Why Cooking Skills Matter More Than You Think: What the Research Says About Nutrition, Health & Home Cooking

In a world where convenience foods are everywhere, cooking has quietly shifted from an everyday life skill to something many people feel less confident about. But emerging research shows that cooking skills aren’t just “nice to have”—they’re deeply connected to our nutrition, health outcomes, and even how our children eat. Across several large international studies, one message is clear: people who cook more often, and who feel confident in their cooking skills, tend to eat better and have better health outcomes.

Now with all this in mind, let’s break down the findings and see what the research says:

1. Cooking Skills and Nutrition in Adults: Better Skills = Better Diets

A large Canadian study of over 18,000 adults found strong links between cooking skills and overall health:

• Adults with poor cooking skills were significantly less likely to eat enough fruits and vegetables.

• They were also less likely to report good general or mental health.

• Those who relied heavily on highly processed foods were more likely to experience obesity.

The key takeaway? Cooking skills alone aren’t enough—you also need whole-food ingredients. People who cooked but relied mainly on ultra-processed foods still had poorer health outcomes.

Improving cooking confidence AND reducing processed foods seem to be the winning combination for better nutrition.

2. Parents’ Cooking Skills Shape Children’s Eating Patterns

What happens when the adults in the home lack cooking confidence? It affects kids too.

A Brazilian study of 657 parent–child pairs found that parents who felt more confident cooking from scratch had children who:

• Ate fewer ultra-processed foods at dinner

• Had healthier overall energy intake

• Benefited from a more home-cooked style of eating

Even after adjusting for income, education and household factors, the results held strong: parents’ cooking confidence protects children from ultra-processed food consumption.

For families, this highlights the importance of bringing cooking back into the household—not just for nutrition today, but for shaping long-term habits.

3. Cooking Skills in Older Adults: Healthier Eating, More Home Cooking

A Japanese study of over 19,700 older adults explored how cooking skills affected diet and weight later in life.

Key findings:

• Older adults with lower cooking skills:

  • cooked at home less often

  • ate fewer fruits and vegetables

  • were more likely to eat out

• Among men (especially those responsible for preparing meals), low cooking skills were linked to:

  • significantly lower frequency of home cooking

  • higher intake of meals eaten outside the home

  • higher likelihood of being underweight

Interestingly, cooking skills in this group weren’t linked to obesity—but they were linked to poor diet quality and, in some cases, inadequate energy intake.

This tells us that cooking confidence is essential across the lifespan—not just for preventing weight gain but for supporting adequate nourishment as we age.

What This Means for Your Health

Across these three large studies—spanning Canada, Brazil, and Japan—the message is consistent:

✔ People with stronger cooking skills eat more whole foods and fewer ultra-processed foods

✔ Cooking confidence supports better fruit and vegetable intake

✔ Families benefit: parents’ skills influence what children eat

✔ Cooking matters at every age—young adults, parents, and older adults alike

And importantly: Cooking skills go hand-in-hand with the quality of ingredients. Cooking from scratch with minimally processed foods has far greater health benefits than relying on ready-made or highly processed products.

How to Build Your Cooking Confidence

Improving cooking skills doesn’t have to mean gourmet meals or complicated recipes. Even small improvements make a difference.

Try starting with:

• 2–3 basic, go-to meals you can rotate

• simple knife skills (chopping veg is a game changer!)

• swapping ultra-processed items for whole-food alternatives

• cooking together as a family to pass on skills to kids

• building flavour using herbs, spices, citrus, and good-quality oils

• preparing one home-cooked meal extra each week

Cooking is a skill—one that improves with practice. And every step you take is an investment in better nutrition and long-term health.

The Bottom Line

Cooking skills are powerful.They influence what we eat, how we feel, and how our families develop long-term eating habits. The research is crystal clear: when we cook more often—and with less processed ingredients—we support healthier bodies and healthier lives.

If you want help building your cooking confidence, learning easy nutrient-dense meals, or revamping your nutrition habits, I’d love to support you through LHR Wellbeing Nutrition.

Book your session here and let’s transform your kitchen—and your health—together.

Let’s make home cooking simple, empowering, and nourishing again.

Lara x