According to a recent study, people who cook feel better physically and mentally. Those who participated in an experimental seven-week healthy cooking program felt the benefits for six months. Put on your apron! Because cooking has healing benefits for your mental and physical health. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) and other Australian universities and published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. And the positive effects aren’t just regarding changing your diet; the activity itself builds confidence and satisfaction.
To conduct their study, the researchers were able to take advantage of a partnership between their university and a cooking apprenticeship program called Jamie’s Ministry of Food initiative of The Good Foundation. Between 2016 and 2018, 657 participants, two-thirds of whom were overweight, took part in a seven-week program to learn how to cook healthy foods. At the same time, the experts “measured the effect of the program on participants’ cooking confidence and perceived mental health, as well as their overall satisfaction with cooking and food-related behaviors.”
As for the results, the volunteers who completed the program experienced “significant improvements in their general health, mental health and subjective vitality immediately following the program”. These benefits were still present six months following the program ended.
This improvement can be explained by a change in diet. According to a previous study, eating more fruits and vegetables would improve mental health in the longer term. However, “participants’ mental health improved despite their diet not changing following completing the program,” the study explains. “This suggests a link between cooking confidence and satisfaction around cooking, and mental health benefits,” said study lead researcher Dr. Joanna Rees in a statement.
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