West Bloomfield

Hospital shows kids recipe for health

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo provided by Sally Ann Brown Kids learn about making cookies during a children’s class held in Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital’s demonstration kitchen. Photo provided by Sally Ann Brown Kids learn about making cookies during a children’s class held in Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital’s demonstration kitchen.

WEST BLOOMFIELD — A program at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is combining good instruction with a few safety tips to turn cooking into child’s play.

The hospital is offering two healthy cooking classes for kids in its demonstration kitchen this winter. The classes are targeted at kids between the ages of 8 and 16.

According to the kitchen’s supervisor, Joy Blumenau Bebry, the classes encourage young people to take personal responsibility and help parents make wise choices on what they place in the pantry and the refrigerator.

“What we’ve done is, we’ve put the demonstration kitchen kids in charge of the family,” she said. “ By taking ownership, the food choices that they make will be able to help the family transition to a healthier lifestyle.”

The kids cook during the interactive portions of the classes and learn kitchen safety tips. The Feb. 8 session will teach kids how to bake healthier pastries, and the March 21 class will teach pasta preparation with a focus on making homemade meals and sauces.

“In the Valentine’s class coming up, all the children will have a rolling pin,” Blumenau Bebry explained. “The art of decorating is a stress release — it’s bringing out their creativity.”

She added that the classes contain an educational component that teaches children to pay close attention to the ingredient lists on the food labels. It also encourages healthy snacking alternatives to packaged and processed foods after school.

“We look at fiber, sugar and sodium for our first three,” Blumenau Bebry said. “We work with our dieticians to explain that we need fiber to move food through the body. We don’t want to have too many added sugars, and we want to pay attention to sodium.”

A healthier lifestyle keeps obesity and many other diseases at bay, she said. “The main concern is about children’s well-being and knowing that they have a choice for their own bodies,” she said.

Henry Ford Health System spokeswoman Sally Ann Brown said the focus on kids cooking and nutrition fits with the West Bloomfield hospital’s overall mission, which includes providing a West Bloomfield “main street” that helps locals live better lives.

“It’s all about the wellness of the community,” she said. “This is a community center for well-being.”

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, 6777 W. Maple Road in West Bloomfield, will conduct its children’s cooking courses at 4:45-6 p.m. Feb. 8 and March 21. One class is $19 per child, and space is limited. To learn more or to sign up, visit www.henryfordwestbloomfield.com or call (248) 325-3890.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.