Question 2
The article references some food banks that are
offering nutrition education and training kitchens. As and RD, what would be
your approach to providing a nutrition education to a group of food-insecure
individuals. What would your overall theme/message be? How would you use the
food pantry as a nutrition tool?
posted by Anonymous @ 2:23 PM
35 comments
35 Comments:
I would compile a list of commonly donated items at the food pantry that are nutritious and can be incorporated into simple, yet healthy recipes that can be used in the training kitchens. I think simplicity should be the focus because some households may not have access to fancy kitchen equipment/tools and may be providing a meal for a large group. People oftentimes have difficulty visualizing how a group of ingredients can be used harmoniously to make a dish that is healthy and also appealing. Maybe chosing 2 recipes to focus on at each session to ensure that the participants have the skills and knowledge that they need to make the dishes at home.
I would focus on cheap foods that do not expire but promote health. For example, dried rice and beans are very cheap and filling but do not cost much money. I would teach classes that show how you can use these items to feed a family for a long time. I would use the food pantry as examples of what the food looks like and how to use it. Many times people do not know what to do with food anymore. Teaching them ways to prepare some of the filling items that offer health benefits and are relatively cheap would be my first step.
Alana makes a good point to keep the topics very simple and not use a lot of fancy equipment. We would want to avoid pureed avocado in these presentations and stick to the basics. I like the idea of having a list for them to take home as well.
It would be very important to remember as an RD that these individuals in general are more focused on having something to eat at mealtimes than they are on the nutritional content of their meals. Therefore, I would incorporate appropriate foods that they may have access to that are nutritious without reaping on the health benefits of them. Instead I would highlight how quick, shelf-stable, or inexpensive they are.
Alana, I think it's a great idea to limit the topics covered. Discussing just a couple recipes per session seems like it would be beneficial and practical. I also agree that it would be great to only include commonly donated items.
I would speak with them about the overall importance of making healthy choices. I would also talk about buying fruits and vegetables in season to be less expensive. I would also talk to them about rice and beans because that includes protein while still being cost effective. And I would definitely use the food bank as a tool! I could walk them through the food bank and discuss food items, their nutrition, and what some healthful option are.
I agree with Emily's statement about highlighting quick, shelf-stable, and inexpensive items. I think it's important to discuss their nutritional value but it's also necessary to point out other quality about foods so they will be more appealing to a food insecure audience.
To begin with, I would like to provide a tour of the food pantry and explain which foods fall within which group. E.g. Bread is a carbohydrate and peanut butter is a protein source.
I would also like to emphasize hands-on activity by asking individuals to chop/dice/mix/cook food while I assist them. This allows active engagement and some practice so they feel confident when they are preparing meals for their family.
I agree with Alana that a small number of simple recipes are the way to begin.
I also agree with Emily that the primary focus of these individuals is to put food on the table FIRST, not assess the nutritional content of the food.
My overall theme and message would be “teach a man to fish” with a focus on assessing each family’s tools (i.e., food/nutrition-related understanding, pantry, kitchen equipment, time) and then providing support and instruction as it related to their knowledge/skill deficiency. My ideal situation would be to provide a series of classes each month or so through the food bank. To determine needs and interests in the community, I might use a survey, comment cards, and word-of-mouth. With that information I’d structure talks and presentations to address their needs and concerns in addition to using foods offered at the pantry, equipment they might have at home, and audience participation. Class topics I might suggest: Food Safety over the Holidays, Basic Meal Prep and Planning, Incorporating Fresh Produce In-Season, Meals for Picky Eaters, Healthy Microwave/Hotplate Gourmet, etc.
I like Teju's comment regarding food pantry tours. I think that offering some guidance and preliminary nutrition education regarding the foods available at the pantry will go a long way.
I would educate on how to save money at the grocery stores. So I would hit on what the cheaper, healthier items are and how to choose in-season, inexpensive produce. Because this population has a firm belief that healthier items are more expensive, I would show them cost comparisons. Such as a bag of chips with a bag of potatoes or orange juice compared to some oranges.
Kelsey, I think that comparing the cost of items is a really good idea. People generally do not think to do this, nor would they attempt this on their own.
I'm glad this was addressed because my first thought when I read the initiative involving food labeling with numbers/colors was that the labeling will make little difference to those with no foundational nutrition knowledge.
There are SO many factors that affect our dietary behavior, and one exposure to nutrition education may not be sufficient. Similar to how WIC is viewed as "the formula store" by many WIC participants, many food bank participants are just interested in getting their food and getting out.
As nutritional professionals I think we sometimes take for granted how little other know about and value nutrient-dense foods.
Repeated exposure is a must. Each education session should be relatively short and have one primary focus. Food samples are always a plus. