My Opinion Monday: Are Homemade Meals As Wholesome As We Think?
My Opinion Monday is a response to Food Forum Friday, which can be found on The Cook the Story Facebook Page.
Last week on the Huffington Post Anneli Rufus asked if frozen meals free us or turn us into barbarians. I was all set to go on about cooking from scratch and how much healthier it is than buying pre-made meals. But it turns out I don’t really know if that’s true.
I don’t buy frozen meals. I don’t buy canned meals. I don’t buy boxes of powder that instantly turn into meals (except in this exceptional situation). I almost exclusively cook things from scratch. I even make my own chicken stock half of the time. So I can’t talk about whether pre-made meals taste good and I certainly don’t know from experience how unhealthy they are. It’s possible they’re not unhealthy at all. Anneli Rufus claims that there are a variety of healthy options available. I imagine that if you read the labels you can find something that’s good for you.
My new question: If there are healthy pre-made meals out there, are they healthier than the meals I make?
We just need to read the labels and find out, right?
The problem: My dinner plates don’t have labels.
I don’t know how the meals I’m making compare with the frozen stuff. I really have no idea how many calories or fat grams or carbs are in my servings.
I choose lean-ish cuts of meat most of the time but I’m pretty sure our portion sizes are through the roof. I steam and roast vegetables with minimal fat but I’m positive that we’re not getting the half a plate of fruit and veg Michelle O would like us to have. I try to use whole grains as side dishes but I often resort to potatoes (they’re bad, right?) or unhealthy slabs of white bread with unhealthier slabs of butter to sop up soups and stews. And sodium? While there may not be a salt shaker on the table, everything does get a dash or two (or three) as it’s cooking.
And then there’s the scary side of my homemade meals. I use canned tomatoes and beans in my cooking. I buy low-sodium when possible but there isn’t usually a low-BPA option. (Aside: Did you know that even beer cans are lined with this stuff?) In addition, we are definitely ingesting pesticides. We get an organic produce box every two weeks and I buy organic hormone-free milk. Beyond that, everything, even the strawberries, is non-organic. I know, bad bad bad! But it’s hard to buy the small container for $5 when I can get two big ones for $4. Pesticides and BPA – they’re there. I squeeze my eyes shut, imagine them away and banish thoughts of other unknown chemicals that might be creeping in.
Another side effect of my cook-from-scratch mantra: Since I don’t buy pre-made meals, when we’ve had a crazy week and I’m too exhausted to cook, we order pizza. From Pizza Hut. That’s right. Pseudo-deep-fried carby crust topped with every kind of processed nitrate-laden meat imaginable. I don’t usually dial more than twice a month but it would still be way better for us if I stooped to having a selection of easy frozen meals on hand, wouldn’t it?
Cooking from scratch makes me feel wholesome and like I’m feeding my family the good stuff. I avoid the “bad” aisles and shop from the edges of the grocery store. We eat very few processed foods. I do my best to make sure we’re getting a variety of foods from every food group. I’m taking care of us, right?
The truth is, I don’t know. I might just be fooling myself that all this cooking is better than the pre-made stuff. Maybe an organic low-sodium chicken stir fry from the frozen aisle would be a healthier bet. What do you think? Am I doing all this in vain?
Tags: BPA, from scratch, frozen meals, grocery store, healthy, homemade, homemade meals, pesticides, portion size
Hi, Christine. I think the home made food is better than the packaged food or any other food. I am really conscious about BPA issue and I don’t think the outside food is that much BPA free food. I can’t believe the package food contains because sometimes it contain high calories and fat. I mostly prefer to have a fresh BPA free tomato’s and beans which is easily available in market and I really enjoy to cook this in my new Quality kitchen cabinets and after all this food is home made and which will be best ever than any other food.
It’s so true that fresh tomatoes and dried beans are available and are BPA free. The canned ones are just such time savers and they’re great to have no hand for making up a meal when you don’t have fresh ingredients. Thanks for your comment!
I think you are right to ask yourself this question but should feel proud to do most of your meals. Like you I don’t buy pre packed meals and seldom order pizzas. I try to stick to – no artificial broth – less as possible can food ( except for tomatoes and garbanzos) – and use vegetable oil ( no butter at home). I ” think ” we are eating healthy but as you just wonder sometimes if we get the right nutrients. Indeed, like you said, there is no labels on our home made food and we might ear more than the ” normal & needed” portion. But food made us happy and as long as I have time to cook for my family I will continue. Even if I don’t always buy organic food (prices are crazy for some items and you are not 100% sure they are what they clim to be). Anyway, I found your post really interesting and wise. Thanks for sharing your view.
