Make it yourself just once

Hello!

I’ve got a chef/client who passes on this advice to all healthy eaters: Make it yourself just once.

Ever prepare a meal from scratch and wonder…

• Why doesn’t my oatmeal and eggs taste as good as the restaurant’s?
• Why is my sandwich bland if I use the same ingredients as the deli?
• Why isn’t my cereal as tasty when I get the plain variety and add my own sugar?
• Why is my salad so boring? It’s the same chicken on greens that I get at my favorite restaurant!
• Why does store-bought rotisserie chicken taste better than mine? Why is it more moist?
• Why does my omelet taste bland compared to the restaurant, when I always ask them to hold the butter, oil and yolks?
• Why is my veggie stir fry so boring?
• Does plain rice really taste like this?
  What gives?

The answer, according to our chef, is that the makers added more salt, sugar, fat or chemicals than you would ever imagine. They may have

• pre-marinaded the salad meat in a sugary, salty sauce;
• injected the turkey with oil or salt or MSG;
• added salt to cereal (e.g., Heart Smart cereal has more sodium per serving than potato chips);
• dumped a stick of butter to the vat of rice;
• cooked the oatmeal in apple juice or whole milk instead of water;
• steamed your veggies in a pan already coated in butter;
• added loads of sugar or butter to your stir fry veggies; etc.

These are common practices, he says, even when customers ask for foods prepared “clean.”

For any food you eat often, it pays to know. The average American eats 20-30% more calories than they THINK, and this is probably why. Thanks to our anonymous chef for the good advice!

Have a good week!

Jill