From Your Health Journal…..”As you know, our web site likes to share health articles from across the country, as well as bringing visitors to the site we are reviewing, which today is Tampa Bay Online. Some children at a local school were among about 30 students participating in “Kids in the Kitchen.” The eight-week course in healthy eating and cooking was sponsored by the Junior League of Tampa and the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA. What a great story, as the kids are learning how to prepare healthy meals and snacks. They are being empowered to make choices that are healthy, while having fun preparing the food, which makes it more enjoyable to eat. A win-win situation….as long as they do not like the food too much! The goal was to teach healthy eating habits to combat a growing trend of childhood obesity and to give the students everyday knowledge and skills they can carry with them into adulthood. I strongly recommend your visiting Tampa Bay Online for the full story.”
From the article…..
In large letters, 11-year-old Marques Smith wrote across the bottom of a recipe list “master at cooking.”
He and 11-year-old Taurence Grant then headed to tables to select ingredients for two mini-pizzas. They picked up muffins, peanut butter, strawberries and blueberries for a dessert pizza; and turkey, ham and cheeses for a main course pizza.
They were not fans of the table with cups of black olives, bell peppers and mushrooms. But those ingredients, especially the black olives, were favorites of 10-year-old Falycia Lovett.
“I love black olives,” she said. “I like to try things.”
The fourth-graders at Sulphur Springs Elementary School were among about 30 students participating in “Kids in the Kitchen.” The eight-week course in healthy eating and cooking was sponsored by the Junior League of Tampa and the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA.
It was modeled after an international Junior League Kids in the Kitchen program. The Kids in the Kitchen after-school classes at Sulphur Springs will focus on third through fifth grades.
In addition to learning about healthy foods, students took part in outdoor exercise and sports.
By the time students complete the course they should be able “to go home and prepare a basic meal themselves where they don’t need to rely on mom and dad,” said Jason Grooms, branch operations manager for the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA.
On the final day of the course the students tested their food knowledge and cooking skills in an “Iron Chef America”-style competition. Spoiler alert: everyone was a winner.
To read the full story…..Click here