ANN ARBOR Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital will soon begin piloting its new Nutrition Buddies program, a two-year program designed to teach teens about nutrition while providing them with farm-fresh produce and cooking classes. Over the course of the program, 80 participants aged 12 to 14 will learn about low-cost food and nutrition while participating in a Farm Share program, week-long summer camps and after school classes. According to Alexandra Babcock, the Lifestyle & Culinary Medicine Coordinator at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, the program has two goals: Educating physicians and giving participants confidence and autonomy regarding food choices. How we want to approach combatting chronic disease is through these different avenues. We want to be able to teach people that food can be the medicine that can prevent and reverse chronic disease. Like what youre reading?