Art and Cooking Therapies on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Narrative Review

Mental health is relevant to every individual. Poor mental health and well-being contribute significantly to personal suffering and a substantial burden on society. Art and cooking therapies in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are flexible approaches that emphasize engagement and growth to promote mental health and well-being, are easy to perform, accessible when needed, and can be self-administered. This review aims to explore art and cooking therapies focusing on intervention protocols, target populations, underlying mechanisms, limitations, and areas for future research. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Semantic Scholar databases using predefined search terms. A total of 26 randomized controlled trials, 19 in art therapy, and seven in cooking therapy were included. Art and cooking therapies are promising interventions to improve mental health and well-being. They promote mindfulness and provide opportunities for self-expression and social support which can be explored in future studies and therapeutic settings.