Author: Leslie Workman
Planning Unit: Family and Consumer Sciences
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Plan of Work: Pike County: Cooking & Eating for Health
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Kentucky’s adult obesity rate ranks 10th in the nation. Kentucky also has a poor consumption rate of fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that people who cook and eat at home are in better control of their dietary intake and thereby are healthier. The Pike County Family & Consumer Sciences Council & leadership wanted to take the promotion of purchasing fruits and vegetables at the Farmer’s Market through the practical steps of family meal preparation. To this end, the Pike County Family & Consumer Sciences program offered “Cooking Through the Calendar” – a 12-session, year-long cooking program for families. Utilizing monthly recipes from the Nutrition Education Program calendar, 16 participants learned basic kitchen skills, meal planning & nutrition information. Each meal was prepared in small groups to emulate a family setting. After 12 months of lessons, 100% of participants reported cooking more at home as a result of the class. More than 50% reported that learning to read nutrition labels was the most life-changing skill they gained to change their family’s health. In just 12 months, 15 families from the class had prepared the recipes from class over 80 times. One leader wrote saying, “My husband of 62 has NEVER eaten a Brussel sprout. Ever. He hates cabbage even. I made the Crunch Fall Salad from class and he had TWO helpings at dinner! Thanks for helping our community eat well.”
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