Cooking Is a MUST for Any Health Journey
One of the most common road blocks I get with clients is “I don’t like to cook”, and I totally get it when they say that. When you are super busy keeping up with the house, working a full-time job and side hustles, running on no sleep the last thing you want to do is cook and clean at the end of the day. Especially when this skill doesn’t come naturally.
Over the years I have told clients that it’s ok if they don’t like to cook and there are other ways around it like freezer meals or delivery services. I have also realized the clients that aren’t willing to learn even the basics of cooking (or able to be honest about their stress and work load that keeps them from meal prepping) can only get so far in their journey. It’s time to get real about the need for cooking in your weekly routine.
It doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t make progress, but it comes with a cost. Cooking at home allows for our body to far more nutrients, satiety and satisfaction. Not to mention it saves a lot of money if done right. I’d love to say that supplements can help fill the gaps if you decide not to cook, but they can only go so far (I still love some supplements so don’t get me wrong :) )
While I’m not here to shame you if you don’t cook, I am here to encourage you. There has been several seasons where I relied on take out and ramen noodles so I have been where you are. It’s possible to make the change and worth it because you will start to feel better so much faster. The seasons I didn’t ‘make time to cook were the seasons that I felt extreme fatigue, weight gain, acne, hair loss and just all around not feeling well. Take a breath though because you don’t need to be cooking for every meal every day, but adding it in for at least a handful of meals a week will make a huge difference.
Here are my tips to make it easier to cook and make it a habit:
Grocery shop during the less busy times or use instacart. This will save you some time.
Double batch a recipe you know you love and freeze half of it for the next week. Not every meal freezes well, but you could at least freeze things like meats, soups and even casseroles.
Pick simple recipes. Cooking doesn’t have to be gourmet and it can actually taste pretty good with just a few ingredients. I always have sauces on hand like coconut aminos, marinara or my guilty pleasure, Chick-fil-A sauce to add to meal bowls.
When in doubt make spaghetti with meat sauce.
Still in doubt? Make a meal bowl that consists of a carb, meat and veggie. Rice, ground beef and broccoli. Add sauce of choice like coconut aminos. Here is another example of an easy meal.
You’ll be surprised how easy some meals are and how good it feels to have a healthy, warm meal prepared. Cooking is like any skill. It takes time and repetition. Start with just one recipe book or blog and go from there.
