According to a recent study published in Cambridge University’s Public Health Nutrition journal, people who cook at home five or more days each week are almost 50% more likely to live 10 years longer than those who eat restaurant food for most of their meals.
Over the course of 10 years, researchers followed the eating habits of 1 888 test subjects over the age of 65, and even controlled for other factors that can affect longevity like gender and health factors.
Researchers think that not only were home cooks eating healthier, but the act of shopping for food and cooking itself helped keep them well.
The South African Sugar Association shares some of their tips for making home cooking simple and practical.
TIPS
• Involve your family in cooking and shopping. It makes the whole experience more pleasurable, you will get to spend quality time with your family and your fussy eater will probably show more interest in eating food they helped to prepare.
• Cook for leftovers. Stews, casseroles and curries freeze very well. Cook in bulk, separate into portion sizes and freeze.
• Have tinned pureed tomatoes, tinned beans for a quick meal.
• Cook basmati rice in place of normal rice. Basmati rice cooks quicker and is healthier too!
• Fish and chicken need minutes to prepare and are a healthier option to red meat, which takes longer to cook.
• Have the right tools. Invest in a sharp knife and a good non-stick frying pan. You will be surprised at how much easier it is to chop vegetables with a sharp knife.
• Frozen vegetables are excellent for quick stir fries as these vegetables are picked at their prime ripeness and are packed with vitamins and minerals
• Cook a jacket potato in the microwave for five minutes and top it with tinned tuna and cream style sweet corn for a hearty, healthy meal.
• Plan, plan, plan. Sit down and think about what you’d like to eat for the week. Choose a few recipes and write yourself a grocery list.
Look for recipes online to get you started and later you can invest in a recipe book.
Image: Yuri Arcurs/Shutterstock.com
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25 Responses
I think most people wont have a choice in the matter as going out is becoming incredibly expensive with everything going up and most people having to stay in………
I follow a menu plan and it helps with budgeting which is great! Plus I am losing weight because I am eating healty!
I always cook so that there is leftovers. I like the jacket potato idea
I do a weekly menu and get all my ingredients on a Sunday and usually do a soup/curry/stew to freeze for the next week. Also, never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, you will buy things that are not really necessarily or healthy compared to going after having a meal. :)
Very good tips! I’m hungry now. ;) I eat a lot of chicken, but would love to add more fish to my diet.
The family that eats together, stays together. FOOD and SEX are One of the most important thing in life in my opinion and asian culture. So Its somehing that we dont take granted for. Cooking is one of the cheapest therapy there is and so thus shopping.
I make the following weeks menu up on the Sunday, buy all groceries on a Monday (fresh produce every day) and I have saved so much money (and time) in doing so. And “what’s for supper?” questions are now something of the past.
I don’t always work on a menu now and then we go out as a family just to get out of the house, but it’s really nice to prepare your own wholesome home cooking, the kids learn how to cook and sometimes dad helps too, u can actually have a great time cooking together as a family, and i love the tips in your article.
I have tried a few of these tips mentioned by Megan and it really saves you a lot of time and money to prepare a great home meal, shopping together is fun and very relaxing just don’t buy groceries on a empty stomach, u might turn up with all the wrong things in your trolley.
Writing a menu plan is a excellent way of cooking healthy meals for the family and saves time & money in the long run.