The True Wealth is Health
The old phrase ‘You are what you eat’ remains relevant today because very few people actually know what they’re consuming. Ask the average person what they ate for lunch, listing all the main ingredients, and there’s usually silence.
Smart people care what goes into their bodies and how much they consume whenever they eat (see How to Use Portion Sizing to Manage Your Weight). It would be completely irresponsible to eat from just about anywhere without knowing who prepared the food, yet this is exactly what most people do.
Questionable food includes produce that isn’t grown in our own gardens or animal meat products we buy at the grocery store. Do we know the background of where that food came from, or are we complacent with what’s presented on the store shelves?
Most working-class adults want to eat healthy foods regularly without the stress of higher-than-normal grocery bills. Achieving this involves a routine of preparing your own food, using high-quality ingredients, for yourself or your family.
Eating out is not only more dangerous because of the unknown additives used to prepare food without our consent, but it’s also costly for most people to do so regularly. The restaurant industry is transforming right before your eyes, which is why smarter people are typically eating at home.
Why Smarter People Are Eating From Home
It seems smarter to save the time for cooking and cleaning dishes by choosing to eat meals from the local restaurants in the neighborhood. The rise of fast food chains have transformed the world, introducing cuisines from every ethnicity you can think of from anywhere you can imagine.
This is how the fast food giants made their mark in the restaurant industry, slowly making the food preparation process more efficient and profitable. This efficiency came at a cost to health of millions of people since food has become more processed and metabolic disease is at an all time high.
The speedy process of serving fast food has slowed down dramatically since 2020, as wait times in drive thru restaurants (ex. McDonalds) are averaging 7 mins per customer. Waiting in queue for a meal or two these days could take a minimum of 30 minutes or more.
The other factor affecting wait times is the new gig economy of delivery apps and drivers that deliver to your door. This phenomenon has taken over since the pandemic and has provided opportunities for individuals to replace their income in a tough economy.
Unfortunately, technology companies that operate these apps hoard profits between the consumers and the restaurants, which leaves very little money on the table for drivers. In recent times, CEOs for these apps have stated that delivery times will be much longer when there are little to no tips offered for drivers.
Besides long wait times for food, there are a few other reasons why cooking from home more often makes more sense:
Food served looks worse than advertised
The food marketed in print and television media looks much more appealing than the order placed on tray/plate. That’s because the photography for fast food is a marketing gimmick designed to trick audiences to eat low quality food.
Young people have access to healthy cooking videos online
Years ago learning how to cook from a professional involved watching a handful of chefs on daytime tv or special cable networks and ordering cookbooks. Today we have easy access videos on YouTube and FoodNetwork that educate chefs on how to make any dish they like in nearly every spoken language. All for free.
The barrier for teaching yourself is lower since 2020, yet most Gen Z have anxiety when it comes to cooking. TikTok and short video format online platforms are the new wave for young people to become home chefs.
Deceptive Food Labels have pushed people to natural foods
Not every person walking down the grocery aisle is checking the nutrient food products for the list of ingredients/chemicals in them. Although manufacturers are required to include the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) along with ingredients, many labels are being shown to be deceptive (see The Deception Behind Food Labels).
People that are more conscious of what is being put into their bodies are opting eating foods found in nature that don’t have nutrition facts and hasn’t been processed in a factory.
Fast food is more addictive/costs more money
Individuals that prefer fast food over whole foods (fruits, vegetables, etc) are not just eating for convenience but merely for their addiction. Fast food is much more addictive than naturally grown food because natural food isn’t as palatable (which means the high levels of salt, sugar, and fat).
In regions of the brain there are overlaps between the response of addictive drugs and highly palatable foods, which gives similar pleasurable effects with fast food. Addiction to food creates dependence and becomes costly over a period of time when consumed consistently. In just the last 5 years prices have increased 40% at a majority large chain restaurants.
Organic restaurants are not practical yet
Educated consumers have become aware of the low quality ingredients and toxins being used in restaurants due to the rise of the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement being propagated by Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. His crackdown on vegetable seed oils and food dyes are impacting how restauranteurs are preparing food for their customers.
Organic and ‘healthy’ restaurant chains have existed for decades but the problem is that higher operating costs and crafting food that customers will still enjoy. Animal fats are a much healthier option to use for deep frying, sautéing, or baking, but purchasing these products for consumers are expensive.
This is a challenge to overcome for the restaurant industry due to the razor thin profit margins and the high amounts of competition that exists between other similar restaurants. There are a growing number of organic restaurants in North America that primarily source their food from the best distributors, so we’ll have to wait and see how this will develop over the next few years.
People That Can’t Cook From Home
Ideally, cooking from home is always the best option but for some this can be a luxury that they cannot afford. People that frequently travel for work or spend long hours in the day away from home will face difficulty meal prepping and carry food on the go.
Other individuals may be disabled or elderly and find operating a stove/oven challenging in its own right. You need the ability to maneuver around the kitchen to keep surface areas clean for your own health and safety. Danger and accidents do occur in the kitchen, which is why it’s wise to always use precaution when cooking from home.
Luckily, there are food delivery and catering services that can serve restricted populations without the hassle of maintaining a kitchen. Meals-on-Wheels is a government service for older people that provides nutritious food tailored to each person’s needs.
Meal delivery services aid individuals with higher monthly food budgets, as delivery and catering are not the cheapest options. The benefit is the customized meal option with lots of variety and the ability to have healthy meals you enjoy without washing dishes.
The Wrap Up
Purchasing food should be considered an investment as it has a large impact on your overall health and well-being. Chronic illness and poor weight management are byproducts of neglect and failure to understand which foods you should be consuming. The fastest, quickest options for food aren’t the best choices in the long run because of the negative consequences they create in our personal lives and in society as a whole.
One Response
Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.