Food Content // Is it Time to Return to Home Cooking?

How many times a week do you opt for a meal you haven’t cooked yourself? Be it take away or eating out. Over the last few years more and more people have been opting for take away over a home cooked meal and it isn’t all down to having more disposible income (lets face it, we don’t have any!) Research published by the John Hopkins School of Public Health has claimed that people who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories, but as a society we’re once again opting for ease over health. And I have to admit, I’m one of these

Today five-star kitchen splashbacks supplier, The Plastic People are helping me explore just how popular eating out and ordering takeaways has become and why we should consider putting the menus away and instead get back to cooking in our kitchens:

Our Love for Take Aways
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I sometimes have a take away three times a week. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And I’m not proud, but it also tastes so good. Digital takeaway specialists Just Eat previously shed light on how popular takeaways are for UK families and it looks like I’m not the only one!

According to the study, almsot half of people aged under 35 years old will serve their families a takeaway meal for a get-together. Reasons for doing so included both parents having to work longer hours and trying to fit their children’s extra-curricular activities into the day.

Although the above doesn’t surprise me, the same piece of research also found that over a quarter of survey respondents admit to passing off takeaway meals as their own food when inviting guests round. What?! I’ve seen it happen in movies but I didn’t think people actually did this! However, more than a half of those who admitted to doing this said that they simply didn’t have enough time to cook.

“Modern lives are incredibly busy, and often both parents work long hours. So increasingly, people are looking for ways to be more effective with their time so that they can spend as much of the day as possible with their families and doing the things they love.”

Just Eat’s Graham Corfield has pointed out. Just Eat has certainly emerged as one of the main companies associated with the takeaway scene of the 21st century and the UK is Just Eat’s largest market, with the market for delivered takeaway food for this country expanding from £5.5 billion in 2015 to £6.1 billion last year and Just Eat finishing 2016 with 9.2 million active UK customers.

The Case for Home Cooking
A study carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has suggested that people should reconsider their eating habits. The researchers concluded that those who frequently cook meals at home eat more healthily and consume fewer calories than those who cook less. This conclusion was reached as;

• 48 per cent of participants cooked dinner between six and seven times a week and consumed 2,164 calories, 81 grams of fat and 119 grams of sugar on an average day.
• Eight per cent of participants cooked dinner once or less a week and consumed 2,301 calories, 84 grams of fat and 135 grams of sugar on an average day.

It’s a known fact that take away is unhealthy and multiple times a week can be detrimental and these numbers prove this. There was also a suggestion from the research that those who cooked at home six to seven nights a week also consumed fewer calories whenever they did decide to spend a night away from the kitchen and eating out instead. If you eat out you’re more likely to consume more food (such as a three course meal) than you would ideally have at home.

Although cooking at home may be more time consuming it is healthier and it will save you money. Get your children involved, do prep when you have a free moment or even chose meals that can be thrown together if time is an issue for you. Both you and your bank account will feel better in the long run!