The Benefits of Slow Food

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 110
The Benefits of Slow Food
 
 
There is no doubt that the fast food industry has transformed the world. It affects how we eat, what we eat, our nutrition, and even our average body weight. The average American spends $2,375 per year on restaurant food. The global value of the fast food market in 2022 was $881 billion.
 
It is sad to think that cooking from scratch, or what I call slow food, is becoming a lost art in the average home. Eating fast food is now the norm. If it is not fast food, now we can get the healthy “meal kit” delivered to our own home.
 
If you want to learn a bit more about the many benefits of cooking at home stay tuned for E110 which is called the Benefits of Slow food.  
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E110 which is called The Benefits of Slow Food. 
 
What I want to discuss in this episode is some of the trends around food, cooking and meal preparation and the effects that has on the environment as well as our health. But to start out this discussion I want to give you a little bit of a different perspective just as an example of how different things can be. Then I will talk about trends in our modern culture. And finally I want to give you a number of reasons as to why you should cook more at home. 
 
One thing is for certain with our modern culture is that we are addicted to convenience. We go to the local supermarket and have an enormous variety of products to choose from. The prevailing situation is that we always have what we want when we want. If you cannot find what you want you can order something online and it is on your doorstep the next day. But things are often very different when you go outside your home country. 
 
Can you imagine that on a daily basis you decide on some particular recipe for dinner.  You go to the supermarket with a list of ingredients and they simply do not have what you need. Then you go to another supermarket and they do not have what you need. Then you go to the third and last supermarket, and you finally find all of what you need. However, things are just not the same. 
 
The brands are different. The country of origin is different from what you are accustomed to. The label may or may not be in English. Sometimes you have to play a game of visual recognition. Most of the time there is only a choice between one or two things. Additionally, about 30% of the time you cannot even find the ingredients that you need so you have to come up with an alternative plan for dinner. On top of all that, the vegetables and other ingredients were grown under completely different conditions and consequently have a different taste. Despite all the trouble, you end up with the meal you wanted but it looks and tastes different. 
 
While this may sound like an exercise in frustration, and it would be for most people, this is commonly what I had to deal with when living abroad. But I got to the point that I just considered it a challenge. I never really cooked anything last minute. I learned to plan my meals more efficiently and despite what I wanted I had to cook based on what was available. 
 
It was much the same when I was growing up in Tennessee and Georgia. My parents were very good at being creative with very little to work with.  This is likely the result of my grandparents growing up during the Great Depression and both of my parents growing up on working farms. No one ever really had that much extra cash. Consequently they were accustomed to cooking at home and being very creative because this was the norm of the time. Eating at a restaurant was a rare treat. 
 
But this is the exact opposite of what I now see in our culture today. 
 
For a variety of reasons I work in several different hospitals. The majority of the staff show up in the morning with take out food, they order take out food for lunch, and at the end of the day commonly everyone is discussing what they are going to pick up on the way home for dinner. But when I was a kid I have absolutely no memory of my mother ever showing up at home with bags of fast food because she got off work late.
 
The norm for today is that we spend 61% of our meal budget on restaurant food. If it is not restaurant food it is some other supermarket convenience food. The average person these days spends about $200/month on restaurant food. This of course does not account for the total monthly food budget. If I were truly frugal, I could make it for an entire month on a food budget of $200. 
 
And just recently, I acquired an elk from a local ranch. I spent a total of $500 and ended up with 160 pounds of meat which will last us over a year. But most people do not think that way any longer. The average person simply  thinks their meat comes from the supermarket.
  
But let’s just take a quick look at the general trends in our culture as well as globally. 
 
On average, about 45% of Europeans eat out once a month or not at all. However, take out food consumption has tripled between 2013 and 2018
 
Australians eat out 1 to 3 times per week and spend about $100 per week on restaurant food 
 
Americans eat out as much as 6 times per week. Presently only 36% of Americans cook at home on a daily basis. 
In 2021 the restaurant industry generated approximately $732 billion dollars. 
 
Now I am sure that there are a host of cultural and financial reasons for this trend. One thing is for certain, with the growing middle class people have more expendable income and are more likely to spend money on convenience items such as restaurant food. More and more people would rather eat at a restaurant rather than do to the supermarket, purchase food, prepare it at home and do the dishes.  
 
