Cook! Because You Are Worth It!

In my video Movement Matters, I discussed how we in the western world have outsourced much of our movement.  Little things that we don’t even notice anymore like changing the channel on the television with a remote or taking the car to the corner market instead of walking a couple of blocks.  We think all these things are great because they are saving us time, but the flip side is they are leading us to live more and more sedentary lives.

As a functional nutrition coach (someone who teaches people how to eat for their health,) food is another area where most people are more than happy to outsource the work.  And, I get it!  We’re all crunched for time!  We think we’re doing ourselves a favor by eating out or eating processed foods.  In the short run… maybe we save a few minutes, but in the long run this outsourcing costs us more money and eventually our health.

Cook!  Because You Are Worth It!

One of the first conversations that I have with any new client is this idea of cooking.  Inevitably, they either hate cooking, or they feel like they’re terrible at it.  And, I’m sure you’ve heard the biggest excuse, “I just don’t have time!”  Well, I have bad news friends.  If you want to be healthy you have to cook!  You don’t have to cook anything fancy or complicated, just a few simple ingredients handled well.  Most of my clients are surprised at how easy it is to whip up something easy and delicious.  They just have to change their mindset and the biggest obstacle they face is determining their why.  The why is what really matters!

For example:  It’s not just ok to say you want to lose weight.  That won’t get you through the tough moments when the temptation to drive through for some fast food hits because you over slept or worked late.  Why does it matter that you lose the weight?  Perhaps it’s to improve fertility so that you can conceive.  Maybe it’s so that you can take a beautiful hiking vacation that your friends want you to go on.  Or, perhaps, it’s to slow the tide of hormonal imbalances and health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.  Get it?  You have to dig deep to understand your why.  It’s the why that spurs you on and encourages you when the journey gets really hard.  It’s where you have to decide that you are worth it!

There have been several studies on how eating home cooked meals makes a huge difference in overall health.  Eating at home can help maintain healthy weight, strengthen the immune system, and not cost any more than eating out.  I’d personally argue that eating at home will cost you whole lot less in the long run!

People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories as reported in a 2014 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study of 9,000 participants.

In another study published by the National Institutes of Health it was found that people who prepare more meals at home tend to eat a healthier diet that includes higher fruit and vegetable intake and higher blood plasma vitamin C levels (super important for a healthy immune system!)  This study included more than twelve thousand participants from the United Kingdom over 10 years.

People who cook at home tend to have healthier diets without higher food expenses.  This study of 437 people from Washington was done by the University of Washington Health Sciences Department in 2017.

Yes, it will take time to prepare meals at home, but like anything, you just have to get over the learning curve and make it habit!

If you need help learning to cook, shop, or plan for your health, please contact me!

I teach people how to harness the power of food to heal their bodies from hormonal imbalances and gut dysfunction so they can live lives full of joy, energy, and well-being.

Kristina Evans is a chef and functional nutrition coach.  Kristina worked as a personal chef and caterer for more than 10 years before she opened her own restaurant.  Kristina now works with individuals who want to improve their health by learning to eat better.