Clay County teens spent six weeks of their summer participating in Cooking Matters for Teens, a hands-on cooking class offered by UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program at the Green Cove Springs Public Library.

Cooking Matters for Teens engages adolescents in 6th grade and above in a series of participatory cooking classes designed to empower them to make healthy food choices and prepare healthy meals and snacks for themselves, their families, and their friends. Teens also learn to make smart choices wherever they go – at school, out to eat, or at the store.

As part of the class teens prepared black bean and veggie quesadillas, stove top macaroni and cheese, turkey tacos, and even competed in a chef challenge the last week of class where they created and prepared their own recipes.

“I am now more aware of the importance of eating healthy.”

Teens also participated in hands on activities each week like “Blubber Burger” where teens look at grams of fat in common fast foods and measure out teaspoons of shortening representing the fat content of those meals and put it on a bun.

Cooking Matters for Teens is only one of the many free nutrition education programs provided by the UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program in Clay County.

Statewide the Family Nutrition Program (FNP) empowers Floridians with limited resources to take control of their health. We teach people how to eat healthy on a budget and to get physically active in order to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease. We offer free nutrition education in schools, childcare centers, and in communities. We also work to improve access to healthy foods and change the environment in which adults and children make choices about food and fitness. To find out more information visit http://uffnp.org/.

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