Why Cooking New Recipes is Good for You | AD

*This is a collaborative guest post

It’s a new year, and many of us are wondering what resolutions we should make. Some of us may want to eat better and save money. Well, if you’re always eating fast food, or always cooking the same meals, you can kill two birds with one stone by trying new recipes to cook. If you got a new Instant Pot, slow cooker, or you can work with what you have, it’s the perfect time to cook some recipes. Here are a few reasons why cooking new foods is good.

Variety is Important

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of not having enough variety in your life. When you have the same job and have a similar routine every day, you may fall into this mindset with other parts of your life, such as cooking. You may end up cooking the same 10 meals every week, never trying anything new. Buying a recipe book or surfing for some recipes online is a smart move to avoid getting out of this mindset. It sounds a little silly, but you wouldn’t believe how it can impact your life.

Cooking new foods can impact you to try new foods and encourage you to travel more. With cookbooks, you can always go to a local used bookstore and get some interesting books for cheap. Try it out and see how it changes your life.

Eating Healthier

If your diet hasn’t been that great, a cookbook can change that. It has many lean recipes, sometimes with the calorie count attached, as well as recipes involving lean proteins and vegetables. Some people are turned off to vegetables because of how they were raised, but if you’re cooking vegetables with spices, sauteing them, and learning how to add them to dishes, they can be delicious.

It’s Cheaper Than Eating Out

Going out to eat should be an occasional thing, yet many people eat out all the time. Even the cheap fast food places can end up costing you $10 for a full meal, which adds up! With cooking, the initial cost for the ingredients can be a bit pricey, but once you have everything, you can end up saving money.

This especially applies to those who love to cook new foods. If you are a foodie, cooking something new can eliminate that urge to eat out.

It Helps You Have a Routine

If you have depression or anxiety, you may have fallen out of a routine, and it’s tempting to order take-out or spend too much on another meal. However, learning to cook not only puts you on a routine, but it’s also a great way to distract you from any self-defeating thoughts you may have. If you have severe depression or anxiety, seeking the help of local counselors or therapists is a smart move, but so is trying new foods and putting yourself on a routine

Leftovers

With homemade food, especially in regards to a recipe that serves a lot of people, there’s room for leftovers. This saves you the trouble of cooking every day, making it a valuable way to meal prep. Besides that, cooking newer foods is a good way to portion control. You can eat a certain serving, then save it forever.

With fast food, the leftovers usually aren’t that good. How often have you enjoyed reheated fries? However, with a homemade meal, it’s usually delicious for a few days at the very least.

It’s Much More Automated

Many people think that cooking is a waste of time, but the truth is that there are many ways to cook a fresh meal without taking too much effort. Instant Pots and slow cookers allow you to cook your meal over time, while there’s an appliance out there for every annoying part of cooking.

Appliances can cost a lot initially, but when you use them a lot, they can end up saving you quite a bit of money. If you’re someone who wants to save, spending money on an awesome new appliance can keep your bank account fatter in the long run.

So what are you waiting for? Try a few new recipes. If they’re not for you, they’re not for you, but we believe you’ll love cooking new foods.

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.