Young Adults Who Cook Eat Healthier

Young American adults who buy their own food and prepare meals at home eat fast food less often, consume more fruits and vegetables, and eat a more healthy diet overall than those who don't take part in the planning and cooking of their meals, according to University of Minnesota researchers who surveyed more than 1,500 people, ages 18 to 23.

The survey found that 31 percent of young adults who were heavily involved in meal preparation ate five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, compared with 3 percent of those with little involvement in meal preparation.

But even among those who did take part in buying and preparing food, many did not meet recommended dietary guidelines.

"Cooking skills, money to buy food and time available for food preparation were perceived as inadequate by approximately one-fifth to more than one-third of the sample," the study authors wrote. "To improve dietary intake, interventions among young adults should teach skills for preparing quick and healthful meals."

The study appears in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Another study in the same issue of the journal found that drinking a large sweetened beverage, such as soda, at a meal can increase the total amount of calories consumed by more than 25 percent.

The University of Pennsylvania study of 33 people found that drinking an 18-ounce soda at a meal increased calorie intake by 10 percent for women and 26 percent for men. Drinking unsweetened beverages or water at meals can help reduce calorie intake, the researchers concluded.