Why home-cooked meals beat restaurant menus

Runners don’t need a lecture on skipping the takeout or fast-food dinners. We already know that the meals that come in Styrofoam boxes are nutritional disasters.

For time-poor runners, packing lunches and cooking dinners every night can feel like a little unrealistic. It’s much easier to just head to a local restaurant and order a quick wrap or stir-fry. The problem: it looks healthy, therefore you think it is. But the restaurant meal is not a swap for the home-cooked meal. 

Researchers from the University of Illinois and the American Cancer Society examined the health benefits of home-cooked meals versus restaurant meals.  They examined food choices of 12,538 people ages 20 to 64 over a two-day period. They found that meals from sit-down restaurants contained an additional 205 calories than home-cooked meals. Surprisingly that was more than the junk food dinners. The fast food contained 195 more calories than the food from the family kitchen.

To add to this, a recent study from the University of Toronto examined 3,507 variations of 685 sit-down restaurant meals. Researchers found that restaurant menu options contained much higher quantities of calories, fat, trans fats and sodium than food served at home. On average, one meal contained over half of a person’s recommended daily caloric intake, 151 percent of their daily sodium intake and 89 percent of their recommended daily fats.

When cooking at home, you are aware of each ingredient that goes into the pot and so you’re more likely to opt for simple, healthier choices. To keep fueling with honest and nutritional food, try batch cooking over the weekend. A simple chili or soup recipe can go a long way.