How to Be Healthy By Simply Cooking at Home

Most Americans would agree, cooking at home is a drag. Who has time for putting together complex dishes and trying to figure out how to make things from scratch? It’s much more convenient to go out or order in. Besides, we can eat out and still be healthy.

Right?

It turns out, cooking at home is a powerful secret to overall health – and it doesn’t have to be difficult or confusing. More and more research is showing that simply cooking at home more is one of the single greatest things you can do for your health. It helps you lose weight, boosts your immune system, and promotes emotional well-being, too.
Not so sure? Then stay tuned. Here’s how to be healthy by making one, simple lifestyle change.

The Benefits of Cooking at Home
There are so many benefits to making your own food at home.  Eating in is more efficient and reduces your carbon footprint. Sharing communal meals is linked to fewer instances of alcohol and drug abuse in teenagers. It’s more meaningful to eat something you’ve prepared yourself. And children in homes that frequently enjoy home-cooked meals are typically happier than their eating-out counterparts.

Furthermore, cooking at home is significantly cheaper. Forbes breaks down the numbers, showing how eating out is five times more expensive than cooking at home. Even if you only order meal kits, you will be saving two-three times the cost of a restaurant meal. So preparing your own meals just five or six nights a week could mean a savings of around $400 a week for a family of four.

Just One Change Can Make You Healthier
But the health benefits is where cooking at home really shines. In fact, a study by John Hopkins found that home cooking is one of the most significant ingredients of a healthy diet. The act of choosing your own ingredients and thoughtfully creating a meal makes such a difference in your health and wellbeing!

Some of the many ways simply cooking at home on a regular basis can make you healthier include:

• Healthy Portion Sizes: Cooking at home means you choose your portion size. Restaurants typically serve larger portions, and we feel obligated to clean our plate!
• Better Ingredients: Thoughtfully preparing your own meals at home entails ingredient choices. This makes you more aware of what you are eating. How much do you know about the ingredients that went into those chips you like to munch or your last take-out meal?
• Weight Loss: Healthy weight loss comes naturally when you eat at home. Restaurant food is notoriously higher in sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. Those who cook at home tend to consume fewer calories – even when they eat out.
• Higher Nutrition: The convenience-food industry has very little interest in the nutrition value of their meals. Cooking at home means considering the nutrition information for everything you put on your plate.

Making the Change is Simple
So now you know this one, simple change can mean so much good in your life. But where do you start? Fortunately, it’s not as hard as you might think.

Start by making time for meals. How much time do you spend on social media or TV each day? Invest some of that in cooking at home. Don’t know how to cook from scratch? No worries! You don’t have to. Many freezer foods, ready-made sauces, salad mixes, or even entrees can be purchased to simplify the process. As you get more comfortable in the kitchen, you can make more from scratch. When that time comes our Master Chef Programs will teach you stocks, soups, vegetables, fish, poultry and everything from scratch.

Invest in some healthy cooking classes to get started or take your skills to the next level. You can learn time-saving tips and tricks to make cooking at home simple, fun, and delicious. Then make sure you have good tools in your kitchen so you’re ready to roll. And always keep your pantry stocked with the basics so you won’t have to go shopping next time you want to cook. Making extra will allow you to freeze some for later, doubling the benefit of a good cooking session.
Cooking at home is something you can grow into, learn at your own pace, and reap the benefits of for years to come. Making this one change can simply revolutionize your health and I teach you all of this in my Culinary Basics Program.
To Your Health!
– Chef Eric