But this goes right along with the thinking process that it is far more efficient to extract raw material, transport them to the manufacturer where the materials are processed, then extruded into a plastic utensil, which is then used once, goes to the landfill where it takes thousands of years to degrade as opposed to using a metal utensil, then washing it and putting it away. 
 
At this point I want to get down to some very valid reasons as to why you should be cooking at home. And I think you will be very surprised at some of the things I found. 
 
#1 Cooking at home saves you money. 
 
The first and most obvious reason to cook at home is that it saves you money. Too many times in our culture, we pay a hefty price for the sake of convenience. You can have anything you want, any time you want as long as you are willing to pay the price. But once again, at what cost? The average American spends $2,375 a year on restaurant food. And this does not even take into account all of the convenience foods at the supermarket that we pay for. 
 
For example, just the other day I found some high quality rice from a bulk vendor for 96 cents/pound. If you simply add a few spices you can have a nice Mexican style rice dish. The same product in a local supermarket is $2.50/pound. Russet potatoes are 49 cents/pound. Add a few other ingredients and you can have nice mashed potatoes. But if you purchase the instant style potatoes they cost $5.00/pound.
 
But let’s take this a bit further because there is something else that most of us do not think about. When paying for that convenience food at the supermarket, what you are paying for it the cost of marketing, packaging, delivery, stocking in the supermarket, the cost of wages for someone to put it on the shelf, and sales tax when you purchase the item. Not to mention all the waste associated with disposing of the packaging.
 
Furthermore, when you eat in a restaurant or get take out food, you are paying for the food, the lights, the water, the building, and the cost of staffing the business.
 
But now the latest and greatest is the meal kit services. Many people say positive things about these because they are designed to be a healthier choice relative to restaurant food and they help with portion control. While these may be convenient, and that is what we like to pay for is the convenience, just take a moment to consider the cost. On average, a meal kit is going to cost about $7 per serving. With two people that is $1,260 per month. That is potentially a total yearly food budget of over $15K. I remember a time when I did not even make that much in an entire year. Furthermore, comparatively speaking, even today I could live on that kind of budget for an entire year in a third world country. 
 
In E88 Tens Myths of Sustainable Living the first myth I dispelled was that sustainable living was too expensive. My discussion here should go even further to dispel that myth. 
 
#2 Cooking at home contributes to a healthier diet. 
 
One study that I came across that was published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine concluded that people who cooked at home scored better on the Healthy Eating Index. This study was conducted by researchers from the Oregon State University and the University of Washington. The study looked at one weeks worth of cooking from 400 adults in the Seattle area. 
 
Scores on the Healthy Eating Index ranged from zero to 100.  Fifty or less is considered poor. Fifty one to 80 indicates a need for improvement. Over 81 indicates a good diet. According to this study, people who cooked at home three times per week had an average score of about 67. Those who cooked at home 6 times per week had an average score of 74.
 
The other part of this is that restaurant food is higher in fat, cholesterol, salt, refined grains, and lower in fiber. Restaurant food is almost always higher in calories. Plus we already know that the long term effects of maintaining this sort of diet are high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke and even cancer. 
More than any, one study that I came across presented some very concerning information. The data used in this research came from 35,000 respondents, age 20 or more years. Study participants were followed on average of 8 years or more.  During that time 511 cardiovascular deaths and 638 deaths from cancer. The conclusion of this study was that compared to those who dined out less than once a week, people who dined out two or more times per day were 50% more likely to die. Their risk was 18% greater for cardiovascular disease and 67% greater for cancer-related deaths.
 
#3 Cooking at home reduces calorie consumption.
 
Meals prepared at home typically results in the consumption of fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat. A study published by John Hopkins University, which looked at four years of data from a national health and nutrition survey, showed that adults who cooked dinner at home once a week or never, consumed 2300 calories, 85 grams of fat and 135 grams of sugar. All of these levels are well above what is considered healthy. At least for the average American, cooking at home resulted in an average calorie consumption of 2150 per day. Now that is still considered unhealthy but it is an improvement over eating restaurant food especially when you consider your total caloric intake over a year. 
#4 Cooking at home gives you control over what you eat. 
When you cook at home, you are able to control both ingredients and portion size. You are in complete control over the salt and fat content as well.  Restaurants commonly offer food portions that are much larger than what is necessary. This encourages you to eat more. And of course you have no control over the ingredients. The same holds true to convenience foods purchased at the supermarket. 
 
