Cooking for wellness

Food and Mood Therapy

The incentive of this therapy is that cooking in action can cross into all areas of family life such as culture, ethnicity, groups and traditions. It is where the benefits of people coming together, helps to support the bonding of individuals to other people in a relaxed calming way. This incentive can be as formalized or relaxed as needed such as through socializing and having fun or through communicating thoughts, feelings and emotions.  Culinary therapy places a focus on being creative and expressiveness.

Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to cope better emotionally.

People might normally think of cooking as a hassle with lots of clearing up and mess but when cooking for connectedness, meaning and purpose or a sense of belonging, cooking can actually be a fun way for people to express feelings, bond and enjoy time together. Cooking with a purpose offers a unique space where people can talk about an array of things such as problem solving, and planning which are commonalities for the many.

Because cooking therapy is not a flawless process, where perfection is key, learning to nurture one’s identity using food helps to support people to connect with their sense of self. By using food and imaginative cooking and as outlet for creative expression, people can begin to connect to their uniqueness and start to think about what can be done differently to help bring about sustainable life changes. 

Attachment Relationships and Food

We make choices based on identifications, values and specific needs. We accommodate each other’s dietary requirements and preferences as best we can. We make choices about what we eat based on aspirations, values and necessities. Furthermore, our patterns of attachment, formed in the early years, are also added into the mix, for example, when we lose a loved one, our appetite for both food and life are impacted.

With food being the most basic medium for communication, relationships and communication are closely associated with the place where food is prepared, cooked and shared, conveying a unique experience of attachment.

Within family relationships, many parents over compensate for their unavailability by providing an abundance of high calorie food, which can become equated with attachment and a false sense of security.

With the goal of positive attachment, being connection, comfort, presence and positive attention, overcompensating with unhealthy foods can become internalised. Routinely cooking and connecting with food as a secure base can provide a significant arena to help secure positive personal emotions through togetherness in the kitchen. Cooking food as an aspect of relationships plays a crucial part in personal self-actualisation, bringing a sense of satisfaction, belonging and usefulness especially when young children are being nurtured by the food that has been prepared by us. However, there are moments when the nurturing of our children is challenged by things such as separation. To help counter this challenge, connecting with a food activity and involving the young person, helps to form nourishing positive attention.  

Strengthening bonds with others

Cooking for people can help strengthen connections with others, and create positive ties between people, which can be a fulfilling and expressive act. Forming a bond with others through food can enhance social interaction, acceptance and integration, and reinforces communication as well as help to forge sustainable relationships. Through cooking and communicating expressively, people can establish relationships with new meaning where clear communication about feelings, wants, likes, dislikes, comments, and intents can be expressed in a calming environment.

Wellbeing

Try spelling the word stressed backwards and you will come up with the word desserts. Making a dessert or a nutritious meal can help to activate a stimulating response connection to the senses. This behaviour activation focuses on the necessary routine of cooking and connecting with others pleasurably. This cooking for connectedness can be very rewarding compared to motionless hobbies like reading, watching TV or working on the computer.  Cooking for wellbeing helps to strengthen the mood through positive reinforcement where conditioning and stimulation flourishes within a relaxed fun cooking process. To enhance wellbeing, cooking for others is a thoughtful act where people feel connected; this connection supports greater learning, conditioning and communication

Cooking as a form of nurturing

When you get right down to it, cooking is really about following instructions. Many of us start cooking with instructions right in front of us. It is so encouraging to know that freshly home-cooked nutritious meals are still thriving as well as nurturing and growing your own food.  The nurturing aspect of food places an emphasis on where our food comes from. Involving others in the cooking and eating of food helps to bring about the reward of physical nourishment.   There are so many ways in which the preparation and sharing of food nurtures relationships, in this context food serves as a source of learning, development, goodness and strength both in the terms of social support and sustenance and with something people need to survive.

The emotional connection and sense of achievement through the act of cooking helps to create an arena for giving and receiving nourishing and nurturing food experiences where we can begin to learn and share experiences that help foster growth and development.

Self-care

By definition, nutrition means nourishment and self-care by another name is nourishment. The action to make healthy food for yourself, or others and taking the time to feed one’s body is significant because food nourishes the body by sending a message that this is important for your needs. Within a therapeutic cooking environment, we research and work together on planning and developing new food routines that promote healthy eating and self-care.

Control and peace of mind

The phrase, ‘peace of mind’, involves a range of emotions such as the reduction of stress, fear, and anxiety along with the promotion of optimism. Therefore, achieving peace of mind is never a one-way exercise; it is an exchange of energy, creativity, and positive vibrations. Cooking therapy promotes the feeling of safety and security by promoting a relaxed state of mind where a sense of security emerges through undiluted cooking happiness. Just having control of buying ingredients and cooking something gives people complete choice and control of one’s health and wellbeing. People also have control of whether your cooking is for nourishing creative purposes or a scripted space where discussions can take place about the life changes you want to make.

