By Matt Felder

Table Top would like to thank Texas Farm Bureau’s Matt Felder for this guest post about the Junior League’s Kids in the Kitchen program. Matt is field editor for TFB’s publications.

Nationally, about one in seven children are obese, and that statistic increases to nearly one in three children in Texas. But that’s something the Junior League of San Antonio­—and many other Junior Leagues across the Lone Star State—is hoping to change through its Kids in the Kitchen program.

Kids in the Kitchen teaches kids, and their parents, how to prepare healthy meals while raising awareness of good nutrition and smart food choices. More than 200 Junior Leagues use the program to provide lessons and demonstrations related to preparing healthy meals and snacks in partnership with local community organizations, chefs and health professionals, like nutritionists and nurses.

Research has shown that when a child is engaged in making their own food, they’re more likely to eat healthily, which is the goal of Kids in the Kitchen. During this session in San Antonio, local celebrity Chef Michael Flores showed hundreds of kids how to make a healthy snack.

“I’d rather show quick short cuts than have people in the drive-through lanes. Instead, [I’d rather see them] spending more time at the table with the family creating and doing things like this,” Chef Flores says.

Chef Flores also teaches cooking classes for kids, where he focuses on reducing sugars and fat while demonstrating appropriate portion control.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that will take time to reverse, but the Junior League of San Antonio is hoping to make a difference—one young Texan at a time.

How do you get your kids involved in making healthy food choices? Do they have a favorite snack that they like to make themselves? Share with us by leaving a comment below!