Want to lose weight?

Posted by Stephanie Gallagher Jan 2, 2007

You know that eating out a lot can ruin your diet. But it isn't just because restaurants tempt you with so many fattening foods.

The real reason is because prepared foods, whether made in a restaurant or bought at the store, almost always have more fat, sugar and calories than food you cook yourself.

Consider one of my favorite breakfast foods: the bagel. No, I'm not going to give you a lesson in counting carbs. Sheesh, that is so 2006 <g>.

I often have a Thomas' Hearty Grains 100% Whole Wheat bagel for breakfast. It has a whopping 8 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein.

Pretty healthy, right? Sure, except it also has 440 milligrams of sodium, 55 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of sugars.

Not bad, really. Considering some of the alternatives. But my husband thinks the things taste like sawdust, and even I have to admit that enjoying these whole wheat bagels is an acquired taste.

My own homemade challah, on the other hand, tastes wonderful. No one would call it health food. Yet 2 slices of my challah have 3 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein, with just 250 mg of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of sugars.

And compare my homemade chicken marsala to the chicken marsala served at Macaroni Grill. Both have a good amount of protein -- mine has 29 grams, Macaroni Grill's has 33 grams.

But with just 240 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 292 mg of sodium, my chicken marsala is far healthier than Macaroni Grill's, which boasts a whopping 1090 calories, 66 grams of fat, and 2060 mg of sodium per serving.

So if healthy eating is one of your New Year's resolutions, cook at home. You'll save money, you'll save calories, and you'll enjoy far more nutritious meals.