Featured Family
Those who share their time, resources and willing hands with SFC are thought of as more than friends; they’re family. This page highlights the contribution of one within SFC’s family who has gone above and beyond and shown us all what it means to see our mission in action.
Maria Tinoco has been facilitating classes for several years with The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre™, a program of Sustainable Food Center. She first enrolled in THK cooking class series four years ago. After learning how to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and leaner protein and calcium sources and less processed foods into her home-cooked meals, she trained to become a facilitator with THK. Now she teaches healthy recipes and eating habits that she learned to the community. Additionally, by actively facilitating classes, she stays informed of the latest health and cooking knowledge.
Growing up in Mexico, Maria was used to eating healthy, home-cooked meals prepared by her mother. However, after moving to the United States it became more difficult to eat healthy, home-cooked meals because of the ubiquity of processed foods – high in fat and sodium and low in fiber – that form the American diet. Once Maria had a family of her own, she continued the tradition of preparing home-cooked meals but quickly learned that just because a meal is cooked at home, it is not necessarily healthy.
When Maria first began incorporating whole grains into her home-cooked meals, such as brown rice and whole wheat pasta, her two daughters, Jackie and Lupita, and her husband were skeptical. Thus she had to be creative in the way she served the new foods. For example, the first time she made spaghetti, she served the sauce already mixed in with the pasta because she knew that her family would immediately notice the darker shade of whole grain pasta compared to white pasta. After disguising the whole grains, her family is now accustomed to eating an array of whole grain products, such as brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta
Maria says that now, when they purchase groceries, Jackie and Lupita help her pick out the healthiest foods. For example, Jackie and Lupita now know how to read the nutrition facts label and always look for the healthiest breakfast cereals – the ones made with little or no added sugars, whole grains and lots of fiber
Since Maria was used to cooking homemade meals and rarely ate outside the home, she assumed that her meals were healthy. However, she realized that even when families cook their own meals, they have to be aware of the fat, sodium and sugar content of the ingredients used to make their meals. This was especially important for Maria since high cholesterol runs in the family. By facilitating THK classes, Maria hopes she can teach others to be cook healthier foods, even under their own roof.
