World Food Safety Day: Many benefits of eating freshly cooked food

World Food Safety Day is observed every year on June 7.(Pinterest)

World Food Safety Day: Homemade meals are easy to digest and many studies have shown how people who eat freshly cooked food are healthier.

World Food Safety Day 2022: One of the best things you can do for boosting your overall health and immunity is to take out time to cook and enjoy homemade meals instead of ordering food from outside. Homemade meals are easy to digest and many studies have shown how people who eat freshly cooked food are healthier. It is also important to cook in right quantity and consume it fresh as reheating refrigerated food is not as healthy and many of the nutrients might get lost in the process.

World Food Safety Day is celebrated globally on June 7 every year to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health. Poor food quality can lead to many health conditions.

"Freshly cooked and consumed food has multiple health benefits. It is easy to be digested, is more nutritious as compared to refrigerated and reheated food," says Dr Eileen Canday, Head Of Department – Nutrition and Dietetics, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai.

Why you choose homemade meals over ready-to-eat

"Cooking food kills the harmful micro-organisms present in raw food. It provides more nutrients as certain vitamins and minerals are lost during food processing. While dining out and takeaway food are convenient and saves time, they often come at the expense of good nutrition. With meals prepared out of home are low in essential micronutrients like vitamin C, iron and calcium," says Dr Canday.

Besides, home-cooked meals enable you to control what goes into the dish and also the portion size. A homemade meal can always be made as per individual needs and ingredients can be altered as per the health problems which may require less oil or spices.

What happens when food is not stored properly

Improper storage of food can lead bacterial growth which decrease nutritional quality of food as vitamins like B-complex and vitamin C are lost, says Dr Canday. The expert adds that eating food which has not been stored at the required temperature can lead to diarrhoea and flatulence.

Homemade meals: other benefits

When financial aspect is taken into consideration, a fresh meal is more affordable than ready to eat food, explains Dr Canday.

- Ready to eat fast foods or processed foods lack essential nutrients and are high in salt, sugar and preservatives. Thus, they increase the risk of obesity and other gut diseases.

- Reheated food and that too more than once, loses its nutrients. Certain chemicals used in processing and packaging of artificial food are harmful for the health.

- Oils used in restaurants and eateries have more amounts of trans fats that lead to diseases like high blood pressure, heart problems and weight issues. This can be easily monitored when one cooks with the right oil using the right quantities at home.

- Eating freshly cooked meals is beneficial to mental health as it brings people together with an emotional side of preparing, serving, and then eating food with family and friends.

Source: Hindustan Times

Author: Parmita Uniyal