Do it yourself: Meal

If you were to think of you top ten favorite memories, in all of your lifetime, how many of them invovle a meal shared with friends and family? I can think of at least three, all of which involve some delicious fair, free flowing wine (or not) and lots of laughter.

In fast-food, fast-pace modern day America it is no surprise that most Americans do not take the time to cook a meal for themselves. It should also come as no surprise then that "only one state, Colorado had a prevelance of obesity less than 20%," according to the CDC. That means at least a quarter of Americans are considered obese. And as we are learning more and more, obesity is a precursor to Western diseases like Type 2 diabetes, and increases one's chances of having a stroke. I could continue to throw statistics at you and preach about the ills of fast food, but I do not really feel like doing that.

Instead I want to write about the positives of cooking your own meal. First and foremost, it is rewarding to know you created someting that can sustain you. It can be a challenge, no doubt (I have cringed at having to toss out $25 of burnt salmon) but setting reasonable goals in the beginning will result in edible benefits.

Cooking your own meal, and I mean from scratch here not Kraft Macaroni and cheese, usually means you know what you are eating. Even if you make your own burger you know where you bought the ground beef; whether it is grass-fed or not, whether the buns are from your grocery store or your tomatoes are from a local farm. Just making that simple decision means you know what you are putting in your body. You may be thinking, "I know I bought a Big Mac," but you might not know that, that a Big Mac is primarily made up of derivatives of processed corn that has had almost every single nutrient stripped out of it.

Of course, making a meal from scratch does not have to be a loner process. In fact, it is much better for you and your social life to involve others. Cooking and eating with others is an ancient act that has gone one, well, since we have. It is only natural. It is part of our culture as humans to learn cuisines from one another and rather tasty, I might add.

I am quite aware that we all have busy lives, but when you take a step back and look at the overall picture shouldn't we pay more attention to what we put in our mouths? Yes it takes time and effort to make a meal from scratch, but the reward is so much better than fast-food guilt. Cooking can and should be fun, especially with others. No, you will not get it right every time you try to make filet mignon or even a grilled cheese, but at the very least you will make a memory.