Why Fresh Ingredients Are Important

Processed foods can affect your health, reason why it is always better to use fresh ingredients when cooking. At Proc & Ryno’s, we care about our customer’s well-being, and most importantly, we want to create a memorable dining experience!

Today we bring to you five reasons why fresh ingredients are always better to use when preparing your meals:

Fresh Ingredients Taste Better

It’s a scientific fact that cooking with fresh ingredients makes your food taste better.

First, the preservatives and excess sodium and sugar so often used in long-life, processed food mask its true flavor. The further the food has to travel, the more likely it is to include unnecessary chemicals. Canned foods, which typically have the longest shelf life, are sterilized through boiling. This process, combined with the addition of preservatives, makes products lose their natural taste.

Second, local produce is most often picked and distributed on the same day, which means fruit and vegetables don’t require a flavor-masking wax coating.

While freezing food is perhaps the best way to retain natural flavor, the forming of ice crystals can impact food’s shape and texture, which may make it less appetizing.

Finally, local produce is less likely to contain antibiotics and hormones, and the quality of life for the livestock is likely to be better.

Fresh Ingredients Are More Sustainable

Consuming fresh, local produce is more sustainable. Doing so reduces supply-chain costs, preserves local farmland, and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels to transport produce long distances.

Buying local, fresh produce also means buying seasonally. The demand for out-of-season fruit and vegetables often requires the use of more resources, including water, which is not only expensive but unsustainable.

Importantly, buying local produce supports farmers in the region and boosts the local economy.

Fresh Ingredients Improve Cognitive Function

Our brains burn energy and require considerable fuel to function. Healthy eating improves cognitive function and the energy necessary for us to operate at a high level.

Nutrient-packed food also produces stronger bones, boosts our immune system, and strengthens the heart. On the flip side, consuming a lot of food with a high trans-fat, sugar, or sodium content can cause energy spikes and crashes.

From the moment fresh fruit and vegetables are harvested, their nutrients start to deplete. So the shorter the journey from farm to table, the more nutrient-packed the food will be and the more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber the body will absorb.

Unhealthy eating could result in higher instances of illness, poor mental health, and increased fatigue, each of which could impact their long-term academic performance.

A Culture Of Craft

Another contributing factor to the segue from overly processed foods to fresh ingredients is the rising demand for craft, custom, and designer products. Consider beer. (Who wouldn’t want to?!) Mainstream brands dominated for ages, and it has been historically difficult for smaller craft breweries to reach an audience and take a sip of their market share. Thanks to legislative changes in many states and counties, it’s now easier for brewers to design and deliver their own brand. Beer lovers have transformed into connoisseurs who seek the finest, most unique beers with a personality from brewery outposts across the country and world. In our culture, craft beer is becoming king.

People are craving the same craft mentality when it comes to their food. A flip-and-wrap burger shot up with hormones and made mostly by machines just doesn’t have the same appeal as a one-of-a-kind, handmade, never-frozen, grass-fed beef patty cooked just for you moments before your first bite. Consumers are looking to get more out of their food, and fresh ingredients elevate every level of the dining experience. Craft is simply preferable to factory-prepared.

Local And Seasonal Foods Are Starting To Dominate

In addition to demanding more information about what’s in their food, people are learning more about where their food actually comes from. So much of what Americans consume comes from other countries and even other continents, but more people are asking for local ingredients instead. People are becoming more inspired to support a local farmer from their own community than they are to buy out-of-season ingredients from big box stores. Supporting restaurants that source ingredients locally helps the community and economy. It also boosts freshness and nutritional quality since items don’t have to travel as long from farm to table.