Everyone wants to be healthy. Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks, “I’m going to put my health at risk today.” It just doesn’t happen. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you’re not jeopardizing your wellbeing. In many ways, a simple mistake can make all the difference.
Cooking is a prime example. You don’t do it because you’re too tired or you’re no good, and you’re happy to order in or eat precooked, packaged meals. Unfortunately, preparing your own dishes is a core principle of maintaining good health.
Here are the reasons why, and why you need to consider cooking more often.
Integrative Nutrition
Integrative nutrition is the theory that your entire wellbeing revolves around promoting a healthy diet. Without it, the research shows that the body struggles to bounce back, regardless of what you do. You might relieve stress, exercise regularly, and socialize to avoid loneliness, yet it doesn’t matter without an integrative approach to nutrition. It’s the foundation of your health, which means that cooking your meals is pivotal since you don’t know what goes into dishes that are prepared by others. Your mind, body, and soul are connected to your eating habits, meaning you are what you eat.
You Control The Recipe
There’s a lot of talk about using salt and sugars for cooking meals. To watch a professional chef, you’d think that their dishes are as unhealthy as microwaveable products because of the amount of “bad” ingredients they use. On the flip side, cooking gives you control over what you create. That means that even if you season heavily with salt and pepper, your sodium intake will be lower. Why? It’s since there are zero preservatives and additives. The produce is fresh, and you can taste and experience this in the final serving. Gorging on takeout fills the body with chemicals that are insanely harmful.
Wastage Is A Thing
If your parents were working-class, and if you have working-class tendencies, there’s a good chance that you can’t let food go to waste. As a result, you must finish it, even if you’re full and have eaten too much. Considering that eating leftovers the day after isn’t appealing to most people, that meals finishing off junk food and ruining your portion control. With home-cooked dishes, you can stick to a set amount and freeze the rest to have during the week. As the ingredients are fresh, the meal should retain its nutritional value. It’s not really wastage; more like strategic meal planning!
Vegetable Intake Increases
For those who do have leftover ingredients that they don’t want to throw in the bin, you can get creative and add them to another dish. Curries, for example, are ideal for using up any veggies that you couldn’t eat previously. Aside from not letting anything go to waste, you will boost your vegetable intake and improve your health. After all, veggies are full of vitamins that the body requires to maintain your mood, energy levels, and regulate weight.
Has this post encouraged you to try and cook more?
This is a collaborative post.
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