Do we actually benefit from eating a home cooked meal?

With our busy lives and packed schedules, the joy of a warm home cooked meal gets lost in the rush of things.

We are what we eat.

The ease and convenience of having a ready to eat meal from a local take-away or a posh restaurants or even a fast-food place seems to be an easy option. While cooking a meal from scratch is mostly relegated to weekends or for special occasions, eating out is now being seen as a tributary to socializing, meeting friends and family.

It is widely known that one would consume lesser calories, carbohydrates, sugars and fats if one ate a home cooked meal. However, apart from this, there are many primary and secondary benefits of eating a home cooked meal. Hopefully the following information will motivate you towards enjoying a home cooked meal:

Primary Benefits:

1. Kids benefit: According to WebMD research, children who eat home cooked meals are less likely to be overweight, as home cooked meals tend to contain more fruits, vegetables and less preservative or coloring agents.
2. Balanced Diet: Research has shown that when eating a home cooked meal adults tend to consume lesser Trans fats and sugars which is known to have a positive impact, as individuals tend to have higher energy levels and better mental health.
3. Customisation: Eating a home cooked meal helps you customise it to each family member’s taste and preference. One of the other small pleasures of a home cooked meal that is missing in the food from the restaurant. Keeps the entire family happy.
4. Connecting with your Culture and Family Roots: The ‘pre packaged’ and ‘ready to eat’ generation rarely cooks with fresh ingredients or uses family recipes.While cooking at home one discovers many a childhood memories which were associated with home cooked meals. Hence, the joy of rediscovering a family recipe /tradition or creating a new one altogether is another benefit.
5. Mental health specific: Eating a meal together as a family is known to have a positive impact on the heart, as relationships reinforced over a meal create a sense of belonging and reduce symptoms of depression.

Secondary Benefits:

1. Longevity specific: A healthier lifestyle leads to a longer life span. Having a home cooked meal at least five times in a week is associated with a longer life.
2. Social benefit: Eating together strengthens the family bonds and this is aptly summed by this quote — “The family that eats together stays together”.
3. Mindful Eating and Conscious living:Knowing the ingredients of a dish along with its nutritional benefits, makes eating a home cooked meal an informed and educated choice.
4. Cleanliness: Knowing that you are having a meal prepared at home psychologically comforts you that it has been prepared in a clean and a hygienic environment.
5. Environment specific: Usage of local ingredients and local produce helps reduces carbon footprint by cutting down on packaging and transportation of goods.

Looking at all the benefits i would say try and give the healthy and balanced ‘Home Cooked way’ a chance.

Is eating healthy and sustainable food your priority?