Who’s Cooking Now?
Good news for your health! According to this article in Nutrition Journal, the number of people who cook their own meals in their own home increased overall from 2003 to 2016.
For example, the percent of college-educated men cooking increased from 14 percentage points up to 51.9%. College-educated women who cook ticked up a bit as well, although their numbers were already pretty high. They increased from 64.7% to 68.7%.
Why Does This Matter?
Because home cooked meals are not only cheaper, but healthier too! Check out this research from the University of Washington School of Public Health.
“By cooking more often at home, you have a better diet at no significant cost increase, while if you go out more, you have a less healthy diet at a higher cost,” said Adam Drewnowski, director of the UW’s Center for Public Health Nutrition and senior author of “Cooking at home: A strategy to comply with U.S. dietary guidelines at no extra cost,” published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Healthier? How Do You Measure “Healthier”?
The measurement used to define a healthy diet is called the Healthy Eating Index. It gauges whether a person’s diet is giving them the right combination of fruits, vegetables and other elements.
The study found that home-cooked dinners were associated with a “greater dietary compliance,” meaning the overall weekly diet met more of the federal guidelines for a healthy diet. Households who cooked at home about three times per week showed a score of about 67 on the Healthy Eating Index. Those who cooked at home about six times per week had a score of about 74.
News Flash: Cooking At Home Is Not More Expensive
What was surprising to Drewnowski was that the study showed there was no increase in costs for eating a healthier diet. Home cooked meals were associated with diets lower in calories, sugar and fat, but not with higher monthly expenses for food.
So cooking at home is healthier for you, and cheaper on your budget!
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