Online Plant-Based Cooking Classes Combat COVID-19 Comorbidities
Cooking To Combat COVID-19, a new online campaign from the Physicians Committee’s Food for Life program, is designed to help participants use a plant-based diet to fight hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity—which are among the conditions that can make COVID-19 more severe and deadly.
The campaign brings Food for Life nutrition and cooking classes online for the first time, with instructors across the United States and abroad providing cooking demonstrations and teaching participants how plant-based diets can help prevent and sometimes reverse these diseases.
From the comfort of their homes, participants will learn about topics including diabetes prevention and reversal, heart health, and maintaining a healthy weight, as well as tips on planning a budget-friendly weekly or monthly menu with pantry staples.
People with underlying health conditions make up 94% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, who are affected disproportionately by these conditions, are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.
In the United States, 34 million people have diabetes, 93.3 million are obese, 18.2 million have coronary artery disease (the most common type of heart disease), 37 million have chronic kidney disease, 4.5 million have chronic liver disease, and 26.6 million have cancer; that’s 213 million Americans with one of more of these diseases or up to 65% of the U.S. population.
To help lower your risk for these conditions, sign up for a class today.