It is an art to prepare #meals out of raw ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, and meat. Home cooked food preparation is a fun and engaging activity. It is also very beneficial for health. Home-cooked meals are more nutritious and pure. Nothing is more hygienic than the food cooked and prepared at home.
Many families use food preparation as a connecting activity, which becomes an important way to bring family members closer. It is a good way to create an environment of festivity where all come together, enjoy, eat, and connect.
What are the benefits of eating home cooked food?
Eating home cooked food is beneficial to a person in many ways. It is cheaper, healthier and more sustainable than eating from restaurants or fast food chains.
A study conducted by Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health found that children who live in households with access to a kitchen and cook their own meals have better nutritional intake, lower rates of obesity and higher rates of academic achievement.
The study also found that children who cook with their parents are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry and beans than those who don’t cook at all or just help out occasionally.
In addition, cooking at home has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease including cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as improving mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety.
Cooking at home is also better for the environment since it reduces the amount of household waste produced per meal by half compared to eating out or ordering take
What is the most popular home cooked meal?
The most popular home cooked meal is mixed salad, macaroni, noodles and pasta. It is loved by kids and adults alike. The popularity of macaroni and cheese has been increasing in the last few years because it can be made with different types of cheeses, pasta shapes, and pasta sizes. The dish is very easy to make as well.
There are many factors that contribute to the popularity of macaroni and cheese. One factor could be that it is a comfort food for some people that brings back memories from their childhoods. Another reason could be its versatility which allows for many different variations to suit any taste or diet preference.
9 Healthy Benefits of Cooking Meals at Home
In addition to work as a source of connectivity, it also brings many benefits to overall health. It is helpful, especially if you are looking to make some healthy adjustments in your lifestyle. It is extremely beneficial in achieving fitness and health goals.
1. Control Food Amount
Whether we talk about losing weight or maintaining current weight, controlling portion size is the key. A good way to be watchful of portion size is to prepare meals by yourself. The food preparation process gives you full control over ingredients to use in the cooking process.
Furthermore, it allows you to avoid ingredients that might hinder fitness goals. When a person eats outside in restaurants, there is least he can do about portion size. It makes a person eat more than required.
2. Control Value And Cost
Eating outdoors, such as cafes and restaurants, not only provides you with less nutritious food as compared to home cooked food, one that is prepared at home but it also heavy on your pocket. A person can manage good quality and variety of food at home and within the budget.
You may spend the money for some other use. For instance, if you really aim to achieve fitness goals, you can use the saved money to get a gym membership or buy yourself good sports shoes and other fitness accessories.
3. Maintain Nutrition
Preparing meals at home allows you to retain the maximum value from the food. Like for instance, you may look to add limited oil to your meals. Also, you may even opt for grilling and steaming vegetables, meat, and even fish instead of deep-frying.
All such steps can provide you meals that have more nutritional value, which sometimes food from restaurants lacks. Home prepared meals also lack added preservatives which are mostly used in restaurant meals.
4. A Great Hobby
Cooking is a great hobby. It allows you to experiment with different flavors and bring something new and more exciting. A good hobby is essentially an important way of distraction, especially if you want to get rid of certain habits and bad lifestyle choices such as addiction.
Some positive lifestyle alterations, when added with medical intervention, effectively help to deal with addiction. For example, the addiction treatment of an alcoholic can be supported further by the adoption of such healthy habits.
5. Control Over Hygiene And Food Safety
Food-borne illnesses are very common, even in countries like the US. Despite the safety measures and food inspection system, people still frequently get food-borne illnesses. Food poisoning is also very common despite eating from reputable restaurants.
Meal preparation at home gives you complete control over maintaining good hygiene and the safety of food. It allows you to avoid cross-contamination, which is very common to occur in restaurants.
Often you can use kitchen towels to ensure cleanliness. As you prepare meals for your own self and your family, the utensils do not require frequent sterilization as it is required in restaurants.
6. Learn More About Foods
At home, preparing your meal by using different ingredients and different types of vegetables and other eatables enhances the knowledge.
It adds to your knowledge, and you get to know more about home cooked food in terms of nutritional value, different recipes, and the health benefits different foods offer to the body.
You may even look to taste and add more and new foods to your daily diet. This can help to bring some changes in routine diet by adding new flavors to your dining.
More knowledge about food will keep your interest alive in healthy food options such as vegetables and fruits. It will also keep you attracted to nutritious and healthy food options.
7. Improve Mental Health
Psychologists suggest that children who are in the habit of taking meals with family enjoy better health as compared to those who take meals alone.
Research says that, on average, 46% of meals are eaten alone by Americans.
Family meals also reduce the likelihood of taking drugs, alcohol, and smoke. It is thus important to prepare meals at home and eat together.
It is a great opportunity for children to share their thoughts and problems with their parents. Meals together can help to bridge the generation gap between parents and children.
8. Better Substitute To Junk Food
Home meals provide a better substitute for unhealthy junk food that is eaten from outside. Junk food increases various health risks such as obesity, cardiovascular issues, and diabetes.
It is better to prepare meals at home. It will allow you to eat healthily and provide nutritious, healthy home cooked food options.
It also allows you to eat healthy by letting you control amounts of salt, sugar, fats, and other additives. Keeping more fresh vegetables and fruits at hand will allow you to eat healthily rather than munching on unhealthy junk snacks.
9. Customized Meal
Meals prepared at home are highly customized, and you can certainly take care of food allergens. This also helps in ensuring well-being by avoiding the risk of food-based allergies to the minimum. The food that you eat from outside might not be as safe from allergens as the meal that you prepare at home.
Take Away
Home cooked food grants a person full control over it. You can definitely manage a healthy diet for your family by preparing meals by yourself. Besides, indulging children in the meal preparation and food planning allows them to grow with a healthy lifestyle and develop the habit of healthy eating.