Thank you for your comment. I think you’re right, just asking the question is a useful exercise. Happy to hear that you’re cooking as well and it sounds like you’re making some very healthy choices.
Darling, all I can say is your mother didn’t have a Costco or Sam’s club when you were a kid, she had kids to look after, probably worked, hung the laundry on the line, made phone calls, wrote out checks to pay the bills and still managed. How come we can’t? It’s not about convenience, it’s about quality of life. How did your mom shop with you when you were three? It takes a lot less time to get a few things for dinner every few days then the huge shop at a warehouse store, the time it takes to drive there, shop there, load and unload two times and then put all the crap away!
I miss living in Sydney where down the street from my job, there was a mall with a lower level that included a butcher, green grocer and grocery store. Would get my meals there every few days on my lunch hour. We need to change our priorities otherwise all we’d do is order pizza hut for convenience! (who said life was easy or fair?!) Keep making your home made food, honey, use as much organic produce as possible and learn to make pizza dough! At least you are trying and conscious…some people just eat off the dollar menu, so don’t sweat it.
La Diva Cucina recently posted: La Diva’s Key Largo Boating Adventure…Saving the Hellish Best for Last! Part 2 http://www.ladivacucina.com
Good points!
I think it’s difficult (and dangerous) to judge one generation by what the previous generation did. Family dynamics were different, schools were different, even the goals of society were different. And yet everyone does it all the time. Every generation seems to say, “When we blah blah blahed we had to do blah. You all have it so easy.” And life is easier, sure. But it’s also so different that it’s hard to compare. It’s certainly impossible to compare the priorities of one generation to the other. Life is different and so priorities are different. Are they better or worse? Every generation thinks theirs are better than the others. Is every generation right and wrong simultaneously?
Note that my mom did do all that you say and yet she’s the one who gave me permission to order pizza when life gets nuts (see here if you’re curious about what I’m talking about: http://www.cookthestory.com/2011/02/04/permission-imperfection-and-pizza-the-best-baby-gifts-of-all/)
I agree that it’s about quality of life. But for me that means going to the grocery store as infrequently as I can so that I have more time to go to the park or read a book with my son, or better yet, teach him how to make pizza dough! And yes, I do know how. And my little guy does like to help me make it. But when I’ve had a crappy week and dinner needs to be on the table soon, the last thing I’m going to reach for is the yeast, or even the ball of dough that I’ve got in the freezer.
Thanks for your comments! You’ve really made me think.
Hi, Christine!
From my experience, your homemade meals are not a waste of time or in vain. My mother, now deceased several years, cooked dishes from a wide range of culinary traditions, using fresh ingredients and let nothing go to waste. She was also committed to shopping wisely, including not wasting money as well as not creating excess garbage. (All this before recycling and composting became a regular subject of conversation.) From her, both my brother and I gained a refined palate, an ability to cook from scratch and pair flavours, and an appreciation that every part of a fruit, veggie, or meat has it’s place…I’m sure your son will similarly be benefited, without commenting on more intimate matters as a strong sense of family, etc.
With respect to beans, why don’t you try dried ones? I made the transition a few years ago–no more cans. After the first month or so, I got use to having some soaked on hand all the time. If i didn’t use them all up, the beans would make there way into the weekly “everything soup”, as you called it. Not only did I find the beans cheaper, there is also a wider range of choice in dried beans, although I don’t know if that’s the case in Florida. What I appreciate most, however, is the texture and flavour of the non-canned beans, whether it’s chickpeas, kidney beans, black-eyed peas… I buy a big bag’s worth, and them having a good supply for months.
I’m glad your blogging! There’s always a good story with new and useful ideas.
Sandhya! Thank you so much for you comment and for reading.
Your mother sounds like a wonderful cook who taught her children such wonderful habits and skills. I do think you’re right. What Jeremy is learning is invaluable. I think I often lose sight of the bigger picture when I’m chasing him around and wondering what on earth I’m going to make for dinner.
Your bean suggestion is a great one. I think that not only would it be practical and probably quite simple, it would probably get us to eat more beans since they would always be sitting there ready to toss into things. I’ve never thought of always having some soaking. Instead, I’ve always avoided doing it because I haven’t planned the day before to get them going.
So how does it work exactly? You soak them overnight. Then do you drain them, cover them and put them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them?
