The importance of knowing how to cook
It recently struck me that not everyone knows how to cook, including a large number of students who are now living on their own. My younger brother is in his second year of university, and I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend with him. Because I love food and I love cooking, I often assume that everyone else knows how to make delicious meals, too – but now I know that isn’t true. I asked my brother what he has been eating, and the answer I received was not one I was fond of, but I realize it is often the norm for young people who have moved away from home to not have adequate experience in the kitchen.
I have been writing this column for just over a year now, and I have given meal ideas, recipes, cooking guidelines, and shopping lists, and I will continue to do so for all of the upcoming issues. My aim is to help people discover a love for food and to make a promise to themselves to treat their bodies well. Exercise is important for good health, but food is a crucial part of staying healthy.
To eat well, people need to know and understand what they are putting in their bodies. I hope that this column will enable everyone who reads it want to learn to cook for themselves and make tasty meals that are satisfying and filled with real, whole ingredients. Bit by bit, each week, I will try to explain the importance of choosing ingredients while making sure to provide readers with budget friendly choices to satisfy their taste buds.
I am not writing a recipe this week, as I think it is more important to stress why everyone should know how to prepare and cook meals for themselves (and for others). Forget store-bought freezer meals and fast food. They may seem like easy alternatives when running short on time or low on funds, but the fact of the matter is that they are likely filled with sodium, preservatives, and chemicals that most people cannot pronounce, let alone know what they are (and therefore should not be ingesting).
Fast food markets itself as easy and cheap – and while it may be easy, as it allows you to be inactive, does “easy” ever benefit one’s health? No. Additionally, it being “cheap” is a total hoax. Fast food fill you up with all the wrong things and leaves you feeling uncomfortable – and it certainly doesn’t leave you with leftovers. If you shop right, eat whole foods, and limit prepackaged, frozen, or fast food, your wallet and your insides will thank you now and help you in the future.
For now, I am going to let you ponder this; take a little time away from school and work to gain a knowledge for real food and cooking, and I guarantee you’ll love how it will change your life.