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. 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 optimise 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.
To start cooking healthier, make small changes, such as increasing your plant-based meals by one each week. Try introducing one new vegetable into each day’s menu in the form of a side dish, snack, or dessert, or replace one serving of a processed grain with a whole grain (switch your white rice to millets). Simple changes will make it easier to optimise your chances for success.
Certain plant-based foods lend themselves well to batch cooking because they are so versatile and store well, and they make great additions to so many different meals.
Batch cooking
Make a plan: Set aside some time during your week to plan what you want to eat for meals and snacks, select some recipes or meal ideas, and create some menus. You don’t have to plan the entire week. Start with a few days’ worth of meals you know you will enjoy and that are easy to prepare, and keep it simple to start. There are several online resources for healthy recipe ideas. When choosing a recipe, be sure to use whole food (not processed) ingredients that are mainly plant-based.
Pick a method: There are a few ways to approach batch cooking. You can either double or triple the recipes you select, or you can make batches of ingredients that you will assemble later. Most foods will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or you can freeze them for a longer time. As long as you cook the ingredients with no sauces and little seasoning, you will be able to re-purpose them many times over.
Think about re-purposing: The same ingredient can be used for multiple meals. For example, quinoa can be made in advance, and later you can add it to hot cereal for breakfast, add it to a salad for lunch, and serve it as a side dish for dinner. When you begin your meal prep, decide if you are cooking meals, meal components, or some of both to extend the options.
Prep wisely
Read the recipes before you begin to cook, and look for common ingredients. If you have two recipes that call for the same ingredient, such as chopped onions, keep them ready so that you can save your cooking time.
You can even keep the ingredients you know you’ll use often, such as minced garlic or freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and store them for later use. Putting a little effort really pays big dividends later when you are pressed for time. A mindful planning can help cook fast and heathy, too.