“One reason busy, stressed people tend to gain weight is that they more often eat fast food, or go out to eat.”  Elizabeth Scott, M.S.

How many meals have you eaten at home in the past week?

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.  (Proverbs 15:17; NIV)

Preparing food at home is one of the keys to staying healthy.  I know many folks don’t enjoy reading that sentence.  They feel that eating out is so much more convenient than preparing food at home.  I realize that it isn’t always convenient to prepare food at home, and yes, it is easier to just pick up fast food. However your body (and the bodies of your children) simply cannot thrive off of processed garbage, (whoops…I mean processed food J).  As in other major areas of our life, if we fail to plan our meals, we are planning to fail. We simply must be pro active and determine what our menu will be a few days to a week out.

Statistically, most Americans spend 90 percent of their food budget on PROCESSED foods. To be healthy, this needs to be reversed to where we spend 90 percent on fresh, whole foods…not processed foods.

Our bodies need real food, and once we make the switch to primarily home-cooked meals, you quickly realize just how artificial restaurant food really is.

If you want to optimize your health and live longer, the reality is, time must be spent in the kitchen in food preparation.  Many of our readers still remember when this wasn’t even an issue.  It was actually a part of life and our culture.  Almost all meals were prepared at home.   However, with our current lifestyles, we need to be deliberate and intentional about preparing food at home.

We simply cannot rely on restaurant food or on purchasing highly processed foods from the grocery store to provide us with optimal nutrition. To do so is a prescription for disaster that will invariably significantly increase our risk for developing chronic medical illnesses.  Now, I know it’s not always convenient, but the harsh reality is that the piper will be paid at some point.  Either we pay him up front by spending more time in the kitchen or pay him later when we’re in the hospital bed suffering the consequences from choosing a lifetime of eating processed foods.  You can make the choice!

Prayer Power
Lord, thank You for the energy, the ability, and the desire to prepare healthy meals at home.

Link of the Day
Reduce Stress and Stay Healthier With A Healthy Eating Plan

Blessings on you as you plan to eat more meals at home in 2008.