I often use bread as a common example of this. The next time you go to the supermarket pick up a loaf of sandwich bread and read the label. On one particular type of bread that I looked at recently there were 47 ingredients. When I make bread at home, which I commonly do, there are four ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast. It is truly amazing the amount of flavors, chemicals, and preservatives that are placed in supermarket bread most of which we don’t even know what they are. 
 
Furthermore, there are over 4,700 chemicals that are commonly used in the foods and products that we consume every day and only a handful of those chemical have undergone rigorous testing and long-term studies to determine their health effects. So in many respects, a lot of the convenience foods we consume are simply a laboratory experience.  
 
I always think about the time that I was on a business trip out of state and living in my travel trailer. When I returned home I cleaned out the trailer and it sat in storage for 9 months. When I needed it again, I started stocking it up with supplies and realized I had left some supermarket buns in one of the cabinets. This stuff was perfectly preserved and not even molded after 9 months. In my opinion there is something inherently wrong with a bread product that sits for for that long and does not mold.  What is wrong with this picture?  
 
Now let’s look at another common convenience food, McDonald’s French fries. As good as they are they contain 19 ingredients. All you have to do to get a healthy alternative is peel and cut potatoes into wedges, turn them in a bowl with a small amount of olive oil, dash with a little salt, pepper, and cayenne, bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F and you have a perfectly good alternative with only 5 ingredient. 
 
#5 Cooking at home prevents you from consuming chemicals, preservatives and pesticides.  
Now this does go right along with controlling the ingredients that you consume. As you can likely imagine I have a tendency to question lots of things. For example,  I always question who makes the decision on the “acceptable” level of pesticides that are found in our food supply. How is that decided, what testing protocol is used to make that decision, and what long-term studies were performed to come to that conclusion. Regardless of the answers to those questions it is so much safer just to not consume these types of things anyway. 
 
A prime example is a study that was published by George Washington University which found that people who  frequently ate at restaurant had significantly higher levels of Phthalates in their bodies relative to those that stated they cooked at home. Phthalates are chemicals that are commonly found in food packaging materials. The chemicals are transferred to the food during production, packaging and delivery. These chemicals are known endocrine disruptors which effect the function of multiple organs and have long-term negative impact on the success of pregnancy, child growth and development, and in the reproductive systems of young children and adolescents. They can also cause damage to liver, kidney, and lung tissue. These chemicals are even found in medical products such as IV fluids bags and tubing. Recent studies have even shown that prenatal exposure to phthalates is associated with neurodevelopment, including lower IQ, and problems with attention and hyperactivity and poorer social communication. 
 
#6 Cooking meals at home saves you time. 
 
One of the most common excuses I hear for people not cooking more at home is that it takes too much time. But the opposite is actually the case. Cooking at home actually saves you time. 
 
Whenever I am looking forward to a busy week at work, I often cook a couple of large meals on the weekend so that I have left overs. Another thing that I do quite often is to make a large batch of breakfast burritos or empanadas and then freeze them. Then it is super easy to grab something out of the freezer and heat it in the microwave at work.  All you really have to do is plan ahead. Additionally, there are so many meals that can be cooked in 30 minutes or less. If you really want something that is more complex cook larger meals and freeze the extras like I do.  
 
#7 Cooking at home makes you more self sufficient. 
One other advantage of cooking at home is that it makes you more self sufficient. In my opinion in our fast paced, highly interconnected society, cooking at home from basic ingredients is a vital self sufficient skill that so many of us are lacking. 
 
Most people do not realize that even the mega supermarkets only keep about 3 days worth of supplies in stock. In the event of some sort of an emergency, for example a major winter storm, when everything gets shut down for days, these places are going to run out of supplies very quickly. If you are accustomed to only eating the quick prep meals or easy convenience foods, then you are going to be out of luck. 
 
