How will YOU express your love this Valentine’s Day?

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, I’m sure talk of love and romance is around you…

At the dinner table, local stores, television ads, and more.

So, let me ask you this: How do you express love?

Because, according to a poll, many link intimacy to something outside of the bedroom…

Indulge in this

Apparently, seven out of ten Americans say cooking and eating is an act of love.

Not only that, but 80 percent of respondents reported turning to food for comfort—and 65 percent said they use food as a way to comfort others.

Of course, turning to food for comfort is often what gets us in trouble…

Indulging in those hyperpalatable, ultra-processed Frankenfoods will eventually wreak havoc on our waistlines and our health.

But what if we could turn that love of cooking into an act of love/comfort…

Rather than buying pints of ice cream, boxes of chocolates, fast food burgers and fries, or greasy pizza?!

Hear me out…

Hot and heavy in the kitchen

For me, cooking, like exercise, helps calm me.

Indeed, I find it to be therapeutic and relaxing because your focus shifts to just that one thing—not 20 million other things coming at once.

Plus, I, too, love to eat. That’s why I consider cooking a nutritious meal—one that will benefit my body’s needs—an act of self-love. I also believe it’s an act of love to prepare a healthy meal for those closest to me.

And yes, I prefer cooking a meal over baking nowadays.

See, baking requires a great deal of concentration. The rules must be followed. But when you’re cooking a meal, it’s easy to make substitutions and go with the flow—which I also find invigorating (it really gets my creative juices flowing).

And apparently, many folks agree. In fact, 65 percent of respondents claimed cooking is one of their top stress-relieving activities.

Furthermore, this poll found that people like to relax by watching cooking videos!

So, if you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to watch me cook on my YouTube channel. (Click here to find my Cooking With Dr. Fred videos on YouTube. They’re also sometimes posted on Instagram, check here.)

Then, decide on a recipe or two you’d like to try creating at home. Perhaps you can surprise someone special with a healthy, comforting meal sometime this week.

Source:

“Is cooking the secret ingredient to living stress-free? Poll reveals how many turn to comfort food.” New York Post, 12/12/2023. (nypost.com/2023/12/12/lifestyle/is-cooking-the-secret-ingredient-to-living-stress-free/)