Hi, Christine,
Here’s a follow-up on beans. I find this website gives a good overview of beans, the different types (which is relevant for cooking times, ease of digestion, etc), how to soak, how to store, and more:
http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/beanframe.html
For the past while, I haven’t been the main cook in the house. But, when I was, I did have beans ready for use at any time. I pick out the beans that are broken, discoloured and generally unsightly. I soak the ‘keepers’ overnight, for at least 12 hours, at least until the beans are good and re-hydrated, with a shriveled skin. Sometimes I change the water during the soaking. Once the beans are soaked and re-hydrated, the beans can be cooked, either in a pressure cooker or a regular pot. The beans are then ready to be added to any recipe you have in mind. It’s like having canned beans at that point.
Note though, I don’t add salt, baking soda or any thing acidic during the soak or the cooking. These only serve to increase cooking time and, worst, to affect negatively the texture of the bean. A good soak will reduce cooking time, which correlates to a higher nutrition content. (I’ve yet to purchase a pressure cooker, but that would be the fastest and cheapest option for cooking after soaking. Yes, pressure cooker is my next purchase.) A long soak also reduces phytic acid, which is naturally present in the beans. A reduction in phytic acid will increase the absorption of the beans mineral content (zinc, magnesium, and iron).
What else can I tell you? I once read that soaking the beans in warm water can reduce the phytic acid even more. I’d have to read about this some more. I have always done the soaking with cold water. Oh, one last thing, is your tap water hard–with a high mineral content? You don’t want to soak the beans in hard water. I understand that this can make the re-hydration and softening of the beans difficult.
I’m glad you wrote in the last bit. We *do* have hard water. I’ll use my filtered water to soak them. Thanks for all the info! Very useful. I just read a post somewhere about heirloom dried beans. I might even see if I can get my hands on some of those.
I’m voting for balance, too. I just complained to my Mom a few days ago how I was feeling like a failure because of the very same reason – sometimes, the meals aren’t from scratch. Most of the time, our food isn’t organic, and often isn’t local. Week nights when things either fail spectacularly or we don’t get home until almost six and didn’t do the necessary meal prep the night before are pick up meals for the kids (cheese, crackers, fruit, etc) and takeout for Seth & I.
And she told me the NEVER feel like a failure. To do what we can, and not worry about the rest of it.
And from a girl who’s Super-Duper concerned about saving money and not wasting the food I bought for a recipe I didn’t make, that’s a big idea. Sometimes, frozen meals can save my sanity. And it’s in need of saving.
So from me to you: my mom’s advice.
Hope you’re feeling well! (And wishing I was eating some almost deep fried Pizza Hut right now)
–Sandi
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Sandi, I can’t even begin to imagine how you’re managing to do anything beyond pick up meals and take out! Pregnant and nauseous, two kids and a full time job??? If you even find time to eat, I’m impressed.
I love your mom’s advice. And I think I sort of follow it. I don’t feel like a failure usually. I just spend too much time wondering how I can do things differently.
I think thinking about it is the biggest part, right? Because if you think about it a lot (not too much, and not with guilt), results will start to percolate into real life, right?
Being aware of things we may want to change and taking the time to think them through is good for the soul, in my opinion (on a Monday – love the feature by the way, and hope it’ll pop up again).
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Sorry if the print has gotten crazy small!
I hadn’t thought of that. Yes, just thinking about it (and actually writing this post) will probably influence my shopping and cooking, at least for a little while. I have to admit that things have gotten bad lately. Since I’m pregnant and not watching what I eat quite as strictly, more butter and cheese have crept into, well, everything. My husband has actually said, “Um…I’ve been really loving the food lately but I don’t think my frame can handle it.” (He’s a big guy who doesn’t usually pay attention to how healthy or unhealthy our food is, as long as it’s tasty.)
Christine, life is too short to eat crap pizza. Seriously. IF you want to do anything to change, stop ordering from Pizza Hut and order from some place that uses real cheese with some flavor in it, at the very least.
As for wasting fresh food, I say shop less and avoid the Costco mega shop. Shop for fewer veggies every few days, buy your meat fresh. Use what’s in your pantry before you go out for more rice, pasta, etc. If you use a half a cauliflower in one meal, then you use it in another meal the next day or day after in another way. One day is a gratin, the next in a soup. People need to change their shopping habits in order to reduce waste.
