Home cooking diet problems
With financial constraints which many people are under, home cooking seems like the most affordable option as well as being considered the healthiest, however home cooking could actually hamper your diet according to diet experts Weight Watchers.
They found through a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 Britons that 68 per cent of those questioned aim to dine at home more often, but 95 per cent of those who cook at home kept on eating despite being full, to clear their plate.
Unfortunately people are dishing up bigger portion sizes which is causing over eating, the survey found that 57 per cent believed they dish up the recommended portion sizes, only 14 per cent of people actually did.
There are plenty of cookery shows and food shows on TV which is encouraging people to cook at home using fresh ingredients, but with no real knowledge on diet and or any grasp on how much food they are consuming, people are struggling to maintain a healthy diet. Many people think obesity stems from an unhealthy diet consisting of takeaways and junk food however people who eat ‘healthy’ home cooked food are also at risk of obesity because of over eating.
Now though Weight Watchers is looking at educating people on portion control, Lucy Vickers, the firm’s nutritionist, said: “In today’s ‘eat as much as you can’ society package sizes keep growing with giant bottles of cola, extra-large bags of crisps and king-size chocolate bars. This distorts portion control and research shows some people eat more from larger food containers. In a recent test when moviegoers were given popcorn containers of two different sizes, the people given the larger tubs ate 44 per cent more.”
They are also looking at the phycology of overeating as well as some people may not realise they are over eating, Lucy Vickers explained: “Finishing everything on your plate is often a deeply ingrained habit from childhood. Simple adjustments can help reverse the habit, such as serving up smaller portions and using leftovers for lunch the next day.”
Out of those questioned in the YouGov poll, 68 per cent said they aim to dine at home more this month, with 24 per cent saying this was a way to cut calories. Other figures also show that 24 per cent want to be healthier and 54 per cent want to save cash by cooking meals at home from scratch.
Looking at the report, Weight Watchers suggests that education needs to begin much closer to home rather than what the Government is pushing with their ‘The Responsibility Deal’ which up to now has only concentrated on what we eat when buying from takeaways or fast food outlets and restaurants when outside the home. Looking at what people eat when at home, what they cook and how much they serve up will help people understand where they are going wrong with their diet.

Mac & Cheese
Picture courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt


