It’s Nutritious…
It's Delicious…
It’s Nutriolicious!

Twelve-year-old Marley Harris loves to paint and color and draw. So it’s no surprise the sixth-grader embraces the tactile pleasures of creating beautiful and delectable foods. Clad in a colorful apron, she brandishes a spatula during a recent cooking class at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

 “I absolutely love this class,” she tells her mom. “I love it, I love it, I love it!”

Led by dietitians in St. Jude Clinical Nutrition Services, the twice-weekly Nutriolicious class is designed to help improve the nutrition of patients and their parents while instilling knowledge about healthful food choices. Parents say the activity helps their children regain a sense of normalcy, hone valuable skills, meet new friends and have fun.

Participants have prepared dishes ranging from fish tacos and pancakes to vegetable quesadillas and pasta.

“The best way to eat right is to learn to cook,” says St. Jude Registered Dietitian Karen Ringwald-Smith. “If we can teach patients healthful behaviors while they’re cooking in a fun, hands-on way, it might stick. If they enjoy the experience, they’re less likely to choose fast food and more likely to cook wholesome food at home. And if we involve the parents in the class, then we teach both the parents and the children.”