An experienced cook, senior Anna Stouffer is putting her hobby to work. As a Chapel Hill High School student who enjoys the study of human health and cooking, Stouffer has put both interests together into a cookbook of her own. Partnering with nutritionist Judy Hinderliter from the University of North Carolina (UNC), Stouffer is creating a cookbook to benefit elderly people with heart disease.
With a stress fracture causing Stouffer to take a hiatus from the indoor track team and freeing up a significant amount of time, she began to put more time towards cooking. “I got Shalane Flanagan’s cookbook, Run Fast. Eat Slow. and had so much fun making new and different recipes for dinner every night,” Stouffer said. “This inspired me to write my own cookbook.”
Flanagan’s cookbook was what sparked Stouffer’s appetite to create her own, but her love for cooking started much earlier. “I’ve loved cooking since I was really small. I used to make various treats almost everyday when I got home from elementary school,” Stouffer said. “My love for cooking has grown and expanded, and I now cook from all categories, not just desserts.”
Stouffer realized she could do more than just cook for her own pleasure. “The goal was to share [the cookbook] with family and friends, but I soon realized it could help people, I contacted a nutritionist at UNC and asked if she would be willing to edit a cookbook I wrote for Cardiac Rehab.”
The book begins with an informative introduction that explains nutrition of various foods and food groups.
“The goal was to help people understand how to read nutrition labels, give tips on eating healthy and to give people knowledge instead of solely giving them recipes,” Stouffer said.
UNC will be helping Stouffer with the finances of producing and publishing her book. Stouffer will not receive profits, as all proceeds will be given to patients in cardiac rehab facilities across the state of North Carolina.
“I was very fortunate that UNC offered a very generous sum of money for publishing because they have been wanting a cookbook like this for a while, so there is no need to sell it to get profit,” Stouffer said.
UNC is currently editing the book, titled A Guide to Heart Healthy Eating, and they hope to have it published in November.
