📩 19/09/2023 14:47
Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Lecturer Nurseda Hatunoğlu evaluated the economic and health effects of constantly eating out.
Pointing out that the habit of eating out has increased today, Nutrition and Diet Specialist Hatunoğlu said, “The developing food industry, changes in lifestyle and socio-cultural structure cause individuals to benefit from more mass nutrition services and an increase in the consumption of ready or semi-prepared foods. "Our current environment provides easy access to very cheap, delicious and high-energy foods that can be easily obtained." said.
"There are often high-calorie, processed and fatty foods out there."
Emphasizing that the most important environmental factor that can cause obesity, apart from genetic and hormonal factors, is eating habits, Hatunoğlu said, “For this reason, constantly eating from outside is not suitable to ensure correct nutritional behavior. Eating out can often include high-calorie, processed and fatty fast food or restaurant meals. Excessive consumption of such foods can cause chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. However, eating outside by making healthy food choices can have a positive impact on a healthy diet. A healthy diet can be maintained outside by choosing the right restaurant, portion control, and avoiding processed foods containing excessive salt and sugar. “In this way, the person will both control his appetite and feel good socially.” He made a statement.
“Ready meals can cause health problems in the long run.”
Hatunoğlu pointed out that in today's conditions, ready-made meals, although they save time and practicality, can have unhealthy nutritional content, and explained that these foods can contain high amounts of additives, fat, salt and sugar, and that these foods can cause various health problems when consumed in the long term.
Noting that most restaurant menus include healthy and balanced meal options, Hatunoğlu continued as follows:
“However, no matter how healthy a meal is, it can cause high calorie intake unless portion control is taken into consideration. Therefore, making conscious and balanced choices in both ready meals and restaurant meals is very important for health. If correct preparation, holding and cooking methods are not used, loss of nutritional content may occur. Additionally, when methods such as frying are used, substances harmful to health are released. Processed foods also have less nutritional value.”
"There may be difficulty in regulating appetite control"
Hatunoğlu stated that eating out can meet a person's daily nutritional needs when the right choices are made, portion control and nutritional diversity are taken into consideration, and said, “Therefore, it is important to choose restaurants with a menu that includes healthy dishes. However, if the required daily carbohydrate, protein and fat balance is not established, the person may have difficulty in regulating appetite control.” said.
“If the right choices are made, it is possible to eat healthy by eating outside.”
Noting that it is possible to choose a healthy meal from outside, Hatunoğlu explained that by examining the restaurant menu, salads prepared with fresh vegetables rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, grilled or steamed meat and vegetable dishes and soups can also be preferred.
Nurseda Hatunoğlu emphasized that eating out can be an option to meet nutritional needs if balanced and healthy choices are made, but preparing meals at home is important in preserving the nutritional content and gaining a healthy eating habit.
"Cooking at home can be made enjoyable"
Stating that one of the main differences of cooking at home compared to eating out is ensuring better nutritional hygiene, Hatunoğlu concluded his words by touching on the benefits of cooking at home:
“In cases where hygiene is not ensured, food may become contaminated for various reasons and cause food poisoning. In places where mass feeding is done, nutritional value losses occur more during the preparation and storage of food. In addition, cooking at home is also advantageous in terms of cost. To encourage cooking at home; Cooking at home can be turned into an enjoyable and practical experience without being seen as a workload. Weekly meal planning can be done by doing weekly food shopping. Delicious, low-budget and practical recipes can be created. Frozen products that do not contain food additives may be preferred. Vegetables, especially greens, can be stored by washing and drying beforehand.”