I just feel VERY VERY strongly that eating at home with your family is one of the most important things we can do for them. It doesn't matter how sophisticated your culinary skills are. You are teaching them skills, spending precious time together, getting in more whole grains and vegetables with less salt, sugar and fat... or processed stuff.
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My "day job" (This was a sheep brain dissection.) |
Scientific evidence that cooking may have given us (humans) our big brain:
Here is a link to an article that cites scientific evidence that cooking our food has helped the brain size of humans evolve into what they are today. It's a pretty interesting read if you are a science minded geek like me. Report - Cooking may have given us a big brain
Scientific evidence shows that cooking at home is inversely related to obesity:
A 2003 study by a group of Harvard economists led by David Cutler found that the
rise of food preparation outside the home could explain most of the increase in
obesity in America. Cutler and his colleagues surveyed cooking patterns across several
cultures and found that obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount
of time spent on food preparation. The more time a nation devotes to food
preparation at home, the lower its rate of obesity. In fact, the amount of time
spent cooking predicts obesity rates more reliably than female participation in
the labor force or income. Other research supports the idea that cooking is a
better predictor of a healthful diet than social class: a 1992 study in The
Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that poor women who routinely
cooked were more likely to eat a more healthful diet than well-to-do women who
did not.
- Michael Pollan's NY Times article Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch
- From studies conducted b the American Heart Association: Exercise and Home Cooked Meals Decreases Risk of Obesity
- Here's a link to the Cutler paper mentioned above. You can download the pdf. Why have Americans Become More Obese?
Study about eating out being linked to obesity.
Gluten-Free?
It seems a ton of folks have jumped on the Gluten-Free bandwagon lately. For individuals with Celiac disease, this is a must... but a lot of people seem to think that this is a fast track to weight loss.
Here are two articles on the subject:
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The first article is a bit science heavy but shows gives many research study citations:
- This study, published in the Journal of the Academic of Nutrition and Dietetics(Volume 112, Issue 9, September 2012, Pages 1330–1333) by professor G. A. Gaesser - in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix.
- The second article is more reader friendly for the casual reader.
- Is Gluten Bad for You?
- This article was written by Karen Ansel, R.D, and published in Women's Health Magazine, last updated June 2012
Okay, let me get down off of the box for a minute and share these photos I found in some of my old stuff. These are a couple of cakes I made for birthday's past...
My son had gotten his first guitar for this birthday. |
And this one was after a recent scuba diving certification for one of the kids. |
10 Foods that Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Why do you not have a print button to help me remember these recipes on your site. There is no way to prnt them.
ReplyDeleteMany of the recipes have a link right above the ingredient list that says Click for Printable Recipe. This link will lead you to a printable version. If you encounter a recipe that does not have it, let me know and I'll be happy to add that.
DeleteThanks so much for writing your blog. I agree with you about eating out. I hardly ever eat out, but contrary to evidence, have actually put on weight eating at home. There is a reason - because I was diagnosed as a celiac and can actually keep food down now.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite recipe so far - "coconut lime chicken" - and its gluten free.
The coconut lime chicken is amazing. I made that last night and the whole family enjoyed it.
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