Researchers at this university found that learning to cook as part of a cooking show resulted in significant improvements in mental health and could even instill healthy eating habits. Lead researcher Dr. Joanna Rees said the study showed the importance of diet for mental health. “Improving the quality of people’s diets may be a preventative strategy to stop or slow the rise in poor mental health, obesity, and other metabolic health disorders,” she said.
The study also revealed that cooking remains a highly gendered task. At the start of the program, 77 percent of participants who identified as female said they were confident in cooking, compared to just 23 percent of those who identified as male. But by the end of the show, cooking confidence and cooking skills were equal in both counterparts.
.
