It’s Coach Alessandra here to talk to you today about some benefits of cooking for yourself.
Yes, it seems like some great feat to put some plan into cooking as well as take the time to do it and not to mention the cleanup, right? But there are a ton of benefits to being able to cook a meal for yourself or for others.
Number one: is to learn to cook.
Some people might find cooking to be a bit intimidating. What you can do to overcome that intimidation factor is to just learn basic skills. You can find information on the internet, the library, cook with a friend maybe that can help you learn some very basic things at first. Then at that point you have a platform to expand your cooking skills, learn other techniques, and maybe become a little bit more adventurous with your meals, which can be very satisfying.
Number two: understand what is in your food.
Yes, you can order off a menu, they can list what the items are in that meal, but what are you truly getting. What are your vegetables cooked in? What is really in that salad dressing? Because those little things will actually make a very big difference in what you’re calorically intaking as well as help you if you do have any food sensitivities. Cooking for yourself helps you learn what is in your food and understanding what’s there in terms of ingredients.
Number three: learn to substitute items for healthier options.
One example of this that I use for myself is when there is a recipe that calls for cornstarch. I’ve learned that arrowroot flour is a great substitute. After some time you’ll be able to look at a recipe you like and even if it doesn’t have the best ingredients, you’ll be able to substitute items for a healthier option. And that’s from learning the basics and expanding your cooking knowledge. These tips can build on top of each other for more success!
Number four: do something for yourself.
It can be very meditative to take some time to just be in the kitchen and make something that’s really nice for yourself or for somebody else. I love to cook for other people and it just feels really nice to be able to share that with others, as well as just know I made a meal for myself that I feel good about. Make yourself a really nice meal that you can appreciate the time and effort it took to create something yummy.
Number five: boost your self esteem.
This goes back to number one with learning cooking skills. Have you ever done or learned something new and thought to yourself, “Wow, that was really cool to do that.” Being able to have a little bit more confidence in the kitchen is great, especially if you’ve never really spent a lot of time there but always wanted to. Boost your self esteem by being able to cook yourself a meal or cook a meal to share.
Number six: leftovers make extra meals!
Take the burden off of having to decide what is happening every single day and use those leftovers to make one, two, or even three meals depending on what that recipe calls for.
Number seven: build a community.
You can share recipes or you can talk to people about what they’re cooking, especially if you’re stuck in a rut of what you’re making for yourself lately. I find myself talking to people about things that they’re interested in cooking or getting recipes from elsewhere because I just kind of do the same thing most of the time. Being able to take a recipe, understand it, head to the kitchen and complete the recipe builds confidence and mixes up your menu.
Number eight: Save some money!
Being able to make your food and not have to go out and spend $50 on a meal and tip with two people. That’s a huge money saver.
Try out these tips and let me know what you all are cooking!
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