I don’t want my daughter to struggle with weight as I have for many years. I was a chubby teen but lost weight in college and kept it off until my forties. Since then I’ve been in the weight-control twilight zone.

So is much of America. Obesity is a national epidemic in our country, and African Americans have the highest obesity rates, both adults and children. According to federal government surveys, nearly 30 percent of African American girls between the ages of 12 and 19 are obese. My daughter, who turned 15 years old a few weeks ago, isn’t overweight now but she doesn’t have good eating habits. When she turns 40, I want her to understand good nutrition and how to manage her desires for oh-so-tasty-but-not-good-for-you foods. That’s why we are beginning a year’s worth of cooking and nutrition classes, created with advice from my nearly 80-year-old mother and guidelines offered by nutritionists and expert cooks.

Over the weekend, we talked about food, eating and cooking. My daughter – who loves pasta dishes, junk food and fast food (except for McDonald’s since she saw a movie about food preparation in their restaurants) – says she wants to learn to cook. What does she want to do first? Macaroni and cheese and fried chicken, neither of which I prepare at home. She also wants to do some baking.

We have other matters to deal with before we start boiling pasta. She needs to understand recommended nutrition guidelines, the importance of drinking water, and the dangers of processed food. I already cook with whole grains, olive oil, lean meats (not much beef) but usually stick to the same recipes. But we both like sugar, which a study some weeks ago pointed out is addictive. So I’ll be learning more too, as I stay on course to lose weight as part of the weareblackwomen.com Melt the Middle Health Challenge.

I’ll be blogging about our adventures on most Mondays (except when she has out-of-town activities with Girl Scouts, church youth ministry, etc.) as we’ll have our classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Do join in the conversation and share how you’re teaching your teenage daughters and sons how to cook tasty but healthy food.

I’ll certainly be reading advice from Fatimah Ali, who writes about good-for-you foods and recipes in her Healthy Southern Comforts blog, so check her out, too.

Let the fun begin.

Related posts:

1. A food adventure begins