Local Adventist Leaders in Mexico Incorporate Healthy Cooking Training into Their Ministries

Hundreds of Seventh-day Adventists in Mexico City and throughout central Mexico recently took part in healthy eating training sessions led by experts from Alimentos COLPAC, one of the Inter-American Division’s largest food factories.

Leaders from Health Ministries, Small Group Ministries, Women’s Ministries, Personal Ministries, and other departments within the Central Mexican Union gathered for the first-ever comprehensive health training initiative to educate church members and those from the community on healthy foods and better eating habits.

The main objective of the program was about prevention and care for one’s body through the principles of healthy cooking and good nutrition, said Genaro Corral, marketing manager of Alimentos COLPAC and one of the main organizers of the training events.

National statistics show that one of the country’s main challenges is to address and reduce non-transmissible chronic conditions, as 70 percent of the population in Mexico are obese, 30 percent suffer from hypertension, and 9 percent have type 2 diabetes.

The weekend training and workshop sessions, coined “I Will Go Cooking with Hope,” engaged participants in learning the right foods to eat, as well as their nutritional benefits, how to prevent diseases, and how to eat a plant-based diet.

“We focused on educating Adventist ministry leaders in the culinary arts, with its therapeutic uses, so that they would be ready to share the classes and knowledge with their friends and neighbors, to bring a message of hope and improve quality of life,” said Marisol Brambila, nutritional advisor at Alimentos COLPAC.

“We were certain that this was a good evangelistic plan and that by promoting it to small groups, it would be attractive to union leaders and church leaders,” said Enrique Meza, general manager of Alimentos COLPAC. There are church members who feel a little embarrassed about inviting others to spiritual gatherings, but inviting their neighbors to cooking classes could be much easier, he explained. “That is why I believe that the church will use these training sessions to invite others so that they can meet God through the health message.”

Alimentos COLPAC has consistently supported the church’s health initiatives such as “I Want to Live Healthy,” yet it is the first time the food branch has organized a specific program in collaboration with the Central Mexican Union, Meza added.

The initiative is something the union administration embraced right away as part of the church’s evangelistic initiatives this year, said Pastor José Dzul, president of the union. “We saw this project as an additional tool to be used in the ‘houses of hope’ [small groups] and to awaken interest in the church for its emphasis on health.”

Each participant received a kit with a notebook, nutrition booklet, cloth to squeeze soy, a children’s activity booklet, and other resources and were informed of the dozens of healthy products that Alimentos COLPAC has available. They were also able to taste several dishes, organizers said.

Juan Rojas, of Mexico City, who attended the sessions, said he was impressed with the large variety of healthy foods available. “I am very happy to be part of the many who will go and share this message of hope,” said Rosas.

“I really liked the ‘I Will Go cook with Hope’; all the information they gave us along with the workshop is very important,” said Tere Samudio, a teacher from Toluca.

Concepción Méndez of Leon, of Guanajuato, was thankful to Alimentos COLPAC for all the training imparted during the sessions. “I’m thankful that COLPAC provides good products and recipes that benefit our body and prevent diseases,” she said.

Leaders at Alimentos COLPAC are planning to hold more training sessions and workshops in the Central Mexican Union, specifically in the cities of Tijuana, Hermosillo, Chihuahua, Villahermosa, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Montemorelos, Culiacán, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and Mérida.

About Alimentos COLPAC

Alimentos COLPAC has been operating for 67 years in Mexico and currently has four production plants and nine distribution centers serving the entire country. Each year, COLPAC produces more than 10,000 tons of food.

Alimentos COLPAC has exported products to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

To learn more about Alimentos COLPAC and its products and initiatives, visit colpac.com.mx.

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division website.