While there is nothing especially wrong with going out for your Christmas meal, or buying premade Christmas food, I think you’ll enjoy what you eat far more if you make it yourself. A few years ago, I decided I would prepare all my festive season food, and I’m so glad I did! It was a bit time consuming, and I had to plan everything in advance, but I think the results made the extra effort more than worthwhile.
This is why I think preparing at least some of your own food is a really good idea.
1. It’s healthier
When you eat processed and pre-prepared food, invariably you’ll end up eating ingredients that are not very good for you. Most processed food contains too much sugar (Why too much sugar is not good) and salt (Why we should eat less salt?) as well as chemicals like colors and preservatives. In many instances, these chemicals are essential because your Christmas food was made way back in the summer!
In contrast, when you make your own food, you’ll use fresh, natural ingredients, and be able to control the amount of sugar and salt you add. In short, homemade food is usually healthier than store-bought.
2. You can avoid overeating
Store-bought food usually comes in over-sized portions. In fact, big portions are a major selling point for many food manufacturers. Christmas is partly about eating celebratory foods, but you don’t have to overeat too.
If you make your own food, you can control how much you eat, and that means less chance of weight gain.
Overeating at Christmas is part of the reason that so many people start January with the New Year’s resolution of losing weight. Preparing your own Christmas food means you don’t have to be one of them.
3. Better taste
In my opinion, and the opinion of my friends and family, homemade food tastes so much better than the same foods bought from stores. Store-bought foods are rarely as fresh as they seem, and are often made many months in advance, using less-than-perfect ingredients.
In contrast, when you carefully select your ingredients in person, you can be much choosier, only picking the ones you think look, smell, and taste the best. Also, preparing your own food means you’ll know exactly what you are eating, and you can adjust any recipe to make sure it’s exactly right for your tastes.
4. It’s a good opportunity to bond with your family or friends
If you make cooking your Christmas meal a group effort, you will be rewarded with a great bonding experience. Collectively working together to create a special meal is a good way to strengthen relationships, build rapport, and is a nice opportunity to chat and catch up.
Age and cooking experience doesn’t matter – there is a job for everyone during Christmas meal cooking. And another benefit? You won’t have to do all the work yourself!
5. More choice
When you eat out, or buy premade Christmas meals, you have no real choice about what you eat other than what is on offer. If you make your own food, you can create the perfect menu for yourself and your guests, making sure everything is perfect. When you cook your own food, you are the boss, and there is no need to compromise on menu, taste or ingredients.
6. Satisfaction
Preparing your own Christmas food can be challenging, but it’s also very rewarding. As your family and friends sit down to enjoy the meal you have made, you can congratulate yourself on a job well done. Of course, to make sure everything goes smoothly, you need to plan and shop in advance but we’ve got Christmas recipes for you that’ll help make all that much easier.
Easy Christmas Recipes
For baking, vegetarian, finger food ..many different recipes, all with 8 or fewer ingredients. Easy recipes to make your Christmas perfect. Find the recipes here.
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