Having cooking knowledge, and in particular knowing how to prepare balanced and healthy dishes, would be associated with a better psychological state.
- For seven weeks, participants had a one and a half hour cooking class each week.
- Almost two-thirds of the participants were overweight or obese.
- The researchers speculate that participating in a group activity also helped improve mental health.
A balanced diet is one of the pillars for good physical health. It also contributes to mental health, even without ingesting anything. According to a study by the Australian University Edith Cowan (ECU), having cooking skills is beneficial for the psychological state. This work has been published in its entirety in the specialized journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
Learn cooking around the world
The study was based on a partnership between the ECU, The Good Foundation and the “Jamie’s Ministry of Food“, an initiative of the British chef Jamie Oliver to teach cooking around the world. In Australia, this materialized in the passage of a mobile kitchen in different campuses between 2016 and 2018. For this research, the scientists are interested in the 657 participants who took the cooking classes for seven weeks. The principle of these lessons was to teach them how to prepare healthy and balanced meals. The researchers measured the effect of the program on the participants’ confidence in cooking and on their mental health, as well as their overall satisfaction with cooking and food-related behaviors.
Various beneficial effects
They found that those who participated in the program reported significant improvements in their overall health, mental health, and vitality. These effects were described immediately after the end of the program and in the six months that followed. This could help prevent the onset of certain diseases. “Improving the quality of people’s diets can be a preventative strategy to halt or slow the deterioration of mental health, obesity and other metabolic health disorders.“, explains Joanna Rees, lead author of this research. “This can help overcome some of the barriers of not knowing how to cook, (…) which can lead to the consumption of ready meals that are high in calories but low in nutritional valueThese mental health benefits were seen equally between participants who were overweight or obese and those who were within the norm.
You don’t even need to eat!
The authors previously found a link between eating more fruits and vegetables and improved mental health. Nevertheless, this new research proves that the mental health of the participants was better even if their diet had not changed at the end of the program. “This suggests a link between confidence in one’s ability to cook and satisfaction around the kitchen, and mental health“, concludes Dr. Rees.
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