Home Cooked vs. Fast Food

Benjamin Blackburn Blackburn1 Professor Barnes English 111-16 11/19/2012 Home cooked: Health over Value Instead of putting money towards car or house payments, several thousands of dollars are spent on food purchased away from home in the average American family. The numbers are even more increasing to single status Americans. Don’t get me wrong, I like fast food, but it doesn’t come close to a home cooked meal.

Home cooked meals are comfort foods that help a family bond. Whether it is a recipe passed down for generations, or culinary discovery made inventive genius, nothing beats a good home cooked meal with family. The main temptation to indulge in fast food is its convenience, especially during a busy work day or long road trips. With less prepare time, fast food chooses frozen foods that are shipped to location. Although there are food chains who advertise “fresh, never frozen”, these companies are not purchasing these “fresh” products from a local, reputable supplier.

Adding to fast foods convenience, these chains have to take short cuts to deliver hot food, fast! Home cooked meals may not have a convenient drive-thru, but prepping fresh meats and vegetables the night before can alleviate long prep and cooking times. We all know that fast food sales for a reasonable price. Even when there is an increase in economy, they tend to remain at those prices in order to entice the customer. When some time Blackburn 2 passes, and things seem normal in economy, then they will increase prices slightly.

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It is my belief that fast food wants Americans to know they are suffering with them, therefore winning the people’s choice. Happy customers make for good business, with fewer complaints. Although home cooked meals seem much more expensive than McDonalds, health plays a bigger part. Having and growing a personal garden can cut these prices down to fractions that not even fast food can compare to, not to mention more nutritious. Belief in the value for a buck is not reason enough to set aside nutritional values.

Most families put their trust in Betty Crocker and Stouffers from local grocery stores. These “convenience foods” are cheap alternatives to fast food but contain as much sugar, sodium, and saturated fat as eating out. Using fresh ingredients, you are more able to control the amount of harmful ingredients used in cooking. As a matter of opinion, you know what is being put in your meals. When looking at fast food from a health stand point, salads from McDonalds contain as many calories as their best-selling Big Mac when you add salad dressing.

Although fast food offers health alternatives, they are not all as healthy as they seem. With America’s increase of obesity each year, home cooking is more nutritious and clean. Plus, the fact that you are able to spend quality time with family and friends. Coming from a single parent home, I was able to do homework at the kitchen table and as my mother helped me, she would also keep a close eye on the stove while preparing meals for me and my sister. Cooking is bonding time!

Eating out felt like vacations when I was growing up. It was a reward for a tough week at school. We as Americans have become lazy, and are taking the easy way out far too often. Packing a healthy snack consisting of fruits and sandwiches made at home can Blackburn 3 prevent the craving for fast food while on a road trip. The same can also be applied to working lives. Home cooked meals are not just the healthy choice, they are the better choice.

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