Last Updated on December 11, 2024
A research study funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that people that dined out frequently had a higher risk of diabetes than those who ate home cooked meals. For many people, this won’t come as much of a surprise, but there are a few things that we can still learn from the study.
While eating out at a restaurant is an excellent option for a quick and easy meal, results from the research showed that eating out versus those that ate a home cooked meal for 11 to 14 of their meals decreased their risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 13%. The study also revealed that eating at home for more meals kept the participants from gaining weight versus their dining out counterparts.
The study used data from 58,000 women from Nurses’ Health Study and 41,000 men from Health Professionals Follow-up Study. All the data was from participants that didn’t have any cardiovascular complications, they weren’t diagnosed with diabetes, nor were they diagnosed with cancer. The study focused on lunch and dinner but excluded breakfast.
The researchers from the study suggest that there were three main reasons for the findings.
- The first is that restaurants and fast food joints tend to put a lot of added salt, sugar, and preservatives that can add tons of unneeded ingredients. The extra ingredients tend to aid in packing on extra pounds.
- The other reasons the researchers suggest is that data shows that when you dine at home, you tend not to consume as much soda or sugary drinks.
- Also people that eat at home tend not to eat as much dessert because a waiter or waitress doesn’t tempt them.
Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, suggests that the environment that you eat might have a significant impact on your health. “The possibility is that food cooked at home in a less stressful environment can be even a more significant factor than the type of food” he went on to say.
Cooking At Home Made Easier
While this study shows that eating at home typically is healthier for you, that doesn’t mean you can cook whatever you want and expect to lose weight. Even with home cooked meals you have to be cautious of ingredients and how much you eat. Be cautious of the amount of sugar, salt, and breading that you add to each meal.
Cooking a meal at home isn’t always easy, but we have a few tips to make it a little more enjoyable and convenient. The majority of recipes require a lot of prep work before you cook. So, why not do all of your prep work ahead of time? If your dinner requires chopping up vegetables or mixing spices, do that the night before, or before you go to work.
One other way to make cooking easier is to invest in a slow cooker. The best aspect of a slow cooker is that you can place all of your ingredients in the cooker before you go to work and when you get home…… Presto! Your dinner is ready to eat.
There are millions of delicious recipes that use slow cookers; that won’t make your blood glucose levels go through the roof. Some recipes can be prepared in 5 minutes or less. If you’re strapped for time, you can place everything in the slow cooker the night before and put the whole thing in the refrigerator.
If you’re cooking after you get home from work, make it a family affair. Cooking is the perfect time to catch up on your kids’ or spouse’s day. Cooking together can bring your family closer together, save you money, and save you calories.
