Nutrition in a one-person household shouldn’t be taken for granted, but should instead be met with careful planning.

Boulder Creek in Marshall is sponsoring a monthly Cooking for One program. It will enable participants to try out meals that are ideal for one person. They’ll be able to take the recipes home and use them to meet their own cooking needs.

I know from experience the challenges that are involved in cooking for one. For 50 years I had dinner with my mom and dad. I never had to concern myself with what to put on the table.

All that changed when my parents sold their house. Suddenly I had to plan dinners. I had to eat something in the evenings to sustain me until the next morning.

I only partially succeeded. I learned to cook about a half dozen things really well. I made pork chops with sauerkraut and applesauce. I did chicken breasts with rice, spaghetti, soup and sandwich meals and several other good options.

There were times when it was difficult to come up with a meal. I sometimes baked a potato and ate just the potato with sour cream or cheese. At other times I microwaved three frozen burritos.

I could have been helped by the Boulder Creek class when I was living in a house. It would have been good to learn how to save leftovers, how to sometimes cook different meals through just one cooking process.

One of the reasons I moved to Boulder Estates last summer was the opportunity to have three meals a day. It meant no grocery shopping, no meal preparation and no clean up afterwards.

Many people don’t have that type of option. They have to try to meet their meal needs as well as possible. They have to plan ahead. They have to make good decisions.

People in one person households sometimes don’t eat nutritiously. They might eat only one full meal a day. They might eat out a lot. They might sometimes substitute a full meal with a candy bar or ice cream.

There’s a need for services such as Senior Dining, adult nutrition programs, food shelves and other methods of making sure that people eat properly. It’s easier said than done. It can turn into an overwhelming task that never ends.

Food is a basic need. People should have access to good resources that help them plan for a day, a week or a month of good nutrition.

Sadly radical conservatives want to cut those types of programs at the federal level. They should be seen as an investment. They’re an investment in people, something that helps them take charge of their lives in ways that pay off for themselves and for society.

In the distant past it was traditional for wives and mothers to stay home. The father earned the income. The mother cared for the home and the children.

Nowadays it’s much more frequent for people to eat on the run, to improvise rather than traditionally cooking a meal. They most often spend more money and don’t get the same nutritional value as a meal that’s home cooked.

Part of the problem is that many teenagers never take a class in home economics. It should be a requirement for every student.

Home economics involves very practical skills that are needed by everyone. It’s important that students learn to cook, clean and care for clothing. It’s not something they can automatically do for themselves. They need to be trained at home and in school.

Nutrition and proper performance of home tasks add to a family’s quality of life. It’s worth the time and effort. It makes someone more self sufficient, more able to meet daily needs.

It’s important to have services such as the Boulder Creek cooking club because of the benefits they provide to everyone who participates. They improve lives. They help as people learn how to help themselves. The costs are minimal, and the benefits are huge. They deserve support.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter in southwest Minnesota