Cooking and Meal Prep
One of the core beliefs here at The Health and Wellness NP headquarters is that the ability to prepare your own food is every bit as critical to survival and good health today as it was hundreds of years ago. If you do not know how to prepare your own food at home or do not take the time to do it, you are left with nothing but pre-packaged meals, take-out, and frozen dinners. Restaurants offer options that may appear “healthy”, but they are often loaded with bad seed oils, sugar, additives and preservatives and the truth is, you never fully know what you are getting unless you are preparing the meal yourself.
I’m not saying going out to eat is bad but just that you have a lot less control over what goes into your body, and if you are doing it very frequently, you are more likely to create more health problems.
Let’s look at the various reasons patients have given me over the years for why they don’t cook:
“I don’t have time to cook.” This is a common statement and while I get the time crunch that most of us have on us these days, saying you have no time to prepare food is like saying you have no time to exercise. YOU have to MAKE time! According to statistics from 2021, the average American spends approximately 3-4 hours on their smartphone per day. Odds are you have time; you just have to find it! If you truly do not have the time to even be in your kitchen for 30 minutes, I would suggest that you re-evaluate your lifestyle as you are likely under a lot of stress and that isn’t going to do your health any favors either. Just like the quote by the British statesman and politician Edward Stanley, either make time for your health or sooner or later you will have to find time for illness. Health is something you must prioritize whether you are taking care of others or just yourself.
“Healthy foods are expensive.” Yes, grassfed beef is going to cost you a more than conventional beef and extra virgin olive oil is more than vegetable oil but not as much as years of medications for chronic disease. Also, most of the processed foods - packages of crackers and cookies are a big chunk of many people’s grocery bills and those boxes hold items that often do not satisfy hunger and leave you feeling hungry or having another craving just a couple hours later. I am a big believer that “healthy” doesn’t have to be expensive or take a bunch of time. Look for weekly sales at your local grocery store and membership discounts such as “Prime” at Whole Foods.
“I just don’t like to cook.” If you are wanting to be healthy, it requires effort. I don’t like doing my laundry, but I also don’t want to smell – so I do my laundry. It’s a similar concept with food preparation. The key is in practice and finding what works for you. For some people, they find it easier to follow a meal plan while others like to prep all their meals on Sunday for the week and have all the chopping and dicing ready to throw together and put in the oven or on the stove. You must find what works for you. Through the website and on social media platforms, I try to provide my readers with easy-to-follow recipes that don’t take an insane amount of time or preparation and don’t require 30 different ingredients or break the bank. Honestly, healthy meals just don’t often require that many ingredients and one of the best ways to really add flavor is through common spices and some good healthy fats. And one of the key things - make it fun! Cook with a family member or listen to music or a podcast while you cook and choose recipes that sound delicious to you.
So, how should you prepare/cook your food? You need to know how to sauté, steam, boil, bake, roast and broil. For vegetables, roasting is one of my favorite forms of cooking and is pretty easy. Set your oven to 400 degrees. Chop whatever fresh veggies you want to roast, coat in avocado oil (not olive oil), season and lay spread out on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes depending upon the vegetable and the quantity.
Another favorite of mine is sautéing. This is best with a medium to medium-low heat and again is best with avocado oil, ghee, or grassfed butter. Simply add your healthy fat to a sauté pan, add your veggies or meat, season as you choose and toss until cooked to tender for vegetables and cooked for meats. Do not overcook or your veggies will lose nutrients and your meat will be tough and lose flavor.
The best way to learn is to just jump in and start trying new recipes. So, if you don’t know how to cook or prepare food, follow some of my recipes and look for upcoming future cooking demos on the website!