Those dissatisfied using their diets of unhealthy food would prosper to take a few cooking classes and learn how to make the meals they eat in your own home, suggests a new study from the University of Glasgow.
More than only a fun activity for couples or fiercely independent singletons, these cooking classes have been shown to have an effect on the lives of those that partake. Annually once they took part in government-funded cooking classes, several parents said these were consuming more fruits and vegetables at home and eating less pizza delivery and Chinese takeout.
Along with eating more vegetables (that have repeatedly been proven to be a great addition to a healthy diet), these parents also left these classes having learned an art. When asked, the cooking class participants said they felt well informed about following a simple dinner recipe.
The University of Glasgow researchers said several refresher courses could magnify these effects, obtaining the parents to eat much more fruits and vegetables and have more confidence to try more difficult recipes.
This study has now been published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
“It’s very encouraging we have these good results,” said Dr. Ada Garcia, the leader of the cooking class study, based on the BBC. “This means that the intervention has benefited participants’ eating habits and health not only in the short-term, but also in the long-term.”
Dr. Garcia and team sought out parents of preschool children who had previously signed up for four- to eight-week-long cooking courses. These courses taught the mother and father more than basic recipes; additionally they learned some basic budgeting skills and nutritional facts.
Dr. Garcia´s team surveyed these parents immediately after they completed the courses and again annually later. Immediately following the courses, the parents reported having greater confidence in their cooking skills in addition to a greater curiosity about trying out new foods and new recipes.
This confidence lasted the entire year in between the classes and also the researchers follow-up questions.
Unfortunately, they weren´t able to get in contact with half of the parents for final questioning. Of 100 parents who first took the classes, only 44 were available twelve months later.
Those 44 who did respond, however, reported eating less take-out foods, and more meals in your own home, consisting of more fruits and vegetables than before they had taken the classes. Twelve months after using the classes, these parents were eating these healthier foods daily, whereas before they merely ate them several times per week.
Former president of the Faculty of Public Health professor Alan Maryon-Davis told the BBC that more research should be done, including a controlled trial, in order to get government money to provide these classes freely to the public.
“Budgets are being cut and native authorities will not fund stuff unless it´s been proven to be effective. But this is fairly encouraging,” said Maryon-Davis. “It is particularly significant to obtain these changes happening in lovers.”
Recent studies have also shown that children eat more vegetables and fruit than their peers when they eat home cooked meals with their family. According to the December study, eating at home even once or twice per week can boost a child´s fruits and veggies intake by 1.2 portions a lot more than those children who don´t eat at home.