Self-esteem

Because cooking requires the integration of cognitive, physical, and socioemotional processes. Having fun through cooking without pressure helps with managing emotions and building and establishing positive and rewarding relationships with others. Cooking with esteem involves modelling and using skills such as thinking, motivation and action. In doing so, the emergence of self-efficacy helps to construct and link the relationship between personal, behavioural, and environmental factors to one’s emotional and physical needs. Self-efficacy involves personal control and requires knowledge, skills, and confidence to effectively motivate and sustain behavioural changes. Through cooking, a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities in a relaxed cooking environment is supported through a confident exchange of food, learning, ideas and goals. . One of the greatest gifts about cooking is the confidence and self-esteem reward people get from learning and sharing positive new emotions and skills.

Mindfulness

Cooking with a focus gives people the opportunity to form a loving connection with food. When you are preparing a meal, you can begin to cultivate the mindfulness of your body by simply using the technique of being fully focused and present.  Both cooking and eating healthy nutritious food consistently is one of the best ways to begin, develop and maintain a healthy relationship with food. If you are practising mindfulness when preparing food, you are more likely to be kind to yourself simply by putting nutritious food into your body, because you know it is good for you. By paying attention to your food with all your senses as you prepare it, you will feel more satisfied and aware of your food, how it looks, its texture, smell and taste. 

Take a few breaths and become aware of all the sensations throughout your body as you begin to cook. Experience the sensations within your body as you whisk, chop, and mix the ingredients you are using. Listen to the sounds the food makes and focus on noticing any smells that are educed.  Notice the texture of the food change as you begin to prepare your meal. Place the food before you. What do you notice about its appearance? What colour is it? What shape is it? If appropriate, what's the skin on it like? Look closely and be as specific as possible. Pick up the piece of food and roll it in your hand. What does the texture feel like against your skin?

 Close your eyes to help you get a real sense of feeling in your hand. Is it heavy? Is it light? Does it feel hollow? Does it feel full? Gently squeeze it and see how it feels. Hold the piece of food close to your ear, rolling it in your hand gently as you do so. Can you hear any sounds within the food? If you can't hear anything, what does silence feel like? Move the food toward your nose. What does it smell like? Try to feel the sensations in your arm as you move it.  If you can smell the food, does the smell bring up any memories for you? Bring the food towards your mouth. Notice whether your mouth is watering. Touch the food to your lips and be aware of any sensations there. Take a bite.

Do you notice any sound? If so, what does it sound like? Move the piece of food around your mouth feeling the weight of it. Note the taste of it as it releases its juices and you gently start to chew. Feel the sensation of your teeth as you chew. Try to notice how the experience was different for you from your normal eating habits. You can bring mindful eating to regular meals as well, engaging in smells and tastes and taking the time to enjoy the food rather than eating on autopilot. Whether you’re making a quick meal or preparing a feast, use these exercises to ground yourself in the present moment.

Depression

The key to cooking with purpose is to look at it as an activity that can be incredibly rewarding. Even the first stage of thinking about what to cook, then shopping for ingredients can provide a positive vibe. Visualise the task ahead and reward after completion. Cooking requires a healthy focus and prompts you to be present in the moment. Being present in the moment will help you to practice mindfulness, which is great for self-care. It can also help with relaxation and controlling emotions where you can begin thinking about new goals that you want to achieve.  Therapeutic cooking requires concentration in a relaxed fun way, so can act as a healthy distraction that allows you to slow down and “get out of your head.” Instead of thinking about cooking as being stuck in the kitchen, it can be a creative outlet that helps with connecting and interacting with others especially if you feel socially isolated, consider inviting friends and family to cook with you.

Real self worth stimulant

Cooking is something that provides us the opportunity to address multiple features of psychological well-being.. For example, cooking gives you the opportunity to cook for others and provide an opportunity to improve and build relationships. Cooking can provide a feeling of control with the opportunity to master something. This process can support feelings of meaning and purpose and personal satisfaction. The reward of self-satisfaction has an array of advantages where the experience actively helps build self-esteem and by including others, it can also create a sense of belonging, esteem and improved communication.

Creativity and change

Cooking is a behaviour that gives us the capacity to flourish and provides us with the ability to perform tasks successfully. Creating a healthy meal may not only lead to happiness but also, a sense of purpose and personal growth. Through creative planning and preparation of food, you can make connections with your internal ability for change. After all, what we eat and drink affects how we feel, think and behave. The food and mood concept focuses on the motivation and meaningfulness of healthy cooking which performs the function of reinforcing an individual’s sense of purpose and by organising healthy food changes. Cooking with creativity for change is enriched within a stress-free environment without pressure where you engage in tasks, acquire new skills, and gain the opportunity to experience a creative social relationship whilst improving one’s sense of self.

Family life

In addition to being able to reduce stress, the benefits of cooking together as a family or couple helps bond and reunite people and can be positively associated with better family connections and improved socialization.  By using food to as a tool for working together. Exploring recipes, shopping for ingredients and meal planning, can be a fun way of enjoying time together. It creates a space to connect and communicate specific thoughts and feelings while doing something fun. This food connection is much more meaningful and has more impact when it takes place in a relaxed, context-based environment. Within this environment, social interaction helps to create an area where thoughts, feelings, emotions and time is shared informally.