Wake up. Eat McDonald’s. Go to school. Drive home. Pick up Bread Co. Sleep. Repeat.

The past few years, all we do is go out to fast food places or restaurants to eat. We, as a whole, hardly ever eat at home with our parents, let alone cook an actual homemade meal, which can be healthier and way more flavorful for the taste buds. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a chef and make good food for the soul.

Nowadays, it’s always our friends first, family second. A homemade meal is prepared with love and patience, not to be rushed in a hurry. Dishes can be more fun to make with family than just by yourself because cooking with your mom or dad is fun. Plus, you can make memories with them that can last a lifetime. My mother showed me the basics, but over the years, I learned more complex foods and separated the good from the bad, like greasy foods that lead to bad arteries and strokes.

Dinners at home are less costly and way healthier. The many types of food, ranging from American to Asian, can lead to tons of new food experiences. Restaurants and dinners at home are both very good and delicious. However, most foods have MSG, which is used as a flavor enhancer that causes many health problems, leading to high blood pressure and even diabetes. Cooking food at home is just a better experience than waiting 30 minutes to an hour for a plate of unhealthy chicken tenders at Popeyes.

Eating out isn’t bad every once in a while, but going out to eat almost every day will cause more weight and more ache. A single McDonald’s burger has 280 calories, and eating a burger every other day will lead to at least 3000 calories. Places like Fazoli’s, Burger King, Chinese Express, Fish N’ Fries and Steak ‘n Shake are all good, but you can easily make a burger that has less than 200 calories with turkey meat, homemade mayo, tomatoes, avocados, whole wheat buns and pickles. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind having Fazoli’s chicken alfredo noodles, but have you made homemade pasta? All you need is olive oil, wheat flour and eggs. That actually equals up to 300 calories.

Whether you like to cook or not, you should always try to be healthy and try to cook at home or even find food with less calories.