Adherence
Consuming home-cooked meals more than five times per week is associated with significantly higher diet quality (DASH and Mediterranean scores) and increased fruit and vegetable intake compared to consuming them less than three times per week.
Aim to eat home-cooked main meals more than five times a week. This frequency is associated with consuming significantly more fruit and vegetables and adhering better to healthy diet patterns like DASH and Mediterranean diets compared to eating them less than three times a week.
Eating home cooked meals more frequently was associated with greater adherence to DASH and Mediterranean diets, greater fruit and vegetable intakes and higher plasma vitamin C, in adjusted models. Those eating home cooked meals more than five times, compared with less than three times per week, consumed 62.3 g more fruit (99% CI 43.2 to 81.5) and 97.8 g more vegetables (99% CI 84.4 to 111.2) daily.
Why this rating
Large population-based cohort (n=11,396) with objective biomarkers (plasma vitamin C) and validated dietary scores, though the design is cross-sectional.
Source
Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study
Susanna Mills et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2017
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