Is Eating Out Two Times a Week Bad for Your Health and Wallet?

November 16, 2025 •

2 min read

According to a 2019 survey by Canadian health officials, over half of Canadians eat out at least once a week. So, is eating out two times a week bad, or is it just a normal part of a busy modern lifestyle? The answer depends heavily on your choices and overall habits, impacting everything from your physical health to your financial stability.

Quick Summary

Eating out twice weekly isn't inherently bad but carries risks related to nutrition, cost, and portion control. The impact depends on restaurant choices, menu selections, and your overall dietary patterns. Strategies like menu research and mindful eating can help minimize potential downsides.

Key Points

Nutritional Risks: Regularly eating restaurant food, even twice a week, increases your intake of unhealthy fats, sugar, and sodium, potentially leading to long-term health problems like obesity and heart disease.
Hidden Costs: The expense of eating out adds up quickly, with restaurant meals costing significantly more than home-cooked equivalents, impacting your financial budget over time.
Portion Distortion: Restaurant meals often have larger portion sizes, which can lead to overeating and unintended calorie surpluses.
Control is Key: Cooking at home provides complete control over ingredients, portion sizes, and cooking methods, ensuring a healthier and more balanced diet.
Mindful Choices: When you do eat out, make conscious decisions by choosing grilled options, requesting sauces on the side, and swapping sugary drinks for water to mitigate negative effects.
Balance is Essential: The ideal approach is to use home cooking as your primary source of nutrition, reserving dining out for special occasions or mindful indulgences.

The Nutritional Impact of Restaurant Food

Dining out, even just twice a week, can have a cumulative effect on your nutritional intake. Restaurant and fast-food meals are often high in hidden fats, sugars, and sodium, and lower in beneficial nutrients compared to home-cooked meals. This can contribute to health issues over time.

Hidden Calories and Large Portions

Restaurant portion sizes are often larger than those served at home, leading to potential overconsumption. Many restaurants use extra oil, butter, and rich sauces to enhance flavor, significantly increasing calorie counts.

High Sodium and Unhealthy Fats

Restaurant meals frequently contain high levels of sodium, which can contribute to high blood pressure. They also often use saturated and trans fats, which can negatively impact cholesterol and heart health. Cooking at home allows for better control over these ingredients.

The Financial Costs Add Up

The economic impact of regular dining out, even just twice a week, can be significant. Restaurants typically mark up ingredient costs to cover overhead.

Budgeting for Dining Out

Tracking dining expenses often reveals substantial spending. While two meals a week might seem minor, costs add up quickly, especially with drinks and tips. Being mindful of these costs and employing money-saving strategies can help.

Comparison: Eating Out vs. Cooking at Home


Feature	Eating Out Twice a Week	Cooking at Home
Nutritional Control	Lower control; higher risk of excess salt, fat, and sugar.	Higher control; allows for fresh ingredients and healthy cooking.
Portion Size	Often oversized.	Controlled by the individual.
Cost	Significantly higher per meal.	Lower cost per meal.
Convenience	High; saves time.	Requires time for preparation.
Social Aspect	Good for socializing.	Can be a shared activity.
Ingredient Quality	Unknown; may use processed ingredients.	Known; you select ingredients.

Making Conscious Choices

Being intentional with your choices is important if you eat out twice a week. Researching menus online beforehand can help identify healthier options, as many restaurants provide nutritional information.

Tips for Healthier Dining:

Choose Grilled or Baked: Opt for grilled, baked, or steamed options over fried.
Portion Control: Consider half-portions, sharing a meal, or taking half home.
Request Sauces on the Side: Control the amount of dressing and sauce you consume.
Skip Sugary Drinks: Choose water or unsweetened iced tea.
Add Vegetables: Order extra vegetable sides.
Listen to Your Body: Eat slowly and pay attention to fullness cues.

Conclusion: Finding the Right Balance

Whether eating out two times a week is detrimental depends on various factors. Nutritionally, it can pose risks due to high sodium, unhealthy fats, and large portions. Financially, it can strain your budget. However, dining out offers social and convenience benefits. The key is balance and awareness. By making mindful choices, budgeting wisely, and prioritizing healthy options, you can enjoy dining out without significant negative impacts on your health or wallet. Home-cooked meals should ideally form the foundation of your diet, making restaurant visits an occasional treat.

For more detailed information on making healthier food choices, you can consult resources from the National Institutes of Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it can be, depending on your choices. Restaurant food tends to be higher in calories, unhealthy fats, and sodium. Larger portion sizes also make it easier to overeat, which can hinder weight loss progress. Making mindful, healthier selections is key.

Frequent dining out is linked to increased risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases due to higher consumption of saturated fats, sugar, and sodium, and lower intake of fiber and nutrients.

Choose grilled, baked, or steamed dishes over fried ones. Ask for sauces and dressings on the side, increase your vegetable intake, and opt for smaller portions or share your meal to control calories.

Yes, even just two meals out per week can be a significant expense. Restaurants mark up food prices considerably, so cooking at home is a much more cost-effective way to eat.

Some studies suggest a link between high consumption of processed, high-fat, and high-sugar fast food and mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Regular intake of nutritious, home-cooked food is often associated with better mental well-being.

The main difference lies in control. At home, you control the ingredients, portion sizes, and cooking methods. In restaurants, you have less control, and meals are often prepared with excess salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats to enhance flavor.

Plan ahead by checking menus online for deals, share a main course with a friend, or limit expensive extras like appetizers, desserts, and alcoholic drinks. Timing your meal during happy hour can also lead to savings.