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Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study
There has been conflicting research on the connection between eating and cooking at home and diet or health effects. Previous studies have focused on meal preparation rather than consumption, often using small, non-representative samples, and examined nutrient intake rather than overall diet quality or health. This study by Mills et al. (2017) aimed to determine whether eating more home-cooked meals was linked to better diet quality and cardio-metabolic health. Baseline data from a UK-based cohort study of 11,396 people between the ages of 29 and 64 were utilized for this research. Participants reported how often they consumed home-cooked main meals. The diet’s quality was assessed using the DASH score, the Mediterranean Diet Score, the number of fruits and vegetables consumed (based on a 130-item food frequency questionnaire), and the plasma vitamin C levels. Cardio-metabolic health markers were measured by researchers and included BMI, body fat percentage, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), cholesterol, and hypertension. In adjusted models, eating more home-cooked meals was associated with higher plasma vitamin C levels, higher fruit and vegetable intake, and better adherence to the DASH and Mediterranean diets. In addition, it was observed that those who had home-cooked meals more than five times a week consumed more fruits and vegetables daily (+62.3g and 97.8g, respectively) than those who only ate them three times a week. Frequent home-cooked meal consumption was also associated with a higher likelihood of having normal BMI and body fat percentage. Eating meals prepared at home more than five times a week was associated with a 28% lower BMI and a 24% lower risk of excess body fat. In this large population-based study, the authors conclude that consuming home-cooked meals more frequently was linked to improved diet quality and lower body fat. Further research is needed to establish whether eating home-cooked meals directly influences diet and health outcomes. [NPID: Home cooking, diet, cardio-metabolic health]
Year: 2071
