Common Threads Challenges America to Cook for Life
It is widely accepted that the benefits of the family meal are huge – everything from health to behavior can improve just by coming together to the table and enjoying a meal together. As an ambassador for the Together Counts™ program for healthy, active living, we recognize that by taking that a step further, and preparing healthy food together in the kitchen, you can reap even more rewards: team work, organizational skills, confidence, and self-efficacy – just to name a few.
Food is a powerful thing; when enjoyed with family and friends it is powerful enough to nourish the body and soul. Unfortunately, millions of children, especially the 32.4 million growing up in low income families, are not learning to cook or eat healthy. Children are hungry, not only for nourishing food, but also for safe environments where they can learn, be supported, and be challenged.
So how can we overcome that? This January, Common Threads – a non-profit committed to educating children and their communities about the importance of nutrition – is celebrating Cooking for Life Month to raise awareness and focus attention on the importance of equipping our country’s kids, families, and communities with lifelong cooking skills and nutrition knowledge.
To help raise awareness and reverse the generations of non-cookers, the non-profit has teamed up with chefs and influencers across the country, including Art Smith, Gail Simmons, Richard Ingraham, Fabio Viviani, JJ Johnson, Frances Largeman-Roth, Bobbie Lloyd and Chad Brauze, to challenge families to spend time together in the kitchen as they prepare and enjoy a healthy meal.
The month supports the organization’s Cooking for Life Handbook, an 8-week, budget friendly meal plan, produce guide, and shopping list, designed to get kids and families excited about cooking together. Created in partnership with registered dieticians and chefs, it is aligned with SNAP and WIC and available to download for FREE at www.commonthreads.org. The Cooking for Life Handbook is a useful tool for any home cook, especially someone just starting out.
“Cooking for Life Month is one of our most important efforts to date – spreading the word about an accessible tool to help families lead healthier lives and challenging them to cook a meal together, as a family. Our goal is to reach 1 million kids,” said Common Threads CEO, Linda Novick O’Keefe.
As the New Year starts, it is the perfect time to think about being the best version of ourselves we can be. Healthy balance, staying active, eating healthy – all of these are key parts of the equation that Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation promotes. We are proud to share what we do best with as many people as we can. At Common Threads we truly believe that cooking is a life skill, and a necessary one to help kids and families be their healthiest. So we challenge you. Grab your loved ones and get in the kitchen.
Photos by Dennis Burnett Photography
This blog post was written by Linda Novick O’Keefe, the Founding Chief Executive Officer of Common Threads. Common Threads, with programs in more than 500 schools and community partner site nationwide, was created to address the childhood obesity epidemic by educating children on the importance of nutrition and physical wellbeing, and empowering them to be agents of change for healthier families, schools, and communities. By providing children with a toolkit of knowledge and skills, Common Threads’ curriculum helps prevent childhood obesity and reverse the trend of generations of non-cookers, getting America’s kids cooking for life.
For more fun ways to get active in the kitchen take a look at these other posts from Together Counts!