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Published on 04/27/11

UGA teaches healthy cooking class

By April Reese Sorrow

Eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of cancer by up to 50 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute. To help Georgians learn how to cook cancer-fighting meals, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offers free classes.

More than 40,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in Georgia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nearly 15,000 die.

“Making healthy lifestyle choices can dramatically reduce our risk for developing certain types of cancers,” said Denise Everson, UGA Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agent in Athens and Oconee County. “We teach families how they can eat healthy, but still eat well, while improving their health and reducing their risk for chronic disease.”

Everson will teach a free Cooking for a Healthier Lifetime Cancer Prevention Cooking School on Wednesday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Health Department. Citizens are invited to learn how to reduce their risk for cancer and chronic disease by making healthy food choices.

“The simple steps we take today, improved eating habits and an active lifestyle, can decrease our risk for chronic disease and improve our overall well-being,” Everson said.

Recipes will be shared and free food samples will be available. Space is limited so call 706-583-2756 by April 29 to secure a spot in the class.

UGA Extension, Athens-Clarke County Health Department and the American Cancer Society sponsor the course.

For more information on healthy life choices or similar classes in your area, contact a local UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.

April R. Sorrow is a science writer with the University of Georgia Public Affairs Office.