Eating out all the time is harmful to both your health and budget (2024)

Experts who express that cooking at home provides an advantage in terms of cost, emphasize that in today's conditions, ready-to-eat meals can cause chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, especially obesity, although it is time saving and practical. Nutrition and Dietetics Specialist Nurseda Hatunoğlu stated and warned that "One of the main differences between cooking at home and eating out is better nutritional hygiene. In cases where hygiene cannot be ensured, foods can be contaminated for various reasons and cause food poisoning."

Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Instructor Nurseda Hatunoğlu evaluated the effects of eating out continuously in terms of both economic and health.

Nutrition and diet expert Hatunoğlu pointed out that the habit of eating out has increased today and said that "The developing food industry, changes in lifestyle and socio-cultural structure cause individuals to benefit from more mass nutrition services and an increase in the consumption of ready-to-eat or semi-ready-to-eat foods. Our environment today provides easy access to very cheap, tasty and high-energy foods that are easily obtained."

There is often high-calorie, processed and fatty food out there

Emphasizing that the most important environmental factor that can cause obesity other than genetic and hormonal factors is the eating habit, Hatunoğlu said that "For this reason, it is not appropriate to eat from outside continuously to provide a correct nutritional behavior. Eating out can often include high-calorie, processed, and fatty fast food or restaurant meals. Excessive consumption of such nutrients can cause chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes. However, eating out by making healthy food choices can have a positive effect on a healthy diet. Choosing the right restaurant, portion control, avoiding processed, excessive salt and sugar-containing foods can be maintained outside as well. Therefore, the person will both control the appetite and feel good socially."

Ready-to-eat meals can cause health problems in the long run

Hatunoğlu pointed out that in today's conditions, ready-to-eat meals can have unhealthy food content, even if they provide saving of time and practicality, and that these foods can contain high amounts of additives, fats, salts and sugars and that these foods can cause various health problems when consumed in the long term.

Noting that most restaurant menus include healthy and balanced food options, Hatunoğlu continued her remarks as follows:

"However, no matter how healthy a meal is, it can lead to high calorie intake unless portion control is paid attention to. Therefore, it is very important to make conscious and balanced choices in both ready-to-eat meals and restaurant meals in terms of health. If the correct preparation, waiting and cooking methods are not used, loss of nutrient content may occur. In addition, substances harmful to health appear when using methods such as frying. Processed foods also have less nutritional value.

There may be difficulty in regulating appetite control

Hatunoğlu stated that eating out can meet the daily nutritional needs of the person when the right choices are made, portion control and attention should be paid to food diversity. Hatunoğlu said that "Therefore, it is important to make restaurant selections with a menu that includes healthy dishes. However, the person may have difficulty in regulating appetite control when the balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats that should be taken daily is not established,"

If the right choices are made, it is possible to eat healthy by eating out

Noting that it is possible to choose a healthy meal while eating out, Hatunoğlu said that salads, grilled or steamed meat and vegetable dishes and soups prepared with fresh vegetables rich in pulp, vitamin and mineral content can also be preferred by examining the restaurant menu.
Nurseda Hatunoğlu emphasized that eating out can be an option to meet nutritional needs if balanced and healthy choices are made, but preparing meals at home is the leading factor in maintaining nutrient content and providing a healthy eating habit.

Cooking at home can be made enjoyable

Stating that one of the most fundamental differences of cooking at home compared to eating out is better nutritional hygiene, Hatunoğlu touched upon the benefits of cooking at home and completed her remarks as follows:

"In cases where hygiene cannot be maintained, food can become contaminated for various reasons and it can cause food poisoning. In places where mass feeding is carried out, nutritional value losses are greater during the preparation and retention of nutrients. Moreover, cooking at home provides an advantage in terms of cost. To encourage cooking at home, cooking at home can be turned into a pleasant and practical activity without being seen as a chore. Weekly food shopping and weekly meal planning can be done. Delicious, low-budget and practical recipes can be created. Frozen products that do not contain food additives can be preferred. Vegetables, especially greens, can be stored by pre-washing and drying."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)