El Paso Health & Project Vida team up to offer free healthy cooking classes for community

El Paso Health, a local non-profit organization, presented a $2,500 dollar check Tuesday morning to Project Vida Health Center as part of an effort to support wellness by offering free cooking classes to promote healthy eating habits.

“For us making an investment in cooking classes that can teach individuals how to cook in a way that’s more healthy for themselves and for their children, that’s a big plus,” said Adriana Cadena, El Paso Health’s C.A.R.E. Unit Manager.

The program is a series of six classes held at different locations across the borderland.

The two hour classes are given once a week. Participants will learn and taste new recipes with a variety of ingredients without preservatives.

The cooking class objectives include teaching participants how to use table salt vs. natural seasoning or how to use more organic ingredients when cooking.

Classes are given by a community member who made changes in her life to adapt traditional Mexican dishes to be healthier.

“We know that everybody loves their mexican food, but we know that we need to do a little adjustments in order to be more healthy. This is what she does. She is going to give these classes to the community, prepare the meal, talk about how to buy the stuff, how to do the things in a healthy way and the most important thing is taste. They’re going to have the opportunity to taste the foods when they have the classes,” said Aida Ponce, Project Vida’s Chief Outreach and Wellness Officer.

If you would like more information on the classes and locations, Click here.