Stop Eating Fast Food
Why you should start cooking food at home
How often do you eat fast food? Weekly? Or even daily? Some of the most popular fast food restaurants include McDonalds, Chick Fil A, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendys, Popeyes, and so on. Have you eaten at one of these restaurants a few too many times recently? Well, what's so bad about fast food? I mean, it does have some benefits, such as satisfying your stomach when it’s craving some comfort food. But cooking at home is far superior to eating fast food.
The first benefit of cooking at home is finance. When you pass by McDonalds, a BigMac may seem like just a 4 dollar burger, but over time it can add up to a great expense. Cooking at home is much more affordable in the long term. If you plan out your meals for the week, and get your ingredients in bulk, you will be able to cut down the costs for your food. For example, Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs, Microwave Pasta, 7.5 Oz, costs 4.63 dollars. This seems like a low cost, but if you continue to eat this way for long periods of time, it will leave your wallet empty.
On the other hand, buying 12 oz. of Barilla spaghetti costs 1.98, and Classico Spicy Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, 24 oz. Jar costs 1.98. So buying these two ingredients would cost 3.96- less than the Chef Boyardee meal. And the home-cooked Spaghetti and Meatballs will get you more food, too: you'll get 36 ounces of food, over 7.5 ounces more than the microwave pasta. This amount of food can last you through a few days, rather than the microwave pasta which is a one-time use. And if you are occupied with homework one day, and don't have time to cook, you can always reheat your spaghetti leftovers!
Also, it is much healthier to cook home prepared meals. Consistently eating fast food or pre-packaged meals can have a long-lasting effect on your health. Store-bought ready-made meals have a great quantity of sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. These can lead to health problems over time. Meanwhile, when cooking at home, you're forced to actively choose which ingredients you want to eat, making yourself plan ahead. This encourages good health choices and gives you control of your food choices.
And for many of us at Edgewood, college is in the near future. Cooking at home can help your life at college be easier. Student loans and dorm rooms are not cheap. And buying fast food or breakfast every morning will add much more onto that expense. But meal prep at home will help cut down those costs. So as a high schooler going into college, it is helpful to prepare your own food.
Overall, you'll just be healthier, happier, and more organized when you're cooking for yourself at home. Sure, fast food is definitely easier, but making just a few active lifestyle choices when it comes to preparing your food could change your life for the better.
This is Fiona’s first year on staff and second year at Edgewood. She loves baking desserts and playing tennis. As a writer on the team, she hopes to learn new skills and explore her writing style.