emPOWER program helps kids cook up healthy habits

Published on Monday, July 1, 2024

By: Danny Barrett Jr., dlbarrett@umc.edu

This summer, the emPOWER program for pediatric weight management is focusing on a place where all eating habits tend to begin for young children – the kitchen.

The program, housed in the Center for Integrative Health and celebrating its fifth year at UMMC in 2024, includes hands-on learning about balanced nutrition in addition to exercises, dynamic stretches and activities. Youths aged 8 to 18 with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above normal range are referred to the program by the pediatric weight management team.

“Nutritional healing starts with teaching families how to eat and cook for a lifetime of wellness,” said Krista King, a registered dietician nutritionist based in pediatric weight management and a head chef of sorts for the culinary medicine portion of the program this year. “Creativity in the kitchen can start with locally grown, in-season fruit and vegetables full of flavor, high in nutrients and less expensive.”

Cooking demonstrations for the kids will employ portion plates to show how much protein, fruit and grains they need on a daily basis, plus introduce them to healthy choices such as pears and mangoes found to be less common in children with high BMIs. Participants are also seeing alternate equipment such as air fryers for the first time to show how meats, starches and vegetables can be just as tasty without oil and grease.

“The air fryer is my most used kitchen tool and has revolutionized my ability to serve vegetables in my own home,” King said. “It is quick and easy to whip up a batch of Asian zing broccoli, cauliflower wings, or zucchini chips, all of which have become personal favorites with my children.”

Parents are also being engaged in the courses to help foster better examples at the dinner table, said Rachel Dear, physical therapist and assistant director of CIH.

The six-week program at the Ridgeland center is also now incorporating yoga for flexibility and dance for coordination to go with exercises aimed at improving strength and endurance. In keeping with this year being an Olympic year, the program has an Olympic day that includes an obstacle course, limbo competition and board games such as emPOWER Jeopardy. Lessons that focus on mental health including managing screen time with personal technology, sleep management and fostering healthy social relationships remain part of the program.

“Many of our participants are already borderline diabetic,” Dear said. “This past spring, we had six people in the room and, in a show of hands, five put their hands up as having known someone with diabetes within their own family.”

The emPOWER program, formerly known as Iron Kids, is funded by Children’s Miracle Network since it rebranded in 2022. Along with the cooking classes this year, a collaboration with Mississippi State Extension Service is underway to research the potential relationship between motor skill proficiency and childhood obesity, Dear said.

“Two goals we have for 2025 are to branch out to include parents even more so they’re encouraged to come every week and to offer emPOWER virtually, to really expand our reach to children with limited access to this type of program,” Dear said. “With the exercise element mixed in, our kids and their parents love how they feel when the program is done.”

Sessions are currently on Thursdays, with the current group to finish up by July 25. The next session is set to begin on Oct. 15 and run through Nov. 19. To learn more about emPOWER, visit the Center for Integrative Health website or call 601-815-3424.

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