Daily life can be a juggling act – balancing work, family, kids’ activities and personal commitments can be overwhelming. That’s probably why Americans are eating out more and cooking at home less. According to a 2010 Harris interactive poll of 2,503 adults, 14 percent said they don’t enjoy cooking and seven percent said they don’t cook at all. Only 41 percent said they prepare meals at home five or more times per week. However, creating healthy meals at home is key to living a healthy, active life. 
“Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right” is the theme for National Nutrition Month®, March 2014. This theme is about creating healthy meals while combining taste and nutrition. But why wait until March to think about healthy cooking at home? We want to help you start now. Over the next seven weeks, we’ll supply a series of blogs on the following topics:
1. Kitchen appliances for healthy cooking
2. Refrigerator/freezer items for quick, healthy meals
3. Top 10 foods to have in your pantry
4. Top 10 items to flavor food
5. Recipe for a healthy family and building healthy habits
6. Healthy snacks for kids
7. Budget-friendly meal ideas
Benefits of Cooking at Home
- Money Saved: Packaged and prepared meals cost considerably more than cooking with raw ingredients at home. Other ways to save include buying in bulk, using coupons, eating more vegetarian meals, buying on sale and freezing for later use.
- Healthy Lifestyle: Although restaurants are offering more nutritious options, the choices are often limited, and the portions are too big. People tend to eat more sodium, calories and fat when eating out. If you eat at home, you can choose your own healthy ingredients, control serving sizes and prevent overeating.
- Making Memories: Some of my favorite childhood memories involve helping my family in the kitchen, especially harvesting and canning fruits and vegetables from my grandmother’s garden. Cooking at home offers an excellent opportunity for family bonding and quality time with loved ones.
You must be logged in to post a comment.