Did you know that there are many adults who say they can't cookor don't like cooking? For many people, this is the main reason why they avoid the topic of healthy eating.

When I first realized this, it almost shocked me a little. I thought that cooking had never been easier than it is today, firstly because there are so many ingenious cooking aids (Thermomix, slow cooker, etc.) and secondly because the internet is bursting at the seams when it comes to recipes, cooking blogs and cooking instruction videos. Not to mention cookbooks and TV shows - so a lack of information definitely can't be the problem!

Learning to cook - why at all?

Who actually has time to cook these days? And is there any reason to cook at all? After all, you can buy almost everything ready-made. I know what it's like to work 100% of the time and come home tired in the evening. "I don't have time to cook," you might be thinking. I'll show you reasons that you can use to motivate yourself to perhaps get behind the stove after all.

1. i know what's in my food

When I cook for myself, I use "real" food. Because not everything that ends up on our plates would have been recognized as food by our ancestors! Artificially created flavors confuse our taste buds and body signals, hydrogenated fats increase inflammation and blood lipid levels and added hidden sugars make us eat more than is good for us.

2. i can determine the portion size myself

With ready meals, the portion size is predetermined. If you cook yourself, you can cook the amount your body needs. Most people tend to eat too much. This is because most of the meals we eat don't really fill us up. But that's another story.

3. i can determine the nutrient composition myself

Many ready meals contain lots of carbohydrates, lots of salt and few vegetables. If I cook myself, I have the chance to give my body plenty of vegetables, enough high-quality fats and good protein. Then I'm efficient and full.

4. it tastes better and encourages creativity

Many ready meals don't taste that great in the end and don't look like the picture on the packaging. When I cook myself, I can add whatever seasoning I like and give my creativity free rein. Why not use ginger or coriander? Herbs from the garden or a special type of oil, such as sesame oil, immediately give a dish its own flavor.

5. relaxed cooking

If you plan ahead a little and go back to simple cooking, cooking can actually be quite relaxing. It gives us the opportunity to really arrive at home and then relax after cooking. to be able to sit down at the dining table and relax instead of shoveling your food into your mouth while standing or watching TV.

Even science is in favour of cooking for yourself. "Cooking is a healthy behavior," says scientist Mark Wahlqvist, for example. Among other things, he has investigated that older people who cook regularly not only eat healthier, but also live longer. Studies from the USA have come to similar conclusions.

Inspiration makes all the difference when learning to cook

I am convinced that many people overestimate the amount of time it takes to cook for themselves. And I believe that many people underestimate the effect of fresh, "real" food on well-being and performance. This is one reason why I regularly offered cooking classes for quick and easy cooking when we still had our practice.

I then thought to myself, ok, if my customers can't cook, then I'll teach them. So I offered a "cooking course for beginners". I showed them how to make scrambled eggs. And quick everyday dishes.

And who signed up? A few real beginners who didn't even know the best temperature to set the stove to when scrambling eggs. But also housewives and mothers who have been cooking for 20 years!

When I asked these experienced cooks in amazement: "Why did you sign up?!?", the answer was: "We just wanted to get new inspiration and, above all, healthy recipes ".

That's when I realized it: It's not that people don't know how to cook, but firstly that they don't know what to cook and secondly that what they think of as healthy food doesn't taste particularly good.

This realization led to me daring to publish recipes on my blog in the first place. Because I'm neither a top chef nor a gifted food blogger who designs fantastic recipes and takes beautiful photos. Instead, I have a mission.

How do I learn to cook?

My mission is for everyone to recognize the value of fresh, real food for themselves and their well-being. And once you've recognized that, there's really no way around cooking for yourself. So what does it take to motivate you to cook?

1. motivation

In my opinion, motivation starts with knowing why you are doing something. Cooking is important because everything we eat ends up in our blood, is distributed in our body and we are built from what we have eaten.

And if you really want to be sure that your body is built from good substances, then it is essential to cook yourself, because only then do you know what is really in the food. For me, this is the basis for healthy eating in everyday life.

If you want to delve a little deeper into why you haven't managed to eat healthily yet and get a little motivation, I recommend our blog article "10 reasons why you can't manage to eat healthily".

2. inspiration

If you find healthy recipes that sound delicious and look doable, then you're definitely more likely to get behind the stove!

I like to collect recipes electronically on Pinterest, print out recipes from time to time and I occasionally buy a nice cookbook that appeals to me visually.

Find a few recipe sources that you like and trust and go back to them from time to time over the next few days to get inspiration.

3. get going!

The biggest enemy of action is probably the time factor. Or did you not think to yourself while reading this article "Hmmm, I would like to cook, but unfortunately I don't have time for healthy eating".

The good thing is: cooking healthy and delicious food takes much less time than you might think. And above all, you can save yourself time (and money) by firstly planning in advance what you're going to cook over the next few days and secondly by shopping for the whole week. Possibly even online, which saves even more time.

The easiest way to get started is to start right away. Get one or two recipe books that you like, browse through them and mark all the recipes that you want to cook next. Plan when you're going to make them in your calendar and write the ingredients you need on your shopping list.

How does that work for you? Can you understand my reasons? Or what is your reason for cooking yourself or not doing it?
Let me know in the comments below what you would like to find in such an illustrated cookbook! Do such illustrated recipes appeal to you? Which recipes would you like to see? What else besides recipes should be included? Who knows, maybe I can take one or two wishes into consideration!