In July of 2011, the national non-profit organization “Cooking Matters” held an event in Aurora, Colorado, focused on improving health and reducing hunger for American families living below the poverty line. The methodology the organization is promoting to achieve this has several parts including budgeting, menu planning. The most important part is healthy cooking lessons, particularly for low-income parents and caretakers. Children and seniors too can be taught to prepare healthy foods, regardless of their financial situation. Financial constraints, however, are not the only reason why people need healthy cooking lessons.

Planning for Healthy Cooking Lessons

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Healthy eating is not just about what you eat, but how you eat it. This depends to a large degree on how the food is prepared, and it is in this context that healthy cooking lessons are so important. World Health Organization statistics show that 65 percent of adults worldwide live in countries where overweight and obesity are greater killers than malnutrition. If just a percentage of those adults can be taught through healthy cooking lessons to prepare healthier foods, those numbers can be reduced significantly.

Healthy Cooking Lessons for Parents and Caretakers

Good eating starts in childhood, based on the lessons learned from our parents. If children are regularly fed foods high in saturated fats, preservatives and salt, their tastes for such foods are likely to remain with them into adulthood. Parents who receive healthy cooking lessons while their children are young learn to appreciate the value of natural foods, water-based cooking and reduced use of additives. Cooking for children, in particular, needs to be planned around nutritional values and a balanced diet.

Children Can Be Taught Healthy Cooking Lessons

Children who are old enough to spread jam on a slice of bread are likely old enough to be taught healthy cooking lessons. Instead of teaching kids how to bake cookies, teach them how to bake a potato, or to poach an egg in water instead of frying it in oil. Cooking lessons don’t need to focus strictly on cooking, either; food preparation can be an excellent way of teaching your youngster healthy food choices, such as choosing a salad sandwich over a muffin, or a slice of carrot cake instead of choc-chip cookies.

Seniors Need Healthy Cooking Lessons for Meals for One

Retired people and seniors, especially those living alone, are often guilty of not bothering to cook proper meals. Healthy cooking lessons for this target group should be tailored to meet the group’s specific needs, which could include buying the right types of foods on a fixed income, preparing vegetables while they are still fresh, and eating healthy portions at regular mealtimes instead of “snacking,” a bad nutritional habit many people develop when they live on their own.

Focusing on Making Healthy Cooking Lessons Successful

Classes should focus on preparing and cooking easy, delicious meals based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, low-fat dairy, lean meat and beneficial fats. Include tips for cutting costs, saving time and having fun and the healthy cooking lessons will become more meaningful for any of the target groups.