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How do you get teens to eat healthier? Put them on their very own Top Chef competition, of course. This is the brilliant idea of FamilyCookProductions in partnership with youth peer mentoring program HealthCorps. Last week teens gathered to compete in the Teen Battle Chef Cook-Off.
The contest got some star power thanks to the judges: Dr. Oz & his lovely wife Lisa, Rocco DiSpirito, and Iron Chef America Challenger Chef Michael Ferraro. And that's really cool of them all. But I think what's really brilliant about this whole thing is that it's teens supporting each other to eat healthier.
It turns out that Dr. Oz is actually FoodCorps chairman, so that's some pretty powerful support. He says of the competition, "Peer mentoring has proven to be an optimal resource to reach teens and show them not only how to better value their bodies, but also to give them purpose and direction.” And we all kind of know this, right? By the time kids reach their teens, they are way less influenced by their parents and other adults -- though of course that still matters. But once you reach high school, it's actually your friends who have the biggest influence on you.
So if your friends are making Kenyan Styled Mixed Greens and Collard and Golden Beet Soup -- maybe you will, too? That's a couple of the dishes the students cooked up in the competition. And those are also their very own recipes, thank you very much.
Teen Battle Chef is a program in nearly 50 schools in 12 states. The kids work on teamwork, leadership development, cooking skills, nutrition, and gaining "a new appreciation for diverse, healthy and sustainably-produced food." And there's no nagging on your part! (Except maybe to get them there on time.) What a cool program.
Would your teen compete in a Teen Battle Chef Cook-Off if he or she had the opportunity?
Image via FamilyCookProductions
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