[Updated May 10, 2018]
Eating healthy and saving money may be easier if you don your apron. In a cross-sectional survey of 437 Seattle households, cooking at home more often was associated with a higher-quality dietary pattern, based on criteria in the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans. “Frequent home-cooked dinners were linked with fewer empty calories (such as sugar) and more whole fruit and leafy greens, all at no extra cost,” says senior author Adam Drewnowski, PhD, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington in Seattle. Families who cooked at home at least six nights a week reported an average overall food cost of $273 a month per person compared to $330 a month per person reported by families who cooked at home three nights a week or less. In a year’s time, that would be a difference of nearly $700 per person.
Here are some recipes to get you started:
Roasted Salmon with North African Herb Sauce
Quinoa Pilaf with Lemon and Herbs
To learn more: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, February 2017