Why making your own food is healthier for you
Hello Mrs. Bennett and fellow classmates.
Hi my name is Georgia. If you know me. you would know I love to make all sorts of food like soups, salads, cupcakes and more. I’m going to talk to you about why making your own food is healthier for you! Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of any packaged food that you have bought at the store? Well the label on the back is called a nutrition label. You know how some of the ingredients are weird and you don’t know what some of them are? Like there is an additive in cereal called trisodium phosphate. It is safe if you eat small amounts of it. But If you eat too much, it can be harmful because it can cause kidney disease and or heart conditions. Not only is cooking your own food a great activity, it helps you learn new life skills, you know exactly what ingredients are in your food and I am going to tell you all about this.
I love to cook for my friends and family. For me it is a fun activity and is good for my mental health. When I am cooking my mind is happy and calm. It’s a good break from my wild brothers. When I cook I create and make food art. For me it’s like an art class except instead of paint it can be icing, chocolate or cake batter to name a few,You can also have fun with friends on a playdate virtually or in person by doing baking challenges with the same recipe. Using my creative mind I decorate with cool techniques that I find on Youtube, cooking books and cooking and baking shows. Cooking in your spare time can help with your mental health or mood because cooking and baking can make you happy. Especially when you get to see the end results. It’s an even better feeling to get to share your food with friends and family for them to enjoy too.
learning new life skills (learning brain health)
When you bake you can learn life long skills. I have learned how to make a fondant flower. It took a lot of patience and some practice to get it right. Following instructions is also a big part of baking because if you are making Fondant and you do not do it correctly it can become very hard, it may crack and not be shapeable. It can also sometimes be difficult. But you just have to keep going and not give up. Learning from failure and learning to bake also means you will also learn how to use an oven, knife and learn how to shop for the right ingredients. Also learn how to read the recipes and follow them.
controlling the health of the menu and ingredients. (physical health)
In making your own food you have the control over which ingredients you are going to use and how healthy your food will be. Firstly when you make your food you know exactly what you put in. There are alternative foods that you can use. For example if you can’t eat eggs there are different foods that you can use like: bananas, yogurt, apple sauce, tofu, flax seeds, water, sweetened condensed milk and buttermilk. Also for sugar there are alternative foods like: Stevia, honey, maple syrup, molasses, coconut, sugar and more. Try to stick to healthy habits like eating healthier and try to workout more often. Control your ingredients and choosing healthier ones. Salads will make your menus healthier. You can also search different substitutes for fats, flour and more .
In summary, cooking is fun. You can do it with your friends or, when there is a pandemic it can help occupy your time. Cooking uses our creativity, it’s also an art. It is colorful and full of textures.
Cooking allows you to learn new life skills. You learn to read the ingredients where to buy them and understand the directions on how to use them. You learn your way around the kitchen, how to turn on an oven, how to chop with a knife and how to clean up, well sometimes.. You need to be patient when you cook or bake, you will learn from mistakes. Most of all cooking really helps teach time management. You need to know to know if the lasaga needs to go in before the cookies.
Cooking and baking your own dishes lets you know exactly what ingredients you will be eating and it allows you to substitute ingredients to make things healthier.
I hope that after hearing from me today, if you haven’t tried to cook or bake, don’t be scared or shy to try. Now better than ever it’s a perfect time to step into the kitchen and test out some delicious recipes.
Thanks for listening!