LESS FAT, SALT AND SUGAR A RECIPE FOR HEALTHIER FAMILIES.

Byline: Denisse Salazar Staff Writer

Martha Kilbourn recently wanted to have a slice of cheesecake, but she didn't. Since starting the Good Cooking / Buena Cocina class at Ranchito Street Elementary School in Panorama City, Kilbourn said she has become more conscious of her eating habits.

For the past three weeks, Kilbourn has joined 20 other parents in a class designed to educate them about nutrition, meal preparation and physical fitness.

Kilbourn said she is excited to learn to cook healthy meals, especially because her 7-year-old daughter tells her, ``Mom, I don't want to be fat. I want to be healthy.''

In Los Angeles, 25 percent of boys and 18 percent of girls attending public schools in grades five, seven and nine are overweight, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Since starting the class, Kilbourn said she has eliminated sodas and added more vegetables to the family's diet.

Healthier family meals

Rosa Lee, a mother of three, said the class helps her modify meals she prepares for her family by selecting products that are lower in sodium and sugar. She's also switched from white to brown rice. ``I regret feeding my children foods that are high in sodium, such as norsuiza (a packaged seasoning mix),'' Lee said.

Teaching parents about healthy eating is important because they are the ones who buy the food, prepare the snacks and control their children's eating habits, said Bonnie Bailer, director of the Center for Healthier Communities at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

A team from Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization based in Hollywood, is teaching parents to select nutritious ingredients for their meals, to read labels and to prepare healthy meals such as rice pilaf with corn and roasted peppers, crepes with fruit and couscous with vegetables.

``If we can get across the basics of healthy eating, then they'll be in great shape,'' said Cynthia Agustin, program coordinator.

The six-week class is part of the School-Based Obesity and Diabetes Initiative, a pilot project spearheaded by Northridge Hospital's Center for Healthier Communities, and embraced by several other local organizations, including the L.A. Unified School District, Nutrition Network and California State University, Northridge.

The pilot project's aim is to help combat childhood obesity through parent education, in-school and after-school intervention, teacher training and support groups.

Program is in 5 schools

It was launched last March, and is now in five schools -- James Monroe High School, Sepulveda Middle School, Liggett Elementary, Ranchito Street Elementary and Plummer Street Elementary -- all in the high-need communities of North Hills and Panorama City.

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Photo:

Rosa Lee, left, a mother of three, prepares a healthy meal with instructor Cynthia Agustin in the Good Cooking class.

Denisse Salazar/Staff Photographer