Of course, going home for lunch breaks, cooking, eating, and returning to work, all within an hour, is mostly impossible. Now, a convenient solution is available in Latvia – you can take your meal with you to work, keeping it warm and enjoyable for as long as possible!
To discuss how convenient it is, why a home-cooked meal is so important for our health, and why it's worth the effort, we invited fitness trainer, Zumba instructor, and nutritionist Agrita Rūsiņa, who has many years of experience in promoting a healthy lifestyle, giving lectures and classes at the University of Latvia, "Smart Fitness" sports club, "Biroja fitness" company, Babīte sports complex, and elsewhere. You can learn more about Agrita's work in promoting a healthy lifestyle on her Facebook page.
Why is home-cooked food healthier?
To understand why it's worth the effort to cook and bring food from home, we must first determine its advantages. "The answer is simple – during the cooking process, we pay more attention to the ingredients we use, the spices we add, and how we prepare the food," explains Agrita. In other words, we know everything about the food's content, and if we are thinking about eating healthy food, we choose healthy ingredients when cooking, and we can freely control the quantity and quality of added spices, fats, and raw materials.
In public catering establishments, however, we cannot always be completely sure about the origin of all products and the ingredients of the food, and lunch places where we can be absolutely sure about the food ingredients are not always conveniently accessible during the workday lunch break.
"When it seems there's nowhere to eat a healthy and balanced lunch, our choice is mostly in favor of fast snacks, which are much less nutritious and often cost as much as high-quality products," explains the nutritionist.
What is the solution?
People who lead a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and monitor their diet do not need to be convinced that home-cooked meals are a very important part of a proper diet. They also don't need to be urged to cook, but the most common problem they face is the food getting cold.
"Even as a nutritionist, I often don't have enough time to find a suitable catering establishment or go cook, so I choose the most efficient, convenient, and at the same time healthiest way to get a home-cooked meal. I always take my lunch with me in an "Out for lunch" food thermos," reveals Agrita, adding that in such a thermos, the food does not lose its warmth and taste properties, but most importantly – it is still homemade.
Given Agrita's experience of bringing lunch from home, RITO offered her to try one of the Pioneer series food thermoses, which is new to the Latvian market but is now available in all our stores. How did Agrita like it?
"The food thermos is convenient because it has two compartments, so I can combine snacks or salads with the main course. The capacity of the thermos is also sufficient to take food for several meals. In addition, a huge advantage seemed to be that it was possible to put in and take out food with a large serving spoon! This time, I chose to take pilaf with chicken fillet and paprika, as well as egg snacks with cherry tomatoes, with me for my daily activities. With such a choice, in terms of nutritional value, I can consume a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats during the day to provide my body with energy and necessary nutrients. I believe that unhealthy food choices arise from hunger, so it is important to have both healthy snacks and healthy and delicious food at hand," emphasizes the nutritionist. Now, when it's really cold outside, I was happy to have the opportunity to get warm food at work without going out (laughs).
The functionality of the thermos is of great and decisive importance! Including a lid with special insulation that is easy to open, but will guarantee you a sense of security - that the food will not accidentally end up in your bag, car interior, or on your desk.
