry.
Certified and Registered Nutritionist
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