When it comes to eating a holistic diet, homemade food is healthier than store bought food the majority of the time. What do I mean by “homemade” food? I’m talking about the snacks, stocks, sauces, and other forms of sustenance that we can make at home with whole, fresh ingredients, but that we often end up buying at the grocery store out of convenience.

Not only do the store bought versions of certain foods cost more per serving (yes, there’s a premium on convenience), but they almost always contain unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients. Preservatives, fillers, gums, and extra sodium are frequently added to food products to extend their shelf life or change their texture