The phrase first appeared in Urban dictionary on Dec. 23, 2021, defined as a “home that has no ready-to-eat foods or snacks, only the ingredients to make food.
Pantries look different in each of these households. While a pantry in any ingredient household will have a variety of flours, beans, rice, oil and other cooking staples. Pantries in ‘readymade households’ may look more fancy, thanks to all the canned food items, cookies, chips and other snack items.
My husband and I have grown up in an ingredient household and we strongly feel that it’s a healthier option in so many ways. When you are raised in an ingredient household, you are more inclined to make healthier food choices later on in your life.
Feeding ourselves with healthy food is crucial to our well-being and survival. Whether you are just looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, or shed some weight or even trying to maintain the weight after losing those extra pounds, or recovering from an illness, you need to be able to tailor food to your tastes and body requirements. And you need food that won’t cost you an exorbitant amount. It all comes down to home cooking. And that’s possible in an ingredient household where you have the opportunity to pick and choose all the ingredients, whether it’s fresh produce, proteins, fats or grains.
Here are six benefits of an ingredient household
* It allows us to know where our food comes from.
*You can actually boost your immunity through food. While junk food has a reputation of lowering your immunity due to all the added preservatives and sugars, an ingredient household can give your immune system a boost by allowing you to pick up wholesome ingredients from the best sources.
*It encourages us to know what’s in our food. This is so important especially now when supermarkets are shelved with ‘food like’ products. Have you ever read the label of that canned soup or frozen pizza?
*It encourages us to use fresher ingredients which are likely to have more nutritive value than the packaged foods. When you use real ingredients, you know exactly what you are eating.
*Home cooked food using real ingredients is just healthier.
*It’s economical too.
*It encourages the younger generation to make healthier food choices in general.
Cooking has a different meaning in each household. For some reheating a can of soup is cooking. Or making mac & cheese from a box is also considered a valid cooking option. Technically, you are “cooking” the food, but our grandmothers would not recognize this as “cooking”. So weather you will have an ingredient household or ready made household, that will depend on your own philosophy for cooking. That further depends on your overall lifestyle and health goals.
What kind of household did you grow in ? Please share in the comments below.
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