EFNEP, Try Healthy Programs Teach Kids to “Make The Right Food Choices”

Timothy Bowden, Sr. and his son Timothy, Jr. demonstrate some cooking techniques they learned during EFNEP’s Culinary Cuisine Camp.

Healthy lifestyles and access to nutritious food are key weapons in the fight against the chronic diseases that disproportionally affect lower-income and minority communities. In Vance County, EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) Educator Nitasha Kearney offers delicious new courses and camps that help kids learn the fun and healthy aspects of cooking at home.

“The long-term goal of EFNEP is to get the students to be able to choose healthy foods by themselves,” Kearney said. “We teach children the importance of health and wellness, physical activity, food and nutrition, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, the importance of drinking eight cups of water per day —  all the things that can help you maintain a healthy life.”

According to the Division of Public Health of the N.C. Department of Human Health and Services, the leading cause of death in North Carolina is heart disease, followed by cancer, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. Historically underrepresented groups in North Carolina experience higher death rates associated with these conditions, according to the agency.

Keesha Bowden, a Vance County mother, works hard to provide healthy meals for her family on a limited budget. She enrolled in the Try Healthy program to learn to make healthy food choices. Her sons, Timothy Jr. and Kaden, took part in the program’s Culinary Cuisine Camp to learn how to cook foods from across the globe.

“The Try Healthy Program inspires us and teaches us different recipes to cook with our children,” Bowden said. “At home, the boys help cook family dinners on Fridays. I’m just thankful that we did come across this program.”

Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T reached more than 16,000 adults and children in 2022 through programs designed to help people increase their fruit and vegetable consumption and adopt healthier, more active lifestyles. EFNEP and Try Healthy serve families who receive or are eligible for federal food assistance.

Kearney said Bowden’s two sons were enthusiastic about participating in culinary camp because it taught them to cook at home and make healthy food choices.

Carson Williams, after watching the cooking demonstration from start to finish, was more than ready to sample the final product.

“At Culinary Cuisine Camp, we made turkey curry soup and quesadillas, and they were able to learn some exciting things to do as a physical activity from each country we discussed,” Kearney said. “That made them more excited to learn and to do.”

Her sons, meanwhile, have taken additional EFNEP courses. Their father, Timothy Bowden Sr., called Try Healthy “very educational.”

“It’s teaching our children about skill-building and also helping with their behavior,” Bowden Sr. said. “I’m thankful for it.”