When Junior Walker and the All Stars sang about the delights of “Home Cookin’,” it turned out that unlike many blues songs, there was no hidden meaning — they really were demanding a dish of great food.
If only they'd imagined themselves as the Kitchen All-Stars instead of expecting someone else to dish up supper, they would have been ahead of their time. Today's chefs are rock stars.
According to the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, folks who cook and eat at home take in fewer calories, refined carbs, and sugar than non-cooks.
So if you want to lose weight, avoid diabetes or heart problems, and help your kids get a good start on a healthy life, cooking from scratch is an essential first step.
You know what else helps? Food rules.
Kids need guidelines about which foods they can and cannot eat. According to a University of Buffalo study, this teaches them self-regulation and how to eat healthy.
Researchers found that 4-year-olds whose parents don't establish rules ("You cannot have candy before dinner." "We don't eat those. They're bad for you.") drink 25 percent more soda than kids whose parents do establish food guidelines.
Those kids are at greater risk for obesity. And we're betting their parents are, too.
So head to the grocery store for tonight's recipe ingredients! Get the kids involved: Let them choose a veggie and help with preparation.
You'll discover how good, and good for you, real home cookin' can be.
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