HOW MUCH TIME do you spend making your meals every day?
If you fail to plan, plan to fail, suggests new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In the study, 1,319 adults were asked about the amount of time they spent preparing, cooking, and cleaning up after meals. Of the respondents, 16% said that they spent less than one hour on food prep; 43% said they prepped for one to two hours; and 41% said that they prepped for two hours a day or more.
Not surprisingly, spending less than one hour a day preparing food at home is associated with eating more fast food, while spending more time on meal prep is linked to better dietary habits, like eating more fruits and vegetables. Also, those who worked outside of the home spent less time prepping meals.