The Therapeutic Power of Food Prep on Mental Health

Picture this: You’ve had one of those days. Work stress is crushing down on you like a freight train. Your mind won’t stop racing. Then you walk into your kitchen and start chopping vegetables for dinner. Something changes. The rhythmic knife work. The smell of garlic hitting hot oil. Before you know it, your shoulders drop and you’re breathing easier for the first time all day. You’re not imagining it—cooking really can heal your mind.

The Science Behind Kitchen Therapy

Turns out, your kitchen might be the best therapy room in your house. Researchers from Edith Cowan University have found that greater confidence in the kitchen — along with better eating habits and decisions — is good for mental health. In their groundbreaking study of 657 people, participants who took a seven-week cooking class showed significant improvements in mental health that lasted up to six months.

But here’s what really caught my attention as a guy who spent years thinking cooking was “someone else’s job.” At the beginning of the study, 77 percent of female participants reported feeling confident about cooking, while only 23 percent of men said the same. By the end of the cooking class, though, cooking confidence and cooking skills were equal among both genders.

That right there tells you everything. We men might start behind, but once we grab the spatula, we’re all in.

Dr. Joanna Rees, the lead researcher, puts it plainly: “This suggests a link between cooking confidence and satisfaction around cooking, and mental health benefits.” The more comfortable you get in the kitchen, the better you feel in your head.

More Than Just Food on the Plate

The mental health benefits of cooking run deeper than just eating better food. In semistructured qualitative interviews with 12 mental health inpatients who had participated in unit-based baking classes, Haley and McKay (2004) reported that participation in baking sessions led to improved self-esteem, primarily as a result of increased concentration, coordination, and confidence.

Think about it. When you’re cooking, you’re using multiple parts of your brain at once. Planning the meal. Timing everything to finish together. Problem-solving when something goes wrong. According to research, cooking is an activity that involves a mixed use of skills, including parallel multitasking, which relates to executive function.

It’s like a workout for your mind, but instead of sore muscles, you get dinner.

A comprehensive review published in the PMC database found that cooking interventions have been successfully used in therapeutic settings to treat depression, anxiety, ADHD, and even addiction. Research supports a consistent, cross-sectional relationship between quality of diet and mental health concerns. Higher quality diets are associated with improved depression and anxiety symptoms in both cross-sectional and intervention studies.

Breaking Down the Barriers

Now, I get it. Some of us guys have been conditioned to think cooking isn’t our domain. These representational practices may sell healthy eating to men, with likely positive health benefits, they also reinforce hegemonic ideals of masculinity which can be problematic from a health perspective.

But here’s the thing—cooking is one of the most fundamentally human things we do. Our ancestors didn’t survive by ordering takeout. They survived by mastering fire and food.

For many people, cooking is an outlet for creative expression. “Go off the book,” advises Kanner. “Think of the flavors you gravitate toward, and try using them in different dishes.” There’s nothing more masculine than providing for yourself and the people you care about.

The PERMA Connection

Researchers have identified how cooking fits into what’s called the PERMA model of well-being—Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Adults completing daily time-use surveys describe cooking as more meaningful when there is not a sense of time pressure, when meals are cooked with others, when food is being prepared for others, and when more time is spent on preparation.

That accomplishment part? It’s huge for us men. Participants reported that producing a product they could keep or give away to others as being beneficial and rewarding. You made something with your hands. You fed yourself or your family. That’s primal satisfaction right there.

A Biblical Perspective on Nourishment

The Bible has always understood the connection between food preparation and spiritual well-being. Throughout the Bible, food often symbolizes God’s provision and care for His people. Cooking is not just a physical act but a reminder of the spiritual nourishment that comes from God’s hand.

Look at Abraham in Genesis 18. When heavenly visitors arrived, “So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, ‘Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.’” This wasn’t just hospitality—it was an act of worship through service.

The widow of Zarephath shows us something profound about faith and provision through cooking. “But Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.’” Even in her scarcity, she chose to cook for others, demonstrating trust in divine provision.

Biblical foods were chosen for both nourishment and healing. All throughout the Bible, references are made to the healing properties of herbs and foods. Representing health and longevity from Almighty God, the importance of diet and of preparing and eating food was oftentimes seen as a spiritual act. From the omega-3 rich fish of Galilee to the antioxidant-packed olive oil used to anoint kings, these foods weren’t just sustenance—they were medicine.

Take Action: Your Kitchen Revolution Starts Now

food prep

Ready to transform your mental health one meal at a time? Here are five strategies that work:

Start with One Real Meal Per Week

Pick Sunday. Make it your cooking day. Nothing fancy—scrambled eggs, a simple pasta, even a decent sandwich made from scratch. People who cook at home tend to eat healthier than those who go out to eat weekly, according to a study from the journal Public Health Nutrition.

Make it Mindful, Not Perfect

The repetition of the motions to slice and dice vegetables, the bubbling of a broth, the sound of adding pasta to boiling water, and the aromas that fill the room as you bring your meal closer to completion is just…satisfying. Focus on the process, not the Instagram-worthy result.

Cook with Someone

Community kitchen programs have shown that cooking groups may help foster socialization and improve social isolation. Invite a friend over. Cook with your partner. Teach your kids. Make it social.

Keep it Simple and Seasonal

Stock your kitchen with basics: olive oil, garlic, onions, salt, pepper. Then build from there with seasonal vegetables. Planning your meals and working with what you already have can give your organizational skills a boost.

Embrace the Failures

Burned the chicken? Undersalted the soup? Good. You’re learning. The sense of accomplishment you feel afterward can be a boost for your self-esteem. Every mistake teaches you something new.

Try This Today

Tonight, don’t order takeout. Instead, make something simple with your hands. Here’s your mission: Cook one egg. Just one. Scrambled, fried, or however you like it. Pay attention to the sound of the butter melting in the pan. Notice the smell as it cooks. Taste what you made.

That’s it. You’ve started your journey into cooking for mental health.

The Bottom Line

Your kitchen isn’t just a place to reheat leftovers. It’s a tool for building confidence, reducing stress, and taking control of your mental health. Yet you may derive a joy from cooking that you simply don’t get from, say, folding laundry or dusting shelves. The reason: Eating is an innately rewarding experience. So cooking, which leads to eating, has a powerful, built-in reward system.

Every meal you make is a small victory. Each ingredient you chop is a mindful moment. Every dish you share is a connection with others. Start simple. Start tonight. Your mental health—and your taste buds—will thank you.

Tomorrow we’ll explore “Online Communities: Building Digital Support Networks” and how the connections we make online can support our mental health journey.

🥗 Fuel your body, nourish your mind

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