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Last week, I wrote a post about the great benefits of drinking water and some tips to improve your hydration habit. If you would like to read it, see post linked here – https://coachjenp.com/2023/10/22/why-is-water-key-for-overall-health-and-how-to-improve-water-intake/
This week, I want to talk about the benefits of cooking at home and how it can boost your health. I know that for many, cooking at home can be intimidating but with great prepping and planning, it will be worth because of the positive benefits that come when you control the quantity and quality of the ingredients you use.
While some consider cooking at home to be time consuming and requiring a lot of energy it doesn’t really have to be. Nowadays, there are so many things that already come precut, prewashed for our convenience as well as many kitchen tools and gadgets that will make things a bit more hands-off without taking away flavor.
When cooking at home, you have more control on the ingredients, the quality of those ingredients and also can save some money. Additionally, there is the therapeutic aspect of being connected to the food you are eating, getting in tune with the smells, the textures, the colors, the seasonings; it can turn into a mindfulness activity that will get you to use the sense of touch, taste and smell all at the same time.
I would like to share some of my tips for making this habit easy and slowly get to cooking more at home and enjoy it.
- To try to reduce time in the kitchen when cooking at home, explore the use of a hands off gadget like an instant pot, slow cooker or airfryer. These will work on your favor with minimal intervention.
- To make it convenient, explore items in the grocery store that are prewashed, precut, frozen that will help you save time and will encourage adding more whole foods into your meals. I personally love getting coleslaw mix for a quick side salad, frozen fruit and spinach for protein shakes as well as chopped veggies for a one pot stir fry meal. If there is a particular style of cooking that you enjoy, go to a book store or public library and get a cookbook for inspiration and ideas. Nowadays you can find specific cookbooks for one pan dishes, 5 ingredient meals or different dietary styles such as paleo, vegan, gluten free.
- If cooking seems intimidating, consider signing up for a cooking class or explore blogs, youtube videos, instagram and tik tok that have many influencers sharing recipes, tips and tricks according to the type of diet that you enjoy.
- If you don’t have time to cook every day, meal prep is your best friend. Select two or three recipes and tackle that on a saturday or sunday night and reheat during the week. I personally like to roast veggies that I can warm up in the oven, prepare a sauce with healthy fats, a veggie loaded soup that I can reheat and some protein like roasted chicken or beef stew. Rice, quinoa and other grains are also great choices that heat up well.
- And lastly, don’t be afraid to explore a new seasoning, herb, veggie or fruit. This will help you stay motivated and enjoy food; I believe healthy food should be delicious food.
I am linking below my favorite gadgets to make cooking at home easy:
Airfryer – https://amzn.to/46QTD8n
Instant Pot – https://amzn.to/3SC0rmj
Hand Spiralizer – https://amzn.to/40dyanP
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