If you know some young adults headed off to a college dorm or apartment, launch them properly with a cooking lesson and a basic understanding of nutrition. Many 18-26 yr olds subsist on take-out & fast food, sweet sodas, syrupy lattes and energy drinks. They think cooking means baking a frozen pizza and boiling pasta with nuked bottled sauce.
One cannot live on pizza alone. Sorry. (Stock photo off web.)
It’s not their fault they grew up in a “convenience-food culture” that is based on cheap carbs & sugar. But, this is not real food. It does not provide good fuel for busy young folks (or older folks either) who need their brains and bodies to perform at maximum capacity. In the short term, their wallets and grades and sports performance will suffer. Eventually, their health will, too (more $$).
Young vegetarians generally don’t have a good grasp of nutrition and usually do not eat enough protein. Young women in particular, given their concern with weight. And, a light green salad or two at best do not really meet the 4-5 daily veg recommendation.
Everybody needs a foundation of basic cooking skills. Like reading, driving and managing money, these practical skills equip one for a lifetime.
Caroline learns to snap off stems from fresh green beans for Salad Nicoise, a salad that keeps for a week. I’m in the background. (Photo by Brad Dahlgaard.)
With a few basics, young adults can increase & include complex carbs like whole grains and beans in their food lifestyle, let alone veggies. THIS is fuel for brains and bodies.
Book a cooking lesson with me this year! Launch them with a cutting board, a knife and a crock pot, and they’ll be set. My lessons focus on easy dishes, efficient batch cooking and dishes that keep or freeze. And I tailor to your preferences and requirements.
See previous posting for more about Cooking Lessons and a suggested menu.
For instance, they’ll find crock pots are a god-send for all kinds of dishes from vegetarian & meat stews & soups to homey pot roasts. Think ravenous young men. $15 bucks gets them a whole roast w/ potatoes — or a hamburger & fries w/ soda.
With a crockpot, you could wake up to real oatmeal and even mashed sweet potato pudding for breakfast. Fuel.
One Dish At A Time 