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Cooking contest focusing on healthy options

A Turner Valley personal trainer has a few tricks up her sleeve that could help families put healthy meals on the table.
Brenda Shaw from Okotoks Natural Foods is contributing the recipe for this super food banana bread for Shyrelle Bateman’s cookbook. Bateman, owner of FITT 2 Go in
Brenda Shaw from Okotoks Natural Foods is contributing the recipe for this super food banana bread for Shyrelle Bateman’s cookbook. Bateman, owner of FITT 2 Go in Turner Valley, is hosting a healthy cooking competition March 17 at the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills in Black Diamond and needs competitors. Participants will have their recipes published in the cook book.

A Turner Valley personal trainer has a few tricks up her sleeve that could help families put healthy meals on the table.

Shyrelle Bateman, FITT 2 Go Training founder and certified trainer, is inviting people from across the Foothills to prepare healthy snacks or meals in a cooking competition at the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills above the Oilfields Arena in Black Diamond March 17.

Three contestants have already signed up, but Bateman hopes to see as many as nine whipping up original recipes for the competition’s young judges.

“By doing a competition I thought it would be a good encouragement to get people excited to come up with recipes that are healthy substitutes for what families are maybe eating currently,” she said. “My goal is an overall healthy lifestyle. As a trainer I believe that activity is important, but you can affect your training a lot based on what your food intake is.”

Bateman got the idea to host a local cooking competition after competing in a similar event in Calgary where participants created recipes using specific products. The recipes ended up in a cookbook.

In Bateman’s contest, there are very few rules.

Participants have up to 45 minutes to prepare their dish, which Bateman said can be any type of meal, dessert or snack. Prep work can be done at home before the competition, she added. She insists that participants use at least one type of produce and that the recipe be very low in white sugar.

“They get extra points if they have no white sugar and if they have a secondary food group,” she said. “I wanted to take the idea and turn it into something more health-based for the entire community. It can be whatever food they want; there is nothing specific I’m looking for.”

Judges in the competition will consist of five children ranging in ages from three to 12.

“These are recipes that we want the average family to enjoy eating,” she said. “It’s finding a way to make something healthier that still tastes good.”

Three winners will be selected. The first place winner will receive a trophy, gift basket and a free cookbook. The second place cook will receive a trophy and gift basket and a trophy will be handed out for third place.

All participants will have their recipes entered in a cookbook Bateman will create using an online self-publisher. She hopes to have it available for sale this spring.

“Some recipes I have come up with and a couple of businesses that are health-related are putting some in,” she said. “After the competition I’m going to open it up to collect recipes from the community.”

The cooking competition is part of FITT 2 Go’s mandate to get more involved in the community while encouraging people to make healthier choices.

“Every month I’ve done a free community activity,” she said, adding she’s organized hikes, a health fair and Christmas caroling. “They’ve all touched on various aspects to get people thinking about health in a broader form. Focusing on one particular thing is far less advantageous.”

The cooking competition is open to both adults and children. Those wanting to participate in the free contest can contact Shyrelle Bateman at 403-512-9628 or at [email protected]. The deadline to register is March 16 at 5 p.m.

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