Now that Whole Foods has recently opened in Foggy Bottom, complementing Trader Joe’s already strong presence, it’s time to complain less about the food at GW and to start cooking! For many of us who live geographically closer to a supermarket than to some of our classes, there is no excuse to still be buying frozen foods and Easy Mac at CVS.
There are many advantages to cooking at home versus dining out.
First and most obviously, cooking your meals is A LOT less expensive than eating at a restaurant. To put this into perspective, one sandwich and a beverage purchased for lunch can cost you anywhere from around $8.00-$15.00. Meanwhile, if you spend approximately $15.00 on foods to make your own sandwich, you can have enough sandwiches for the whole week! One thing to keep in mind is that Whole Foods is pricier than many other grocery stores, so if you are really watching your buck, try getting most of your groceries at Trader Joes or Safeway, and save Whole Foods for when you have less time to make the “trek” to Trader Joes on 25th and L Street.
Secondly, cooking allows you to moderate how healthy (or unhealthy) you want to make your meal. Of course, eating at restaurants all the time is delicious; but most of the time what makes foods so tasty is the unhealthy proportions of the good stuff like butter, mayonnaise, and sugar. At Potbelly’s for example: one original sized tuna fish sandwich on multigrain bread can rack up nearly 500 calories – and that’s without our favorite cheese and toppings! Meanwhile, if you make your own tuna salad at home, it would be closer to 300 calories. Here’s the breakdown of how I’d make my sandwich: 1 serving size of Chicken of the Sea tuna = 50 calories; 1 tablespoons of light mayo =35 calories; two slices of whole foods multigrain bread = 160 calories. Throw in some lettuce and tomato and that’s a grand total of 220 calories! If you’re eating at a chain restaurant and want to know what goes into your food, try looking up the nutritional information online before you go, or ask to see a pamphlet when you’re there. This way you can at least have some idea of what is going into your meal.
When you cook at home, you are giving yourself complete control of what you are putting into your food, how fresh it is, and who is touching the ingredients. Most restaurants do not prepare the food in front of you, leaving the process a mystery. When you cook at home, however, you can be sure your foods are not expired, and not exposed to bacteria (as long as you yourself wash your hands carefully). And for those individuals with food allergies, making your meals at home is one way to prevent any harmful cross contamination.
With our very busy schedules as students, it is not expected that you cook every meal of every day, and never dine out. But, if you’re a student who eats out every meal each day, try to take one meal where you can cook at home. Cooking one or two meals a day will save you money, help you stay healthy, and give you complete control over what you’re putting into your body.
Check out the Trader Joe’s website for some interesting new recipes you can try at home! http://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/index.asp
And to learn more about the benefits of cooking take a look at these articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/dining/10home.html?pagewanted=1
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-05-05-home-cooking_x.htm