Akron Life December 2022

FOREVER YOUNG

NUTRITION LESSON Try this Sip Savor Soul recipe with grandkids.

books that help kids that may be a little delayed in their reading levels. It helps them get the context of the story while looking at pictures to get context better than words.” To encourage kids to develop reading habits themselves as they get older, have books around the house, and take them to the library regularly, having them explore new sections to introduce new topics to them. Another great way to connect with grandkids while teaching them skills is cooking together. One option for learn ing is attending Sip Savor Soul, which opened in late September in Akron and offers healthy cooking classes for kids and adults of all ages as well as holiday classes this month. “The problem is many people … don’t like the word ‘healthy’ because people think it means elimination or denial of something that they really like,” says chef and founder Dannika Stevenson. To reframe the word “healthy,” for example, she taught students to replace french fries with zucchini, squash and eggplant fries and create their own from-scratch ketchup. Some ways to teach kids nutrition include taking them to the grocery store and letting them pick up some of their favorite foods but also introduc ing healthy and balanced choices. You might take kids to a farmers market instead, or if you do go to the grocery store, you might stay only within the produce section. “Kids mimic your eating style,” Stevenson says. “If you don’t like fruit,

guess what’s going to happen? Your kids or your grandkids are not going to like it either. If you want them to eat healthily, guess what? You have to eat healthily. This is a family unit. You have to do it together.” Families can learn to cook through her classes as well as her Cook Well, Live Well, Eat Well program every other Saturday at the Summa Health Equity Center in Akron. Participants use pro duce from Let’s Grow Akron, a nutri tion nonprofit, to cook healthy recipes. And to help your grandkids better develop a cooking habit, Stevenson says to introduce new things so they build curiosity to try them and dive into the fresh recipes, letting them make tweaks to use their creativity. Through experi ence, confidence in the kitchen comes. “Cooking is a skill that everyone should acquire,” Stevenson says. “Just like breathing and drinking water, cooking is the sustainability of life.” Using time indoors to help grandkids learn new skills and foster more inter action could reap a lifetime of rewards. “If the kids are physically participat ing, that makes a big difference,” Chervank Cyphers says. “When the kids participate, there is an increase in socialization, as well, amongst the kids and the grandparents too.” [ Nathalia Teixeira is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in sociology and photojournalism at Kent State University. ] Comments? Email them to Kelly Petryszyn [kpetryszyn@bakermediagroup.com].

WINTER ROOT MASH TIME: 30 MINUTES SERVES: 6

Ingredients: • 2-3 pounds of mixed root veg etables like potatoes, carrots, yams, parsnips, turnips, onions or garlic • 1/4 cup vegetable broth • 1-2 teaspoons each of salt, pepper and garlic powder • 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter Instructions: Peel and cut vegetables into same size chunks. In a large pot, cover the vegetables in cold, salted water and bring water to a boil. Cook veg etables roughly 15 to 20 minutes or until they can be pierced through. Drain vegetables and return to pot. Mash vegetables. Add liquid, but ter and seasonings. Mash well. Add more seasonings and/or liquid if needed. Add your favorite toppings.

Visit facebook.com/sipsavorsoul to learn about holiday classes in December and more.

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