Healthy cooking classes to start in Grants

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — As part of a pilot program to help reduce or prevent obesity, the Cibola County Cooperative Extension Service and Future Foundations Family Center are jointly offering free cooking and nutrition classes.

Classes begin Thursday and run for three weeks on consecutive Thursdays. A second set of classes, which offers the same cooking and nutritional information as the Thursday sessions, begins on Tuesday, Nov. 6, and also runs for three weeks, said Jeanne Narramore, nutrition educator for the extension service.

She said there will be some health food preparation during each class, which is held in the center's kitchen.

There will also be information provided to attendees on the new food pyramid and how to create and serve healthier and more nutritionally balanced meals and drinks to the family.

One class will have attendees creating a healthy smoothie, she said, with fruit, a low-calorie or no-calorie alternative to high-sugar content drinks. Another class will teach how to make healthy snacks, with vegetables such as broccoli, sugar peas, olives, carrots, celery and cheese.

And, how to make a healthy cheese spread with low-fat cream cheese, pineapple, shredded carrots and nuts, with whole grain crackers will also be part of one class, Narramore said.

There will be information on how to increase activities and how to develop better portion control, she said.

Classes are open to the public at no cost and are from 6-8 p.m., said Laura Malaj, executive director of the center. She said this is part of an ongoing New Mexico Department of Health program to survey obesity and help change attitudes and eating habits.

All the classes on Thursdays will teach and offer the agenda and food preparation, etc., as the classes on Tuesdays.

The Thursday classes are is Nov. 1, 8 and 15. The Tuesday sessions are Nov. 6, 13 and 20.

To register for the classes, please call Malaj at (505) 287-5644.