The Importance of Cooking at Home

I didn't realize until about a year ago all the benefits of cooking your own food at home. I'm not going to lie, I'm still the type where whenever get the chance to order a sashimi salad at my favorite Thai restaurant, I'm always game. It's convenient, healthy, and delicious. However, I realized every time I'd do this, the 10 dollars would add up and I'd wonder why I also felt and looked so bloated. I know, you're probably thinking, "What?! It's just sashimi, that's not going to bloat you." I'm here to agree with you on that statement. Yes, you're right. The sashimi is not going to make me gain weight, but it's the amazing sauces that come with it that will. Restaurant food will always screw you over some way or another, unless told otherwise. Restaurants will normally add more ingredients to either preserve their food or to appeal to a mass amount of customers. I don't know how many people actually care whether they want to feel good after they eat, or it's more important to eat food that's extra oily and salty in the moment because it tastes better to them. Personally, I've always eaten clean, so my body expects that all the time. Even if I eat out a restaurant, I want to make sure I fuel my body correctly, so I feel energized and comfortable for the rest of my day. That's the issue. I've never taken a food sensitivity test and I don't plan on it. I listen to my body and sense what makes me feel good and what doesn't. From what I've noticed on my constant sushi runs, I was keeping on a lot of water weight due to the massive, daily doses of sodium. I would drink a lot of water and nothing would do. Even if I ate super light, this would not change my distended stomach and puffy face. I was very concerned to at one point. I consulted with my general physician to see what I could be doing wrong. She suggested I write everything in a food journal. I've done that before, but I still didn't see any change. A year later, I decided to change things up. After learning about Sahara Rose ( an Ayruvedic counselor and author), I was able to find more answers to why I felt so bloated and uncomfortable. Through Ayruvedic teachings and her book "Eat, Feel Fresh", I started making my own dishes at home. I will write another blog post that discusses Ayruveda. For now, I will lightly touch on the idea that making my own healing foods has completely changed my constant bloating. I realize all the eating out at restaurant didn't give my body the right nutrients that you get from making your own food. When making your own food, you don't have to add all the extra ingredients that restaurants do. You can customize to whatever your body is in search for. For that reason, I started cooking and prepping my own lunches and dinners for the week, and what a difference! My bloating completely left me and I felt so much better than ever before. I felt lighter and I lost all that stubborn, uncomfortable water weight. Now, I'm not saying that I never go out to restaurants anymore, but I definitely limit it for the weekends. At this rate, I've killed two birds with one stone: save money and feel healthier.