Real food vs ready-made food

Don’t know about you, but I love going round food markets.  Earlier on this year I went to Borough Market in London and a couple of weeks ago, I visited the food market at the Rialto in Venice.

I find food markets fascinating; the vibrant colours; sellers calling people to come and buy; the smells of fresh produce! I could spend hours going round the stalls!

The fact that real food markets are so popular suggests to me that there are still people who are interested in cooking food from scratch.

Nowadays, people lead very busy lifestyles and many claim they do not have time to cook. Ready-made convenience foods are quick to pick up on the way home; they do not break the bank and there’s no washing up at the end of the day.

What is real food and why would people want to cook from scratch?

Real Food is food which truly nourishes producers, consumers, communities and the earth. It is a food system – from seed to plate – that fundamentally respects human dignity and health, animal welfare, social justice and environmental sustainability. Some people call it “local,” “green,” “slow,” or “fair.”

Real, fresh food is full of nutrients. Go for local produce which is in season; it is less expensive and does not lose out on its vitamin C and folic acid when it is not transported for long periods of time.

Benefits of real food

When you choose to eat real food, you are in control.  You are what you eat; it pays you to know what you are eating. Natural food is not loaded with salt, sugar, preservatives and a host of other additives used to slow down the deterioration of the product. Choose organic, when possible, to avoid taking in pesticides.

Real food is alive; it grows on a farm or in the sea and it goes bad within a couple of days. If it doesn’t, it is probably made in a manufacturer’s lab and the likelihood is, it is not good for you!

Cooking real food from scratch does not necessarily mean spending hours in the kitchen. With a little bit of planning, meal plans can be kept simple and healthy.

One significant benefit of real food is, it is kind to your waistline.

Is convenience food less expensive?

Ready made food can work out less expensive; especially for the bargain hunters who go for the “buy one get one free” offers.

Pushing a packaged beef lasagne into a microwave will cost less than buying premium mince and fresh tomatoes to whip up your own dish.  However, the thrifty cook will prepare a big batch of lasagne – saving on work and electricity – and freeze portions ready for use.

It is all about making choices!

In order to write the above post I made reference to the links below; you may wish to go into further detail.

• https://www.infantandtoddlerforum.org/media/upload/pdf-downloads/1.9_-_How_to_choose_nutritious_fresh_or_convenience_foods.pdf
• http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2119413/Is-cheaper-cook-scratch-buy-ready-meal.html