MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO -- Depot Marines and civilians cooked up a storm Tuesday at Marine Corps Community Services’ Healthy Cooking Class at the Bayview Restaurant.
Class members learned how to cook some of their favorite tailgate party foods with a special, healthy twist.
"Most people think that in order to eat healthy they have to sacrifice flavor,"said Pam Swords, health promotions director. "We are doing this class to show people that food can be healthy and tasty, too."
There were many benefits for the attending health enthusiasts.
"Service members have busy schedules and sometimes it is hard for them to eat right or concentrate on proper nutrition,"said Swords. "These lessons help them maintain military weight standards."
Jennifer Stephens, account daily reports director at the Marine Corps Exchange, said she enjoyed the class because the recipes are good and do not take a lot of time to prepare. She believes the speed of the preparation is good for service members because they are always on-the-go and don’t have a lot of time to cook.
Cooking classes also provide people with a way to get together and have some fun. Swords said it is a great opportunity for family bonding and building camaraderie between military members because they spend their time learning and cooking together.
"I enjoy the class because it gave me a chance to meet new people and do something different and interesting with friends,"said Petty Officer 2nd class Robert Aguirre, religious program specialist.
According to Swords, another advantage of the culinary tutorial is the hands-on experience they receive. All needed equipment and ingredients are provided so members can prepare recipes themselves instead of just watching.
Students learn how to make changes to six recipes to make them healthier.
"I find it very valuable to know there are food substitutions that are better for you,"said Brenda Petty, sales associate at the Exchange. "A lot of people don’t know the different kind of ingredients they can use."
Along with healthy substitutions for ingredients, class participants are taught proper serving sizes for cooking and serving their favorite dishes. They made chicken quesadillas, Texas quesadillas, Polynesian wings, queso dip and crunchy potato salad.
"This is my favorite class so far because these items are so easy to make,"said Swords. "It teaches people it doesn’t take any more energy to make something healthy than it does to make something that isn’t as good for you."
Healthy cooking classes are offered twice each quarter because of the high turn-out they have received in the past. The courses offer four different themes based on the season; salad classes take place in March, summer appetizers in June, tailgating favorites for football season and desserts for the holidays.
Four-week nutrition classes are also offered every quarter. These classes are for those who wish to do a more in-depth study on how to eat healthy.
Petty said programs like the cooking classes provide changes people can use all throughout life. She said they go hand-in-hand with conditioning curriculums at the fitness center.
With a better outlook on healthy eating, class members agreed they are looking forward to learning how to more wholesome desserts for the holidays.
For more information call Pam Swords at (619) 524-8913 or e-mail her at swordspl@usmc-mccs.org.