How Cooking Food Helps You Stay Grounded in College
By Joshua Monroe | April 2026
Introduction
After a long day of classes, assignments, and stress, most college students turn to something quick to unwind. It could be their phones, a takeout meal, or whatever they feel relieves their stress best. Cooking isn’t usually near the top of their priorities. However, cooking their meals could provide an outlet that helps them feel less stressed, more connected to themselves, and more like the individuals they are.
For college students who live away from home, cooking meals is a way to reconnect with themselves and those they are connected to. It is a way to take a break from the rest of their lives and to focus on something that provides them with meaning. Cooking meals could play a major role in a student’s life.
Cooking as a way to Reset
College can be an overwhelming place for students. With so much to do, so much to take care of, and with so many deadlines to meet, it is easy for students to feel overwhelmed by everything they have to do. However, taking time to prepare meals for themselves allows students to gain a sense of focus and structure in their lives.
There is something special about preparing meals for oneself. It allows a student to take a break from the rest of their lives and to focus on something that matters to them. Studies have also shown that food can play a direct role in the emotional well-being of an individual (Wang et al.). Cooking meals for oneself allows for better emotional regulation and stress relief for students.
Food And Mental Health
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Food And Mental Health 〰️
Beyond the fact that food plays a role in one’s emotional well being, the ingredients that are used in food can have a direct effect on one’s mental health. The nutrients that are in food can play a strong role in an individual’s brain function (Wang et al.). By preparing one’s meals, an individual gains a sense of mindfulness. According to Michelle Beadle Holder, those who prepare their meals find ways to “slow down and focus” on the process, which allows them to feel better overall. This is a necessity for students to have time to themselves.
When an individual prepares their meals, they are in the moment. They are not thinking of their next assignment or the rest of their mental stresses. Being in the moment is a way to allow their minds to unwind.
Food and comfort
Food also has a special connection to comfort and the individuals that one is connected to. Many individuals seek out food when they are stressed, anxious, or even homesick for their homes. These foods have a direct connection to the memories that they hold for those places and individuals in their lives.
Researchers have stated that comfort foods play a role in providing individuals with feelings of “security, comfort, and pleasure” (Barone). For these reasons, food holds such importance to individuals, especially during stressful times of the year or in their lives. When I find myself overwhelmed by any situation, I find comfort in the kitchen. It allows me to take a step away from the rest of the world and to focus on something simple. When I sit down to eat one of my meals that I prepared myself, I feel accomplished - and connected to myself again
Food and Identity
Food also holds a strong connection to identity. For many individuals, food is a way of connecting to their culture and their origins. For individuals who live away from home and their culture, cooking meals is a way of remaining connected to where they came from.
According to the University of British Columbia, food is a means of building connections between individuals and allowing them to create social and cultural connections (“The Intersection of Culture and Cuisine”).
When I worked in a Bahamian restaurant, I began to understand more about my culture and its history. Each dish had a special meaning behind it. According to researchers, food is not just a physical act. It is a symbolic act behind food practices and their connection to cultural identity (Wright et al., Food Security). Losing access to these traditions can cause an individual to feel distressed.
Cooking and Memory
Food also has a connection to individuals’ pasts. Many recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. Each recipe holds meaning behind it.
Tanya Kaynes explores how passing recipes from generation to generation allows families to maintain their connections and traditions (Kaynes). These memories hold meaning for individuals beyond the food that is cooked.
When I tried to make my mom’s mac and cheese, it never tasted the same as hers. It was frustrating at first. However, over time, I realized that this was okay. The value of making this recipe allows me to feel connected to my past and my family.
As researchers have stated, food practices allow individuals to perform “performative acts of remembering” of their past and their connection to themselves “over time” (Wright et al., Ecology of Food and Nutrition). Also, certain foods hold memories and connections to individuals’ past experiences (Wang et al.).
Why This Matters
For many individuals who enter the kitchen, cooking is not seen as a chore; it is a task that must be completed. However, many of the actions that an individual can take within the kitchen allow them to remain connected to their mental and emotional health.
Preparation of meals is a way to allow individuals to feel creatively satisfied, mentally relaxed, and to remain in touch with their own thoughts and emotions.
Final Thoughts
Cooking meals is more than just a way to eat. For many individuals, cooking is a way of taking care of their mental health, connecting to their identity and to those who matter to them, and carrying those experiences with them into the next part of their lives.
For students who are overwhelmed by their lives in college, taking time to go into the kitchen is a way to find their focus and their meaning in their lives. It does not have to be perfect. It does not have to be complicated.
But it does have to start somewhere.