Over the past couple of weeks have you:
- Eaten a meal in the car
- Eaten a meal while walking
- Eaten fast food
- Eaten a meal while you continued to work
- Skipped a meal because you were too busy
If you answered yes to any of those, you are not alone. US Foods research has found that the average person eats out 3 times a month and orders delivery 4.5 times a month.
According to USDA reports, consumers are spending more money on eating out than having food at home and the numbers are continuing to climb. Spending money on food at home is at an all-time low in comparison to money spent on food away from home being at an all-time high. I find the chart below very interesting in watching how the numbers were trending until 2020 and then the change that took place with food after the pandemic.
When our lives are spent rushing from one location to the next, it takes planning on our part to make sure we are eating nutritious meals, and we aren’t letting rash decisions pick less optimal choices. Poor eating habits can lead to feeling tired, increased stress and a weakened immune system. Let’s explore simple strategies for eating well on the go and building a plan to enjoy more meals at home.
General rule of thumb when making nutritious choices while eating out:
- Select menu items with less fat: Baked, braised, broiled, grilled, poached, roasted, steamed
- OCCASIONALLY select: Batter-fried, pan-fried, buttered, creamed, crispy, breaded and have them as a side or split with friends
- Portion size- order regular or child size, order appetizer in place of main course, split meal or share
- Switch out the fried foods for a salad, baked potato, fresh fruit or another vegetable option
- Ask for your sauce on the side, request higher fat foods be left off like mayonnaise, bacon or cheese, ask to be prepared with less oil or add more vegetables
- You can use apps to check on the nutritional content of your selected food choice. Most restaurant menus will give you the calorie range but by using an app it will also tell you fat, carbohydrates and sodium content. Most restaurants now have their own data showing the nutritional content.
If eating more food at home is your goal, then some strategies are needed.
- Menu Plan: look at your family’s schedule for the upcoming week and plan meals out accordingly. This can be in a notebook, a piece of paper on your fridge or an app.
- Kitchen Gadgets: Depending on your work and evening schedules it may be helpful to have something in the crockpot, instant pot, grill, use the griddle or the microwave to warm up leftovers or steam frozen veggies.
- Cook Once Eat Twice: batch cook items that can be used in several meals (brown several pounds of ground beef/turkey for tacos, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes- extra rice for burrito bowls and then fried rice)
Whether you’re dining out or cooking in, every meal is a chance to take the healthier path—because the fork in the road is really the one in your hand.
Written by: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Washington County
Reviewed by: Megan Taylor, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Educator, OSU Extension Union County
