If you make your own food, will it improve your heart health? Find out how cooking at home helps your heart.
When you picture a visit to the doctor’s office, it’s easy to imagine getting your blood pressure taken or talking about your symptoms. However, have you ever thought about discussing your meal plans with your doctor? How about planning grocery lists or discussing the benefits of home cooking?
While this may sound, the fact is that diet plays an important role when it comes to your heart health. “We already know that the more people cook at home, the healthier their diet, the fewer calories they consume, and the less likely they are to be obese or develop type 2 diabetes,” explained Dr. Monique Tello, MD, MPH, and Dr. Rani Polak, MD, Chef, MBA, in an article they wrote for Harvard’s Health Blog.
“A growing body of scientific evidence supports teaching patients how to cook meals at home as an effective medical intervention for improving diet quality, weight loss, and diabetes prevention.”
Home Cooking and Heart Health
As the importance of diet on heart health is emphasized, more research is focusing on analyzing the value of nutrition programs that include cooking instruction. In fact, these programs have helped patients lose weight, eat smaller portions, and keep a healthier diet. Furthermore, these programs have even helped those with type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar and more.
“I recently met with a lovely patient of mine,” write Tello and Polak. “She has type 2 diabetes and has trouble eating a healthy diet. Most of her meals are frozen dinners or takeout, which is all highly processed food with little nutritional value. I asked her if she would like to consult with a nutritionist.”
According to the authors, the patient mentioned that she’s met numerous times with various nutritionists. The patient said that “they’re all very nice and everything, and it’s all good information, but I can’t cook. I get to the produce section of the grocery store, and I don’t know where to start.”
For this reason, multiple studies show that not just home cooking, but that home cooking instruction can significantly increase someone’s food prep skills. As a result, they are more ready to eat a healthier diet.
Improving Your Heart Health
If you want to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, making lifestyle changes is essential. “Diet and lifestyle interventions have already been shown to be quite effective for weight loss and prevention of type 2 diabetes, and adding a home cooking instruction component could be even more powerful,” write Tello and Polak.
In addition to healthy eating, you can give your health an extra boost by taking supplements like L-arginine Plus. Its ingredients promote healthy circulation, blood pressure, cholesterol, and more. Give your health the support it deserves by making healthy dietary changes and taking L-arginine Plus.