It is far easier to stock up on basic supplies at home so that you can cook a nutritious meal no matter what. There have been several times in my adult life that I have experience severe weather events. Most of the time that has been major winter storms where everything simply shuts down. The only thing I had to focus on was clearing a path to the woodshed and keeping the solar panels cleared off.  
 
When conditions finally cleared enough that I could get out, if I happened to go to the supermarket for a couple of basic ingredients for a recipe I had in mind, it was not only total chaos and the shelves were virtually empty. I just turned around and went back home and cooked something else. 
 
Summary
 
I hope by now you are convinced of the benefits of what I call slow food, which is of course just the opposite of fast food. There are so many more benefits to cooking at home than what I have mentioned here. But just for a quick summary, cooking at home saves you money, contributes to a healthier diet, reduces your calorie consumption, give you control over the ingredients that you eat, prevents you from consuming preservatives, chemicals and pesticides, it saves you time and makes you more self sufficient. 
 
I am a big believer that our modern society completely robs us of our personal security. Most of us are dependent on a vast and complicated infrastructure that we cannot possibly understand much less control. It does produce a lot of ease and comfort but it also makes us lazy and complacent and we forget all about doing things for ourselves. 
 
What most people never really thing about is that creativity and ingenuity are your best friends not only when it comes to cooking at home but this way of thinking also relates to many other things in life.  Learning to use what is available and being adaptable is a valuable skill especially if what you want or need is just not available. 
 
In many ways this is what Annette and I deal with on a daily basis. For example, because we live in a very out-of-the way place, the nearest supermarket is 22 miles away. That means it is never a quick trip. If I absolutely need something I will go but it is 44 miles round trip. This is a minimum of 1 1/2 hours out of my day. If there is bad weather I do not go regardless. And then of course there is the cost of gas to drive back and forth.
 
What this means for us is that when it comes to meals we think ahead and plan efficiently. We stop by the supermarket on the way home. Generally speaking once I am at home, if I have a recipe in mind and I do not have all the ingredients, I simply cook something else. This means I don’t always get what I want. 
 
At times I completely change may plan according to what is ripe in the garden, what is in the cellar, what needs to be rotated out of the freezer, what left overs are in the refrigerator, or if there are vegetables that really need to be cooked to prevent spoilage.  In other words, I cook based on what is available. It is not necessarily about what I want. 
 
What tends to keep our meals interesting is that we keep a wide variety of basic essentials on the homestead so that no matter what we have the ability to cook a nutritious meal. And this is very similar to what I experienced as a kid.
 
Additionally when is comes to purchasing food at the supermarket you are paying for the convenience of having a huge variety or products. But, I also think this is simply a way to get you to spend more money. Something with added flavors commands a better price than the standard plain cornflake.
 
But there is also all of the packaging waste that goes along with our convenience foods. As far as the restaurant industry is concerned, the average restaurant produces approximately 100,000 pounds, which is the equivalent of 45,000 kilograms of waste every year. The restaurant industry in the US wastes almost $162 billion in food every year. 
 
When you simply look at the food waste in the United States, it is astounding. Approximately 30 to 40% of the food in our supply chain is wasted. That is approximately 219 pounds, or about 100 kilograms of waste per person per year. 
 
There are so many times I talk with people who want to live more sustainable but do not know where to start. Well, this is one area where every single one of us can easily do something. It is fantastic that we have all of these convenience foods. It is fantastic that we have so much expendable income that we can eat out all the time. But when there are numerous medical studies that blatantly point to the fact that consuming restaurant food frequently directly contributes to early death, why would you do it? Eating at home is healthier, it makes you more creative, and it is a fun way to spend time with friends. 
 
Annette and I eat out maybe once a month if that. We keep a healthy amount of extra food supplies at home and always have fresh cooked meals. It keeps us healthy. It keeps us sustainable. Cooking nice meals at home is a skill that anyone can learn. Cooking this way is also a valuable skill when it comes to being self sufficient.  
 
There is one final thought I have before closing this episode. I heard someone recently say that if you are digging a well and you are already thirsty, you are too late. This goes right along with the best time to make a friend is when you don’t need one. And this goes right along with something I have said numerous times. The best time to learn to live more sustainably is when you don’t need to. 
 
Alright folks that’s it for this week.  I hope you have learned some valuable tips from this episode and I hope you will join me again next week. Until then, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 
 
Patrick