In past decades, learning how to cook was a simple fact of life. However, the proliferation of fast-food restaurants, coupled with the wide availability of packaged convenience foods, has rendered cooking a mystery for many of today's young adults. Unfortunately, there are health risks involved with relying on packaged meals and fast foods. Several aspects of knowing how to cook can be beneficial for your health.
Sodium Control
Fast foods, such as hamburgers, French fries, onion rings, chicken sandwiches and roast beef sandwiches are typically laden with salt. Likewise, added salt is commonly found in packaged convenience foods, such as frozen pizzas, stir-fry kits and frozen egg rolls. Knowing how to prepare these foods from scratch allows you to control the amount of salt. Reducing salt intake is essential for the prevention of heart disease and high blood pressure.
Choosing Lean Proteins
Packaged convenience food and fast-food offerings typically feature fatty proteins, such as beef, pork, dairy products, eggs and dark-meat poultry. These foods are high in saturated fats, which can cause arterial blockages. This can contribute to stroke, heart attack and coronary artery disease. Cooking your own foods allows you to choose leaner proteins, such as legumes, white-meat poultry, tofu, soymilk and seitan, a meat replacement made from wheat gluten. With these products, you can reduce your saturated fat intake and decrease your risk of heart disease.
Use of Oils and Fats
Knowing how to cook allows you to control the amounts of oils and fats you use in frying, grilling and baking. It also allows you to choose the types of fats you use. Fast-food restaurants typically use hydrogenated oils for cooking and frying -- these oils are loaded with trans fats that can contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are also commonly found in packaged convenience meals, margarine and shortening. Opt for olive oil, an unsaturated fat that may lower your risk of heart disease.
Portion Control
Fast food restaurants typically offer large food portions, often allowing you to upgrade your meal to even larger portions for a nominal charge. Packaged convenience foods commonly contain multiple servings. This increases your temptation to overeat, which can lead to weight gain and obesity. Cooking your own meals allows you keep your portions sensible, reducing the temptation to eat more than your body needs.
References
- "Cooking Basics for Dummies"; Bryan Miller, et al.; 2001
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis A. Balch; 2010
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