Do people really want to eat well?

We call ourselves Conscious Cravers for two reasons. The first is because one of our mottos is "we crave, but we crave consciously!" The second is because we provide environmentally friendly food and wellness classes to anyone and we go anywhere people will listen to us. Our names are Ebeth Johnson, Natalia Gavaria and Suzanne Barr. Together we teach teens and adults how to eat for physical, mental and spiritual well-Being. In the last five years Conscious Cravers has created learning-kitchens in all kinds of places including churches, community centers, schools, corporate offices, libraries and parks. We figure as long as we get the message out who cares where we do it!

As we make our way around New York City people are really curious about our work. Most often people ask if our students, especially the teens, are really into the idea of good food, for good health and a greener planet. The answer is yes.

People, including teenagers, do buy into the idea of good food, for good health and a greener planet. In fact, the biggest challenge in getting young people to eat well is the adults. Adults tend to underestimate young people’s desire to learn and care about what they eat and how they treat their bodies. At Conscious Cravers, we find that teenagers who are given a chance to explore new tastes, learn knife skills and try new recipes are sincerely and actively interested in finding out more. They also implement what they learn in our classes at home and share ideas with their friends and family.

The challenge with adults is getting them to believe eating well is delicious and easy. The secret is knowing how to present the message to them. Typically, adults (and teens too) associate nutrition messages with a monotone voice explaining the intricacies of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Many people fear a nutritionist will dole out a lengthy list of foods not to eat, and they assume this list will include all of the foods they really want to eat! Plus many of us perceive healthy food as tasteless and boring.

At Conscious Cravers, we have a different approach for kids, teens adn adults alike. First, we use skits, role play, journaling, cooking and eating to make our workshops fun, interactive and engaging. Second, it’s rare that we tell someone not to eat a particular food. We say listen to your body and when you decide to eat something choose the highest Quality ingredients (local and fresh), choose a Quantity of food that is an appropriate serving size (fits in your hand) and eat in Moderation (not too much or too little of anything). These are 3 of our keys to healthy eating. For short we call them the Q.Q.M (Quality, Quantity, Moderation). With an eating lifestyle as easy as the Q.Q.M. who would not buy in? And to address the idea of healthy food as boring we simply say “Look at us, do we look like people who eat tasteless food?” Then we get cooking because we all know the proof is in the pudding!