Our choices of food and recipes have a huge impact on our health and wellness. A good starting
point for better health and fitness is the way you cook. If you are interested in eating healthy as a
part of your lifestyle changes, healthy cooking is something you should prioritize.
There are many ways to make meals healthier and it doesn’t have to make your foods boring. You
can easily adapt your favorite recipes to healthier alternatives. You can, for example, use
appropriate cookware from non-toxic materials to reduce the use of oil. Healthy cooking also
emphasizes the choice of the right cooking methods to preserve the nutritional values of foods.
Here are the top five science-based reasons why you should start focusing on healthy cooking to
support your health and immune system.
1. Cooking Skills Directly Correlate With Balanced Food Choices
Healthcare providers and experts recommend a balanced diet for health benefits like reduced risk of
obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and dementia among others. There are numerous barriers
to not being able to adhere to a balanced diet despite awareness, one of the biggest being lack of
cooking skills.
According to this study, conducted in 2013, cooking skills directly correlate with the weekly
consumption of vegetables and other healthy foods. Cooking regularly at home increases your intake
of healthy foods. People who live alone and cook less on a daily basis often take diets that lack major
food groups including vegetables, fruits, fish, and healthy whole grains.
Numerous studies conclude that cooking skills help people meet their nutritional needs on a daily
basis. Those who cook at home have better control over their food choices. It allows focusing on
healthier foods and including different food groups into daily cooking to get proper nutrition.
2. People Who Frequently Cook Dinner At Home Consume Fewer Calories Than Those Who Don’t
Studies suggest that home cooking is the key ingredient of a healthy diet. People who frequently
cook meals at home can eat healthier as compared to those who cook less often.
According to experts, people consume fewer carbs, lesser sugar, and unhealthy fats when they cook
their food at home than people who don’t cook often at home, even if they are not making weight
loss efforts.
The same study found that those who cook dinner frequently at home also consume fewer calories
when they eat out. This means healthy cooking at home helps you maintain weight and fitness through lower calorie
consumption and stay away from the risks of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, blood pressure, and
other health problems.
Those who are watching their weight should prioritize healthy cooking at home to make sure their
lifestyle changes bring sustainable results.
3. Healthy Cooking On A Regular Basis Can Help Prevent Chronic Illnesses
Healthy cooking prevents obesity which is one of the major reasons for chronic illnesses. Outside
foods are often loaded with calories, unhealthy fats, and sugars, adding bulk to the body, wearing
the bones and organs, and depriving the body of essential nutrients.
Such effects automatically put you at an increased risk of health problems including type 2 diabetes,
stroke, heart disease, and more.
When you cook healthy on a regular basis, your body gets all the nutrients it needs for proper
functioning, lowering the risk of developing diseases.
Your immune system remains strong and protects you against infections. Healthy eating improves
the mood and keeps you active, ultimately boosting your health and reducing the chances of chronic
illnesses.
4. People Who Regularly Eat At Home Consume More Vegetables, Fruits & Other Nutrient-Dense Foods
Healthy cooking emphasizes the use of fresh fruits and vegetables as they are the core of healthy
eating. When you cook at home, you can easily choose recipes that use colourful, leafy veggies and
benefit from the nutrients they contain.
Home cooking also gives you a chance to introduce yourself to new vegetables. Those who eat
outside often are deprived of these nutrients as the meals often contain frozen ingredients and
processed foods, devoid of nutrients.
Cooking regularly at home lets you keep your recipes healthy by using the ingredients in their
natural form. You can ensure that the diet contains a maximum of whole foods to avoid losing their
nutrients.
Home cooking methods also preserve the nutrition in the foods as processed foods are avoided.
When you eat at home, you can satisfy your cravings for sweets with natural, delicious fruits that benefit your health. There are also plenty of healthy sugar-free desserts that you can make at home
in no time.
5. Cooking & Food Preparation Skills At A Young Age Predict Nutritional Outcomes In Adulthood
Though the practice of home cooking is declining in importance, a study indicates that the
development of cooking and food preparation skills is significant for health and nutrition. According
to this study, developing cooking skills at a young age can have long-term benefits on health and
wellness.
The impact of learning to cook as a young adult may not be apparent until adulthood when people
get more opportunities and responsibilities for preparing food.
What makes this claim so powerful is the large size of the sample used for the analysis over a period
of ten years to study the impact of cooking skills on nutritional well-being in the later years of life.
Participants of the study were asked about the adequacy of cooking skills in the early age of 18-23
years which was high for a quarter of them. This adequacy predicted nutritional outcomes in
adulthood like greater chances of cooking with vegetables and less frequent consumption of fast
foods. Such habits result in long-term benefits for well-being in adulthood.
Conclusion
There are various reasons you should emphasize healthy cooking at home. These facts backed by
scientific studies should help you understand how cooking at home benefits your health and
wellness.
Cooking healthy gives you a chance to eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet that saves you from illnesses
and helps you maintain weight.
If you’d like to master healthy cooking skills and make healthy eating a habit, take a look at our
Online Healthy Cooking School, where we equip students with skills and knowledge, that transform
lives.
