Lizzie Marie has had an abundant summer teaching cooking classes throughout our community. She was recently invited to teach a class at a summer camp for obese teenage girls. In order to enroll in the camp, a young person's BMI (body mass index) had to be 80% or higher. It was a wonderful experience and very educational for everyone in the room (participants, Lizzie, me and the counselors). Lizzie leads her instruction with some simple tips:

· A - always have adult supervision and always be willing to try new foods

· B - be careful in the kitchen with knives, stoves and ovens

· C - clean kitchen, clean (healthy) food

Mojo chicken wraps, marinated berries and fizzy fruit were on the menu. The colors of the fresh foods were vivid and beautiful. Fresh, healthy foods are always the focus of Lizzie's classes. The girls were very interested to learn how mojo is a marinade traditionally used in Cuba. It's one of our favorites, especially during hot summer months; the burst of lime flavor is so refreshing. Marinated berries shocked everyone when they saw balsamic vinegar go into the bowl. Fizzy fruit, a combination of 100% juice mixed with Pellegrino sparkling water, turned out to be an interesting concoction for the group as they learned it is a healthier alternative to sodas. Everyone was willing to try everything and the class favorite was the berries. A flexible dessert, marinated berries can be served alone, on top of all-natural vanilla ice cream, or on whole grain pancakes in place of syrup.

After enjoying the food, Lizzie and I engaged the girls with some candid conversation about food. One girl explained that she begs her mother to buy healthier foods, but her mom refuses to and brings home junk food. She said that she has to ask her dad to please buy healthy food. Another girl got quite emotional that we did not have mayonnaise on the menu. I asked the class how many people eat mayo on a daily basis and about half of the girls raised their hands. After our chat, it was clear these girls wanted to do something about their current state of health but were challenged by not having a support system at home.

Lessons learned: Lizzie realized how different family dynamics can be. I realized there is a lack of opportunities for families to learn together how to make healthier choices. Counselors learned they need to provide a roundtable-type session for young people to talk with a psychologist about their mental thoughts/feelings/addictions to food.

We encouraged the girls to have a family meeting with their families and ask for everyone's commitment to create one new healthy habit and stick with it for 30 days. We were very fortunate to have had this opportunity and look forward to sharing with more young people.