What are the Benefits of Cooking?

Like most people, you probably lead a busy working life and feel worn out when you get home from a day’s work. It’s tempting to call in a pizza or get something out of the freezer and heat it up. Whether you live alone, as a couple or have a family the easiest way is usually the one you choose. But fast food and frozen meals are never the healthiest option. We’re going to tell you why you should consider cooking. Let’s start by talking about the most important factor of all – health.

Food plays a great part in our overall health. How many times do we read or hear of the importance of a balanced diet? Yet we still opt for the take-away option, because it’s easier. Everyone does it, and it’s convenient. When was the last time you cooked a meal? You may have done a Sunday roast one weekend, for example? It’s satisfying, isn’t it? Especially when you use fresh ingredients, and we’ll talk more of them later.

So, what – apart from the lack of time – is stopping you cooking more meals through the week? One obstacle that we often hear about is a lack of viable recipes. We’ve got that covered! Check out simplyhealthyfamily.org – a site where you’ll find all the information you need on healthy eating, easy to make affordable meals, and some excellent recipes that should give you inspiration.

Here’s a further tip: when you cook a meal cook more than you need – perhaps even double or three times the amount – and freeze portions for future use, so your family can eat healthy meals more often and easily. Now, there’s another aspect to cooking that you should consider, and that’s the fact it can be fun.

Fun for the Kids

Cooking is fun, and when you involve the kids, it can also be educational. They will learn not only where food comes from, but also what can be paired together. They can get to understand the cooking process, how to cook safely, and how to use different appliances. They can also experiment with their own recipes and choice of ingredients.

Children enjoy creating and cooking is creating something special. Why not involve the children in the preparation next time you cook a fresh meal, and let them see where the food on their plate comes from? It will be good fun for you, and you can spend some quality time with the kids. Finally, we want to talk more about using fresh ingredients, and in particular those you can grow yourself.

Growing Your Own is Rewarding

We know that fresh ingredients are best but why buy them from a shop? Even if you have a small space outside you can grow several vegetables and fruit in bags filled with compost. Potatoes, for example, are easy to grow, while runner beans and other greens can be cultivated in pots. Peppers and chillies, tomatoes and cucumbers, can all thrive indoors or in a greenhouse or conservatory. Strawberries are great to grow, and raspberry canes will do well in most gardens.

If you do have a usable outdoor space, why not set aside some of the area for vegetables? Lettuce, cabbage, sweetcorn and sprouts, plus marrows, beets and many more are easy to grow in a garden. This is another fun pastime you can get the kids involved in too!

It makes sense to set aside some spare time to plant out fruit and veg and to cook fresh meals, so use the resources we’ve linked to and see what inspires you!