La Diva Cucina recently posted: La Diva’s Key Largo Boating Adventure…Saving the Hellish Best for Last! Part 2 http://www.ladivacucina.com
As to the crap pizza, I agree! But we’ve tried every place that will deliver to us and the options aren’t great. Pizza Hut and Dominoes sadly come on top. We miss the pizzerias we used to order from when we lived in Toronto, that’s for sure!
You’re right about reducing food waste. We should all strive for it. But that takes greater effort on top of the demands that cooking from scratch already places on a family. It is ridiculously convenient to go to the mega stores and thus not have to visit the grocery store as often. It is also more convenient to not have to go to the grocery store more than once a week. I love grocery shopping by myself and in that circumstance would go every single day. Unfortunately, grocery shopping with my 3 year old is often a nightmare and so I tend to go as few times as possible. (Note however that I am very good at not wasting food. We have a weekly “Everything Soup” for dinner and many bits of leftovers and things that won’t make it much longer go in there. Leftover soup gets eaten for lunches or frozen for other days. But I doubt that everyone does this.)
The BPA issue is making me crazy, because I cook virutally everything from scratch but when working full time we do rely on canned beans and tomatoes for faster meals. And yes, there is the sodium issue.
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Sodium and BPA, I know! My neighbour Liz has pointed out that there are BPA-free options at our grocery store. I’m going to check it out and see what the price is like. Sad that i’m thinking of trading cost for health but when I can buy a case of cans at Costco’s (well, BJ’s actually) for dirt cheap it’s hard to spend a lot on the individual cans. Some solace: The FDA actually seems concerned about this now (see here http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bpa/AN01955) so maybe the end of BPA in our food containers is near.
I think no matter what you do, short of burning your house down, cooking from home is always infinitely better than pre-packaged or eating out all the time! There’s no way the salt you add to your food can even come close to matching the amount of sodium in a restaurant meal. The BPA stuff bothers me for sure, but I doubt the restaurants are concerned about getting their food in BPA-free cans. You can get BPA-free beans and even BPA-free tomato options at Publix, though!
Oh, restaurant food is a whole other matter. I’m thinking more about the pre-made meals that claim to be healthy. They might actually have less sodium than I add and their portions might be more balanced.
As to BPA in restaurant and pre-packaged food, they buy bulk. I wouldn’t be surprised if their packaging is different than ours (or at least less surface area than the small cans). In a restaurant you have no way of knowing what other kind of weird stuff they’ve added to the food though. At least with the frozen meals you have an ingredient list.
I think balance is key. Too much of one type of food is probably a bad thing. There are plenty of homemade meals that can be really unhealthy, too, if they’re unbalanced. On the plus side of cooking from scratch, you are probably buying in bulk, saving money overall and I agree with “Adventures” above – you’re promoting family habits and experiences that will last a lifetime.
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Balance, yes. It’s gotta be about learning how to balance and making sure that you do it all the time.
Money saving, that’s true. I wonder however if some people who cook mostly from scratch waste more (ingredients going unused in the fridge) than those who buy pre-made frozen items that have long long expiry dates. I know for me there’s a constant battle to use up what’s in the fridge and to make sure things get into the freezer before it’s too late.
There’s something to be said for long expiry dates, that’s for sure!
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Don’t forget the positive relationship with food you’re promoting by making meals special and the family memories should also count for something.
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Do you think kids can’t develop a positive relationship with food if they only eat pre-made items? Is the problem that they then have a disconnect between what they eat and what it actually is? I do agree that the memories are worthwhile. I love when J helps us cook. There is a definitely an emotional side to homemade meals that is potentially lacking in the pre-made versions. I wonder if it’s lacking as much if the family sits together to eat and does the cleaning up together afterwards.
PS: You are NOT doing it in vain, there is no way that frozen foods of any type are better than home made. And if you take the time to measure out portions and calories, eventually, you’ll get an idea of how many calories, fat, fiber, sugars, you are ingesting.
La Diva Cucina recently posted: La Diva’s Key Largo Boating Adventure…Saving the Hellish Best for Last! Part 2 http://www.ladivacucina.com
I’m pretty sure it’s not in vain also. But it is interesting to think about. As to all the measuring, I used to follow Weight Watchers very strictly and was good at it for awhile. I find that I have much less time to focus on that nowadays. I know there are changes I can make in our diets to make us healthier. But I was wondering about the way I currently cook, without changes or extra painstaking thought into every ingredient. Is our current from scratch diet healthier than the pre-made stuff. The answer really is, “I don’t know.” I’m certainly not going to stop doing it but it is worth thinking about before we jump all over people who don’t cook from scratch and eat a lot of the pre-made stuff.