As an experiment, I decided to stay out of restaurants as much as possible and do my own cooking.  I wondered what benefits I might get.  I was surprised.  I thought I had a good strategy for portion control in restaurants but I was wrong.  I ask for a take-out box when I placemy order.  I put half of the meal into the takeout box as soon as it comes to the table.  I eat the other half for my next meal or snack.

After abstaining from restaurants for a few weeks, I returned to them during a recent trip.  I definitely ate more and I noticed several other things.  Even when I got half the meal into the carry-out box, I still ate more than the 300-400 calories that satisfy me in my home-cooked meals.  I also realized that restaurants just use more fat. Period.  I can easily control the amount of fat in my food at home because I look at it going in!  In a restaurant, I really have no idea how much fat is in the food, except that I can taste it. Of course there's no hope of eating local, or organic, or of controlling preservatives and food additives.

So, I am considering adding a component to my justcause of reviving the simple joy of cooking simple unprocessed foods.  I suspect that it is the food refiners who have talked us into believing that we don't like to cook anymore.  Something to think about.  Do we REALLY not like to cook...or are we artificially attracted to the addictive qualities of prepared refined foods?

Joan