"Let's Get It Started..."

I’m not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician, but I have studied, researched and embraced the importance of the right foods for good health. I know the calories, fats, carbs and protein facts about most of the foods that I eat and I know that eating the right foods can enhance your energy level, thinking skills and aging process.

I also know how lucky I am to live in an area that has access to these healthy foods, and that I can afford to buy good quality food.

Unfortunately, the worst culprit in our obesity epidemic is lack of knowledge about what is healthy and what is detrimental, as well as the misconception that food has to be expensive to be good for you.

So, while doing some research for an article I was writing about Share Our Strength, I came across their program called Cooking Matters. Through Cooking Matters, course participants learn how to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients and prepare them in ways that provide the best nourishment possible to their families. It is nationally sponsored by ConAgra Foods, and locally in St. Louis, run by Operation Food Search.

The classes are led by volunteer chefs (qualified culinary instructors - someone formally trained as a chef, a person with a culinary background working in the foodservice industry, or someone with a similar culinary background like an experienced home cook), and nutritionists (registered dietitian, upper-classman dietetics student, dietetic intern, or someone with a similar nutrition background), and provide hands-on meal preparation, practical nutrition information, and food budgeting skills. The courses meet one day a week for 6 weeks and are age specific. Each course covers the My Plate and food group divisions, reading nutrition labels, cutting sugar and salt, adding whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and shopping economically for nutritious foods.

COOKING MATTERS for Adults gives parents the skills and motivation they need to provide healthy, well-balanced meals and to teach children a love of healthy eating. It. was developed to increase the number of preschool children from low-income families who grow up healthy, well fed, and with good eating habits.

COOKING MATTERS for Families teaches school-aged children and their parent about healthy eating and the importance of eating together as a family.

COOKING MATTERS for Teens teaches teens how to make healthy food choices and prepare healthy meals and snacks

COOKING MATTERS for Kids teaches kids ages 8-12 about healthy eating, how healthy eating affects their performance, and how to make easy, nutritious foods at home.

The program made so much sense to me that I decided to volunteer to teach. I’m now into my fourth week of working as a class assistant in a Cooking Matters for Kids class at Lexington School in St. Louis. Together with Kari and Jessica, we get the kids to think about what they are eating, read recipes, read food labels, try LOTS of new foods and have them actually do the prepping, chopping, mixing, cooking, and plating (not the least of which is the EATING!).

They take the recipes home with them and have weekly challenges about what they’ve learned: like eating a fruit or veggie with each meal. Or checking the label on a package of bread to make sure the bread was really made from whole grain. Many have already made the recipes from class at home with their parents. They learn the difference between refined and natural sugars and actually see how much sugar they may be taking in from sodas or juices. When they see first- hand the 15 teaspoons of sugar in a regular Coke, that visual stays with them, and they’re more likely to make better choices.

The participants are asked to at least try the foods they’re not familiar with and rate them. Many are pleasantly surprised, especially by vegetables and whole grain examples. But the most fun is when we cook with them. They all want to participate and be a part of completing the recipe. We set out the ingredients and guide them, but they happily put it all together; measuring, chopping, grating, mixing, and blending ingredients.

We all sit down and eat what they’ve made together and talk about what they’ve learned in the lesson and what they’ll try to do at home. The two hours just fly by, and the kids leave happy.

If anything is going to help the obesity epidemic, it’s giving people the right information to make healthy and economical food choices and teaching them the skills needed to prepare it for themselves!

I’ve already signed on for the next session and plan to continue. If you’re looking for a hands-on opportunity, this is a well-run, effective and rewarding program!

For upcoming volunteer opportunities locally in St. Louis (New session start in April), go to :
http://www.operationfoodsearch.org/services-and-programs/nutrition-education/volunteer-opportunities
For information in your area
http://cookingmatters.org
http://www.strength.org

"I'll Be There For You..."

This morning as I was leaving the gym, a friend from one of my fitness classes said she’d love to get a group of us together over the summer to just talk and spend some time with one another. We see each other in class a few times a week, talk for a few minutes before and after, and we really like getting to know each other. We’re there to work out hard, but we find we enjoy it more when we encourage each other. Although most fitness advice centers on food and exercise, the hidden benefit that we rarely point out is the bond that is formed among those who make health and fitness a priority in their lives!( This pic is my current Zumba class)

And for me, it’s always been like this. When I was first married and moved to a new city, I met the women I would share pregnancies, child-rearing, and work stories with. At the time, instead of a gym, we met in church basements, carrying our own steps and weights. I even went into labor in an aerobics class. As our kids were born, we brought them to class in their baby seats and later, let them play together on the playground while we took our classes. When I moved from there, they gave me a “going away party” class!

So it’s no surprise that when we moved again, the gym was the first place I went. The tiny gym had an early morning aerobic dance class and a handful of people would show up to work out. We had so much fun working out, talking, and laughing together, and depended on one another to be there each morning. Whatever stress we had in our lives at the time, disappeared for the hour that we were together in the gym. As schedules changed, our friendships continued, moving to other gyms and new classes.

(This is the group from the early morning workout,NOT in workout clothes, celebrating one of our children's milestones!)

When I started an early morning spinning class, the camaraderie continued with new faces and friends. We’d follow our tough workouts at the Starbuck’s across the street. I might not see them any other time, but our shared interest in health and fitness made hearing about other aspects of their lives even more fun.

And even now, MANY, MANY years into working out, I find the same kinship with people in my classes and on the gym floor. From Zumba to spinning to Cardio/Resistance to weight training, we all share the “agony and ecstasy” of a great workout. And when you’re gone for a while, people worry. Sometimes I feel guilty if I haven’t been to a class in while, but usually, I’m happy they’re glad to have me back.

I’ve always believed that the gym is the Great People Equalizer. Whether it’s my 80 year old buddy who can do more than most of the men half his age in the gym, or the young moms who share their kids’ antics, or the instructors and trainers, I always feel a commonality!

(This pic is working out with my college roomies on our annual reunion trip)

And as for the wonderful people I’ve met in the gym, so many are still my good friends. Even though many of us are at different gyms and live in different parts of the country, we still reminisce about earlier days working out together.

I know the reason we’re at the gym isn’t supposed to be social, but if you’re getting a great workout and having fun with others, what’s wrong with that!!