Cooking classes teach feds the ingredients of a strong immune system

In the spirit of improving workplace health and happiness, several federal agencies, including the State Department and the General Services Administration, have organized free lunchtime cooking classes for their employees. Lisa Davis, a cooking instructor with the nonprofit The Cancer Project, which promotes healthy living through smart dietary choices, spoke with Government Executive recently about the benefits of providing such courses. Edited excerpts of the interview follow.

GE: What opportunities has The Cancer Project offered at the State Department and other federal agencies?

Davis: The Cancer Project offers seven- and four-class series on cancer prevention and survival. We have topics such as Favoring Fiber, Fueling Up on Low-Fat Foods, Immune-Boosting Foods, and Alternative Meat Replacement. In each class, we show a five- to 10-minute video pertaining to the class subject. For example, in Favoring Fiber, the film talks about why fiber is important in our diet and the health benefits of fiber. Then we demonstrate and prepare three to four different recipes on that subject.

GE: What are some of the benefits to employees who participate in these classes?

Davis: One thing is learning to prevent not just cancer but other diseases by making some dietary changes. Making healthier food choices can definitely make a difference. Being able to taste the foods as they are prepared is another benefit. There's a lot of science behind how plant-based diets provide cancer-fighting compounds and immune-boosting nutrients that basically benefit us and help us to be healthier.

GE: How do agencies benefit from hosting these classes?

Davis: If your employees are healthier, it keeps health insurance costs from increasing. If employees aren't sick, and they can come to work and participate and do their daily duties -- that is the main benefit. Long term, if someone has cancer or another debilitating disease and is out for a long time, that's on the employer. But anyone can benefit from these lessons.

GE: What are the main things participants take away from these sessions?

Davis: First is the importance of a whole foods diet, including more fruits and vegetables. Another is the importance of whole grains, meaning brown rice and whole grain pastas. The other is the knowledge that making dietary changes can prevent or reverse heart disease and diabetes, among other diseases.

GE: How can agencies host a Cancer Project series?

Davis:Agencies can call The Cancer Project directly. If an agency is a part of the Combined Federal Campaign, it can donate funds to us because we are a nonprofit organization. The agency is responsible for the facility, including a table and a television with a DVD/VCR, and the instructor brings the food and cooking utensils. The classes are $300 per class, so the four-class series is $1,200 and the seven-class series is $2,400.

GE: What are some of the challenges agencies face in implementing these classes?

Davis: The primary one is paying for them. It's often not in the budget and agencies just don't have the funding. But the classes are very well attended. We had to split the GSA class in half because there was a wait list.

GE: In the context of personal enrichment, why should agencies offer these opportunities for their employees?

Davis: The classes serve a great benefit because we all are at risk for cancer. We have a breast cancer class for women and a prostate cancer class for men. But everyone can benefit from learning how important it is to keep a whole foods diet and how beneficial weight loss can be. If we can get employees, as adults, to make dietary changes, that can trickle into their homes and throughout their families.