We wax lyrical about home cooking around here, but we understand that there can be many barriers to prevent someone from cooking; from lack of lack of cooking skills, to lack of resources, to simple lack of motivation. When battling cancer, fatigue and other stresses can put cooking low on your list of priorities.

We believe that by learning simple cooking skills you will be able to eat a more nutritious diet, which is an integral part of taking charge of your health.

Top Five Reasons to Cook at Home

 It will save you money.

Eating at home has been shown to be much cheaper than buying food in a restaurant. Many foods that have become popular, such as avocado on toast, have hugely inflated prices, and are actually easy to make at home

 Your meal will be more nutritious.

This may be obvious, but many people underestimate the amount of sugar, salt, and fat that goes into pre-packaged foods from the grocery store and foods prepared in restaurants. Chefs are concerned with making food as tasty as possible, and this usually involves using a lot of ingredients that aren’t healthy if eaten on a regular basis. Chefs are aware of the advantage of achieving the ‘bliss point’ which is the term given to the sweet spot of achieving the optimum ratio of sugar, salt, and fat. Together in the right amounts, these stimulate the taste buds to the maximum, meaning you will want to keep eating more.

Cooking is therapeutic.

Many people find the repetitive action of cooking; stirring, chopping, etc., calming and therapeutic. At a time when life can seem out of control, the act of selecting and preparing foods can be empowering. Not only that, but learning basic cooking skills can help you get through side effects you’re experiencing due to treatment. For example, our fish en papillote is cooked in parchment to reduce odors, which is helpful for cancer patients who have increased sensitivity to smells due to their treatment.

It encourages family bonding.

Many people underestimate the role food plays in socializing with others, especially with our family. Cancer can put stress on this, whether it’s due to the patient having certain dietary restrictions, or treatment side effects such as lack of appetite or nausea. Cooking at home gives you a chance to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones in a low-pressure environment.

It’s tastier.

You can only order takeout meals so often before you’ll get sick of it. We all know that there is nothing quite like a home-cooked meal, and when you’re in charge of the cooking, you can tailor it exactly to your preferences.

If you are just starting in the world of cooking, we know it can be overwhelming. This is why we have our Cooking 101 video series where you can learn everything from basic cutting techniques, to how to prepare full meals. Get cooking!