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Lack of food, unsafe food and unhealthy diets are responsible for almost one-third of today’s global disease burden. Hunger and food insecurity continue to plague millions, with food shortages being perniciously exploited as weapons of war. At the same time, as people consume foods and drinks high in sugar, saturated fat, trans fat and salt, overweight, obesity and diet-related diseases are on the rise globally…

A recent meta-analysis published in Nutrition Research (2021) finds a clear link between NCDs and ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPFDs). These are foods that are processed with numerous additives (including sugars, fat, and simple carbohydrates), artificial flavors, and stabilizers. Per the analysis, “Among the analyzed food groups, higher UPFD consumption was positively associated with obesity and associated with the development of all NCDs, mainly hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia.” This, in turn, has huge implications for health care and health care costs.

The United States, for example, spent approximately $4.5 trillion on health care in 2022. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for approximately 44 percent of that cost burden, or approximately $2 trillion per year. The top five NCDs include cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes and mental health conditions—again, most of which are related to lifestyle, including physical activity and nutrition.

The vicious relationship is between UPFD and health in the United States is even more devastating in less-advantaged countries. WHO cites that 77 percent of deaths from NCDs are in low- and middle-income countries. The U.S. still leads the world in consumption of UPFDs, accounting for what Amaraggi and colleagues estimate to be 60 percent of overall caloric intake, but lesser-developed countries are ominously catching up. A 2019 study of food trends between 2002 and 2016 estimates that ultra-processed food sales increased in North Africa and the Middle East by 58 percent, South and Southeast Asia by 120 percent, and Africa by 71 percent. In the same period, ultra-processed drink sales increased in all regions of the world except for slight declines in North America, Western Europe, and Australia. The biggest culprits were increases in cakes, pastries, industrial breads, and carbonated drinks. The situation only continues to worsen.

These trends correlate closely to global trends in the reduction of home cooking. This is important because home cooking increases the likelihood that people will eat fresh ingredients and whole foods instead of ultra-processed foods. Obviously, this is not always the case. Packaged foods and meals are also a big part of the U.S. diet and, again, increasingly so in other countries. Eating at home does not automatically translate into healthier habits. The empirical research literature, however, suggests that it usually does. One secondary analysis (2015) using data from the “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,” for example, found that cooking dinner at home is indeed associated with a healthier diet.

Although home cooking increased globally during the Covid pandemic, it has started to decline again. The most recent annual Gallup and Cookpad survey shows that global home cooking declined from 6.9 to 6.3 meals per week from 2020 to 2022. (p.6) Regionally, there are also substantial differences. The highest rate of home cooking is in Northern, Southern, and Western Europe, where households cook an average of 7.8 meals per week. (p.9) At the other end of the spectrum is Northern America (6.4 meals per week, Sub-Saharan Africa (5.9 meals), Southern Asia (5.6 meals), Central and Western Asia (5.2 meals), Northern Africa (5.0 meals), and Arab States (4.6).

Some good news is that people are at least eating at home even if they are not always cooking themselves. At the high end of the spectrum, people in Northern Africa are eating an average of 11.5 meals at home per week. (p.9) Even at the low end, in Northern America, people are eating an average of 8.4 meals at home per week. This trend also saw a small global upswing in the last year of the survey, with an average of 10.1 meals eaten at home in 2021 to 10.4 meals at home in 2022. (p.6)

In addition, in some regions of the world, the majority of people like to cook. The highest rate of enjoyment is in Northern America, as well as Northern, Southern, and Western Europe, where more than 70 percent of people enjoy cooking. Unfortunately, there are also many regions in the world where half or slight majority of people do not enjoy cooking. These include Arab States, Central and Western Asia, Southern Asia, Northern Africa, and Eastern Asia. (p.40)

The annual Cookpad report does an excellent job in breaking down the demographics of people who are less likely to cook: males, aged 15 to 24 and 65 and older, in households of more than eight people, employed full time, and from Northern Africa or Arab States. (p.50). This is a broad swath of people who have many reasons for low enthusiasm: competing responsibilities, historical and cultural expectations, relative costs, and age and experience, to name a few.

Nevertheless, there are also multiple opportunities for increasing enthusiasm for cooking at home. Following are three to consider:

1. Increase nutrition education in all school systems. This recommendation is universal and is for all schools in the world. As lifestyles change and cultures continue to lose the knowledge and habit of home cooking, it becomes more challenging to reinvigorate this important health, cultural, and social activity. That one of the groups least interested in cooking is 15-24 year olds means there is an opportunity for school systems to promote the excitement and knowledge of home cooking. My experience working with a local nonprofit is that students get more excited about trying new foods when they themselves are involved in the cultivation and preparation process.

2. Defy cultural norms where necessary to ensure that all students appreciate the value of home cooking. It is important that lessons about nutrition and home cooking be inclusive and not limited to girls only of a certain age. Everyone needs to learn about the implications of healthy eating for healthy living. This information not only inspires people to cook but also helps them make better decisions about eating every time food choices are available.

Anecdotally, when I was a high school exchange in Denmark more than a few years ago, my host parents often had friends over for dinner. Inevitably, before the meal, the men would migrate to the living room to talk, and the women would help prepare the meal in the kitchen. This was, of course, after both the men and women had been at work the entire day. I chose to spend almost all my time with the women to learned to cook many Danish meals. I was often the subject of good-natured ridicule from the lounging husbands about my choice of locations but have definitely been the winner in making decades of tasty dinners for my own family as well as a restaurant owner and cook for a few years.

3. Promote the entire gamut of reasons that home cooking is so beneficial in addition to nutrition. The argument that I have tried to make in this article is that increasing knowledge about and enthusiasm for home cooking is an important strategy for better eating and, in the longer term, better health and well-being. However, that argument might not be enough to sway all potential future cooks. I therefore recommend using some combination of the six additional reasons that Healthline gives for promoting home cooking over takeout:

1. 1. “It gives you a chance to reconnect [with partners and loved ones];
   2. “It’s easier to watch your calories;
   3. “It’s a time saver;
   4. “It can be a money saver;
   5. “It’s personalized; and
   6. “It’s fun!”

Are you persuaded? What do you think are the most compelling arguments for nutrition education and home cooking? Please join the conversation and let us know what you think.