Hidden Barriers, Food Literacy, and Practical Strategies for Cooking & Eating Well
- Luciana Lo
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Cooking & Eating Well is More Than Just a Choice
Cooking a meal from scratch is something many of us take for granted. For many people, it isn’t a simple choice. Hidden barriers such as physical, economic, dietary, and informational often make cooking and eating well feel out of reach. Yet, being able to prepare simple, affordable meals can feel deeply empowering. It promotes independence, teaches valuable lessons, and improves health.
This blog will explore some of the less visible obstacles people face in the kitchen, why food literacy matters, and practical strategies to break down barriers so more people can eat well on their own terms.
Hidden Barriers
Physical & Environmental Barriers
Kitchen design: Countertops too high or low, cupboard shelves unreachable, stove and sink height unsuitable for people who use wheelchairs or have mobility limits.
Tools: Utensils with small handles, heavy pots, and knobs that are hard to turn can make tasks more difficult for people with limited strength, dexterity, or range of motion.
Risk and safety: handling sharp knives, lifting heavy items, reaching across hot surfaces are all potentially hazardous without caution.
Dietary & Cultural Barriers
Medical or restricted diets (e.g. for diabetes, allergies, kidney disease) require special ingredients and are sometimes more costly or hard to find.
Cultural foods may not be easily available, or recipes may be taught in ways that assume certain skills, time, or tools. When familiar foods are hard to make, people may turn to processed or take-out alternatives.
Economic Barriers
Healthy foods often cost more per calorie than processed or convenience foods. Fresh produce, lean proteins, specialty foods, and culturally specific ingredients may be expensive.
Food deserts or limited access: in some neighborhoods, affordable fresh food is scarce, or stores may not stock culturally relevant items. Transportation, storage (e.g., refrigeration), and food waste increases cost.
Information, Skill & Confidence Barriers
Lack of cooking skills or knowledge: how to plan meals, basic safe food handling, substitutions, alternative methods.
Time, energy, fatigue: Many people have busy schedules, limited energy (especially with health issues), which makes complex recipes unattractive.
Loss of cooking traditions: sometimes people haven’t had opportunities to learn or practice cooking from scratch, so even when tools are available, the lack of confidence often leads to choosing processed foods.
Why Food Literacy is Empowering
Food literacy is more than following a recipe. It includes knowledge, skills, attitudes, and the ability to apply them. It means selecting, preparing, adapting, and enjoying food. When someone becomes food literate, several positive shifts happen:
Autonomy & Choice: Rather than relying on pre-prepared foods, costly take‐out, or others, one can choose what, when, and how to eat. It supports personal choice.
Health & Well-Being: Better control over ingredients, portion sizes, and nutrition can help prevent an unhealthy lifestyle or manage existing conditions.
Cultural Identity & Satisfaction: Being able to cook foods you grew up with or that carry meaning connects you with heritage, community, and emotional wellbeing.
Financial Benefit: Smart shopping, batch cooking, using inexpensive staple foods, and reducing waste are all small adaptations one can make to save money.
Psychological Empowerment: People feel good when they succeed. When a recipe works out or a tool makes a task easier, self-efficacy (the feeling of "I can do this!") increases.
Research supports these ideas. Interventions aimed at improving food literacy are associated with healthier eating, greater confidence, and positive behavior changes. For example, one research study found that food literacy interventions can positively affect dietary behavior especially among lower-income adults.
Practical Strategies for More Accessible Cooking
Here are strategies individuals, caregivers or service programs can use to reduce barriers and build food literacy. Even small changes can make a big difference.
Adaptive Tools & Kitchen Setup
Utensils and tools that reduce strain:
One-handed cutting boards, non-slip cutting boards, jar openers, ergonomic utensils.
Kitchen layout adjustments:
Bring frequently used items within reach (lower shelves, pull-down racks).
Use rolling carts or movable prep surfaces.
Clear counter space; use stable, non-slip surfaces.
Safety adaptations:
Use lighter cookware.
Use timers and good lighting.
Use tools or devices designed for restricted mobility to reduce risk (e.g. adaptive handles).
Budget-Friendly Swapping & Smart Shopping
Use frozen or canned vegetables when fresh produce is expensive.
Buy in bulk when possible.
Staples such as beans, lentils, eggs, canned fish are cost-effective proteins.
Cook in batches. Freeze leftovers or portions.
Compare unit prices, shop sales, build meals around inexpensive staple foods.
Simplify Recipes & Build Skills
Choose recipes with few ingredients, fewer steps, and minimal prep. One-pot, sheet pan, slow cooker, pressure cooker, or air fryer meals help with cleanup and complexity.
Use substitution: if a recipe calls for an exotic spice or ingredient, swap with something more accessible.
Learn basic cooking "templates" like “protein + starch + veg” and mix and match them.
Practice safe food handling, basic knife skills, and measuring. Build confidence gradually.
Connection & Support
Community kitchens, cooking classes, and family or peers can provide hands-on learning and encouragement.
Resources to borrow or share adaptive tools, subsidized or second-hand where appropriate.
Use culturally relevant recipes and foods. That which is familiar tends to be more motivating and satisfying.
Next Steps
Cooking and eating well is not simply a matter of choice. It is shaped by the environments people live in, the tools they have access to, the food they can afford, and the knowledge and confidence they carry. Hidden barriers often make the kitchen feel out of reach, but food literacy offers a way forward. When people are supported to build practical skills, adapt recipes to their needs, and access affordable, culturally relevant foods, they gain more than just meals: they gain independence, dignity, and empowerment.
The next step is to continue finding ways to put these ideas into practice. Service providers, caregivers, and community organizations can share accessible tools, offer cooking education, and make space for culturally diverse foods and traditions. Individuals can start small by simplifying a recipe, swapping ingredients, or practicing one new skill at a time. Policymakers and food programs can focus on reducing structural barriers, such as food deserts and affordability gaps. Taken together, these efforts move us closer to a future where more people can cook and eat well on their own terms.
Here are a few actions you or others could try this week:
Pick one adaptive tool (maybe an easy-grip knife or jar opener) that could make your kitchen tasks easier.
Try simplifying one recipe you like: reduce steps, swap out a difficult ingredient, cut down on cleanup.
Plan a budget-friendly meal using foods you have at home.
Share what you learn with friends and family to build collective food literacy.