Home-cooked meal for a healthy life

People who cook at home eat higher quality food, consume fewer calories, spend less money on food, and have less weight gain over time than those who dine out and eat packaged foods regularly.

- Sadhvika Srinivas

Home cooking can have many health benefits, including a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and other chronic diseases. Conversely, consuming prepared, ultra-processed foods has been linked to increased rates of cardio-metabolic diseases and overall cancer risk.

Start by focusing on foods that will optimize your health. A dietary pattern that is mostly plant-based, and includes lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, has the greatest health benefits. Dietary patterns that are composed of whole foods that are mostly plant-based, such as the Mediterranean dietary pattern, have proved to reduce risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain cancers (specifically colon, breast, and prostate cancer), depression, and in older adults, improved mental and physical function.