Fast Food: Is It Worth The Cost?

Are fast food meals actually cheaper than home cooked meals? Mark Bittman, author of “How to Cook Everything” and columnist on The New York Times, says forget about it.

According to Bittman, we’ve created this mythical idea that junk food has a better value nutritionally and economically, thanks to value menu items and our need for quick calorie throughout the day. Bittman argues that the calories we find in home-cooked meals could easily make up for the amount that we need in a day, and that we would still be able to have enough leftover cash to buy even more food.

“The fact is that most people can afford real food,” states Bittman. “We have to assume that money alone doesn’t guide decisions about what to eat.”

One reason so many of us choose fast food (myself included) is for its major convenience, and I’m sure that we can all relate when it comes to not wanting to cook after a long day’s work. The real issue, that Bittman states, is that we don’t cook enough, either because we don’t have the time, or because we simply don’t see the joy in it.

Ultimately, Bittman is urging everybody to get out there and cook more, for the sake of our bodies, our wallets, and for the new generation (so they don’t think fast food is the only food option). If you’d like to check out the whole article, feel free to check it out here. I couldn’t condense all of it, so I highly recommend checking it out!