Too busy to cook? Find yourself eating out a lot? If so, you’re not alone. The Canadian Community Health Survey (2004) found that one-quarter of Canadians had eaten food from a fast-food outlet the day before they were interviewed.

If you eat out often, you could increase your risk of being overweight. The problem isn’t just eating out, it’s the choices that we make aren’t always the healthiest. Forty percent of people choose higher-fat foods like pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, or hot dogs. Twenty-five percent choose high-calorie regular soft drinks.

Won’t Eating Out Save Me Time and Money?

Many people feel that going out to eat, grabbing takeout, or ordering in will save them time. However, when you look at the time it takes to get to the restaurant and wait to be seated and served, eating out often takes more time than a quick trip to the grocery store and preparing your own food. By grocery shopping you’ll save time, money, and have more control of the nutritional value of your food.

Here are some tips to help you budget your time, money, and calories:

• Buy ready-to-go items like pasta sauce and add extra veggies to boost the nutritional value.

• Cook when you have more time. On the weekend make double recipes of casseroles, soups, and stir fries and freeze for the next week.

• Use quick cooking methods like microwaving, broiling, or stir-frying.

• Make no cook meals or snacks like salads, beans, cold sandwiches, and raw vegetables with low-fat dip.

• Use frozen or canned low sodium products to speed up preparation time (e.g., frozen veggies, canned beans, canned tuna, or salmon).

• Buy fruit in season. Wash it right away and keep it handy for quick and easy snacks.

References:

Statistics Canada. (2006, July 6). Canadian Community Health Survey: Overview of Canadians’ eating habits. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060706/d060706b.htm

United States Department of Agriculture. (2007). Family meals: Easy, tasty, and healthy! Retrieved April 22, 2008, from www.nal.usda.gov/fsn/Loving/FamilyMeals.pdf