The Real Benefits of Home Cooking: From A Functional Nutrition Perspective

In today's fast-paced world, the allure of takeout and processed foods can be hard to resist. Especially with many households having both parents/partners working, it can be hard to find the time, energy, and forethought needed to come up with a week’s worth of meals.

However, the benefits of preparing and cooking more meals at home cannot be ignored. The value of cooking at home is definitely worth making the effort to shift some habits so that you can do it more consistently.

Let's take a look at the five main advantages that make home-cooked meals a great choice for your health and well-being.

1. Increased nutrient density

When you cook at home, you have the power to choose every ingredient that goes into your meal. This means you can prioritize whole foods, lean proteins, and lots of colorful fruits and vegetables. You also can use higher quality oils or butter to cook in which drastically changes the inflammation levels in your body. By doing so, you also ensure your meals are rich in essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that promote optimal health and vitality.

2. Reduced Intake of Unwanted Additives

Processed and restaurant foods often contain high levels of sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats, along with artificial preservatives and flavor enhancers. By preparing meals at home, you can significantly reduce your intake of these harmful and inflammatory substances, which increases your nutrient levels and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.

3. Increased Portion Awareness

Eating out can often lead to oversized portions. Home cooking allows you to take a serving that you are hungry for. This helps you to tune into your hunger cravings and start to better understand your satiety levels. We call this awareness, Mindful Eating (see more below), and it helps foster a balanced relationship with food and supports long-term wellness goals.

4. Enhanced Gut Health

Preparing meals from scratch often involves using fresh, whole ingredients that are rich in fiber and beneficial for gut health. Foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes feed the healthy bacteria in your gut, promoting a robust digestive system and boosting your immune function. Added bonus- aim to buy your produce locally so that you can ensure it is optimally fresh. The fresher (most recently picked) produce is, the more active vitamins and minerals are present.

5. Mindful Eating Practices

Cooking at home encourages mindfulness, as you engage with the food preparation process and savor the flavors and textures of each ingredient. This mindful approach not only enhances your enjoyment of meals but also promotes better digestion and satiety, helping you tune into your body's hunger and fullness cues.

While the convenience of dining out or grabbing processed snacks is tempting, the benefits of home cooking are too robust to ignore. By getting back into the kitchen regularly, you can make huge strides in how you nourish your body.

Here are My Top Five Tips for Making Cooking at Home Easier and Quicker

So we have laid out why it is better to cook more at home but how can we actually make this easier so we will actually stick with it? I am a true believer that to make impactful nutrition changes, it has to be practical. We have to make it fit into your lifestyle or it won’t stick.

Here are 5 of the top ways you can start to shift towards more consistently cooking at home.

1. Meal Planning and Preparation

Start by listing out 4-5 dinners each week. Make this a weekly routine. This is best done before you grocery shop for the week, whatever day that might be. Sit for 10-15 minutes, think through what you have going on that week and list out what the dinner plans are for each night. 4-5 cooked dinners is a great place to start. For the other nights you can use one of the others as a leftover/clean out the fridge night and one night for a social gathering or an easy fun family take out. You don’t need a big meal planning app to do this- you can simply type it out in Notes on your phone, in your planner, or into a grocery shopping list.

These can be super simple dinners (see meal plan for ideas below). Remember- so much of the nutrition you are getting is from the quality of those ingredients. The meals DO NOT have to be chef-inspired to pack a nutritional punch.

Added bonus- Create a menu that utilizes similar ingredients across different dishes to minimize waste and streamline grocery shopping.

2. Utilize One-Pot or Sheet Pan Recipes

One-pot and sheet pan meals are lifesavers for busy individuals and families. These recipes often require minimal preparation and cleanup, as all ingredients cook together in one vessel. They allow you to balance proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables seamlessly, ensuring a nutritious meal with little hassle. Click here to grab my One week of Sheet pan dinners meal plan to get you started!

3. Embrace Batch or “Double” Cooking

Prepare larger quantities of a dish and store leftovers for later. This method ensures you always have a healthy meal ready when time is limited. Soups, stews, casseroles, and grains are especially suited for batch cooking, as they store well and can be easily reheated.

You can then use the leftovers for quick and easy lunches or for dinner again the next night.

4. Invest in Time-Saving Kitchen Tools

Consider using tools like slow cookers, pressure cookers, or food processors to cut down on cooking and prep time. These appliances can handle various tasks, from chopping vegetables to cooking complete meals, allowing you to multitask or relax while your meal is prepared.

5. Create a Well-Stocked Pantry

When we start to shift towards eating more at home it can feel a little overwhelming and expensive. Keep in mind that you are “stocking” your pantry. Soon you will have most of the spices and pantry staples that you need for these meals each week. Once you have gotten most of the staples, it becomes so easy to repeat your favorite meals as you already have a lot of the ingredients needed.

I hope this helped to get you inspired to jump back into the kitchen. Here’s to more home cooked, nourishing meals :)