Stay Slim in Your Own Kitchen

Stay Slim in Your Own Kitchen

You may enjoy treating yourself to the occasional dinner out or grabbing takeout when you find yourself too tired to do anything, but the healthiest option for a dieter is to cook meals at home. Preparing your own food allows you to control the portion sizes and ingredients, so there are no unpleasant surprises, such as butter in your broccoli, animal lard in your beans, or extra salt in your soup. Cooking at home gives you access to all the tools that can help make your meal diet-friendly. You can use measuring cups and spoons to ensure that you use the correct amount of oil and butter - two ingredients that are often used in excess at restaurants. At-home food preparation can save you money, too. A typical strawberry smoothie at your local juice bar can set you back $5, but you can make your own healthy version at home with ingredients that total less than $1. Kitchen scissors are another good tool to have. Many restaurants serve fatty cuts of meat, but if you're the chef you can easily snip off the extra fat and remove the skin before baking. Cut the fat and rely on spices like pepper and garlic to add flavor. Many restaurant meals are rich in meats and starches but low in veggies, so make sure you get your five-a-day by cooking veggies at home. And if you typically let your carrots or tomatoes rot because cutting them up seems too daunting, invest in a vegetable chopper. It’s OK to eat out every once in a while, but most of the time try to make your own healthy meals at home. Your new healthy habit will likely whittle your waistline as well!