A busy lifestyle often interferes with maintaining good health and wellness. You might be working long hours and living in takeout most of the days. But you will be losing out on some important nutrients. This is one of the main reasons why you should be cooking at home. Home cooked meals can be easily stored in a casserole or insulated food jars and will stay fresh for a long time. Takeout will not stay fresh and healthy for too long and you can fall sick from eating stale leftovers. Read on to find out more reasons why home cooked food is better.

Why Are Home Cooked Meals Better Than Takeout?

1. Healthy

Home cooked food is healthier than fast food or takeout. The nutritional value of the produce used will be maintained when you cook at home. Usually, the takeout that you order will have a lot of oil, butter and spices which might not be healthy, especially when eaten on a daily basis. But when you cook at home, you can control the amount of oil you use and leave out all the unhealthy additives or artificial flavours. You can store a home cooked meal in a casserole and enjoy its taste and aroma during mealtimes. 

2. Keep Calories in Check

If you are doing a diet, then eating takeout is not going to do any good. When you cook your own meals, you can maintain the calorie intake and keep your weight in check. Takeout usually has a very high salt and sugar content as well as saturated fats. This is what increases your calories so much. But when you eat home cooked food, you can leave out processed sugar or fatty ingredients to make sure that you are not exceeding your maximum calorie intake per meal.

3. Economical

Home cooked meals are cheaper than takeout everyday. When you buy produce in bulk and use it to create meal portions, it costs much less than takeout. You can also create a meal plan that is suited to your nutritional needs. Keep the portions in insulated food containers and you can even carry them to work, to enjoy warm meals everywhere. If you buy takeout for every meal, it might not seem too expensive at first. But the costs will add up and prove to be quite uneconomical. This is why home cooked food is a better option for your wallet!

4. Creative and Flavorful

When you cook at home, you can experiment a lot with flavours and try out some really creative recipes. When you order takeout, there is a limited number of dishes available and of the same cuisine. But when you cook the food at home, you can prepare any cuisine you wish and even make some fusion dishes.

5. Proper Portion Sizes

Getting the right portion is very difficult when you order takeout. Sometimes, takeout contains large portions and you will not be able to store them for another day. If the portion is too small, then you will not be able to eat well. This will not happen when you cook your meals at home. Even if you make big portions, you can keep the leftovers in a casserole and eat later. 

6. Time Saving

Takeout can take up a lot of time. Even if you order home delivery, the restaurant will take some time to bring it to you. If you opt for a drive through takeout service, then you might need to wait in line behind several cars. This will not happen at home. When you have some free time in hand, you can cook food for a number of meals and store them in a hot case. Then you will not lose any time even when you are in a hurry. 

7. Easier to Avoid Allergic Reactions

If you are allergic to certain ingredients, then home cooked meals are much better than takeout. You might not know what ingredients are there in the takeout and so the risk of allergic reactions is very high. At home, you can prepare the food without any ingredients that you are allergic to and keep it insulated food jars. You will be able to carry a jar to the office, instead of having to order takeout at work. 

8. Fresh Ingredients

You can use fresh produce in all your home cooked meals. The food you order from restaurants or other takeout services will mostly use canned or processed ingredients. The food might also be stale. However, at home you can use the freshest ingredients to create delicious food.

9. Comforting

After a long day at work, there is nothing more comforting than a plate of home cooked food. It might be easier to order takeout and not cook anything, especially when you are feeling tired. But takeout is usually oily and will not have the goodness of home cooked meals. For days like this, you can pre cook meals and keep in a casserole. Reheat it up when you return home and enjoy a comfortable and tasty meal. 

10. Connect with Families and Friends

Cooking is a great way to bond with people. Takeout does not allow this joy even though you can always sit down and share a meal that you have ordered from a restaurant. But if you have the means then cooking a meal at home can be a beautiful occasion. You can discover new methods of cooking and try out different flavours. Invite your friends and family over and stock the pantry with their favourite ingredients. You can cook multiple dishes from various different cuisines and have a true culinary adventure at home!

Final Words

You might think that takeout meals are tastier. But you can create really delicious food at home, too. Keep a hot case in the kitchen to store the food so that you can enjoy warm meals at any time of the day. Regular takeout meals can be very unhealthy and overall wellness will suffer. Instead of continuing with such a habit, you can turn to some easy but tasty meals cooked at home and enjoy some takeout food during the weekends.