While dining out at restaurants can be a lot of fun, offering the convenience of not having to cook, it can easily wreak havoc on both your budget and your health, especially if you do it on a regular basis.
Even if you simply stop for a single coffee every morning, you’re looking at approximately $2 per cup, which adds up to $60 per month. This may not seem like that much, but most of us do not stop at a single cup, especially if there is a Starbucks near the workplace, and if we upgrade to a latte, just one of those per day adds up to at least $120 per month. Think about how much organic coffee we could brew at home for that price, and how many other groceries that money would buy on top of the java.
Fast food is by nature cheap and convenient – the highlight of its appeal. However, even if you’re not killing your budget by ordering a burger off of the dollar menu, you are certainly causing problems for your health. The chemical additives, acrylamides (carcinogenic by-products of deep frying) and trans fats that these products often introduce into your body accumulate over time, and slowly destroy your body’s proper functioning.
Of course, many restaurants offer healthier meal choices, but, you’ll pay for them. The typical lunch entree nowadays costs between 10 and 15 dollars at most standard restaurants, and this does not include the beverage.
Additionally, many of these meals contain GMO ingredients and cheap meat and produce bought in bulk. Organic restaurants which offer top-of-the-line, healthy fare also come with a hefty price tag in most cases.
Whenever you eat out, you are taking a risk of foodborne illness, as you do not see how your food is handled and prepared. This discovery of a Golden Corral restaurant keeping meat outside near a dumpster in the scorching sun earlier this year is just one example of food safety atrocities committed frequently throughout the restaurant industry, usually without anyone noticing.
Cooking and eating healthy, organic meals at home ensures that you know exactly what is in the food you are eating, allowing you to feel confident in your family’s nutrition and safety. While buying organic ingredients may seem expensive at the outset, if you make smart choices, such as buying produce that is in season, it does not have to be. It is certainly not as expensive as eating out on a regular basis, and both your pocketbook, and your health, will thank you.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.thedailyaztec.com/2011/02/eating-out-often-will-demolish-your-health-and-wallet/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/golden-corral-dumpster_n_3560786.html
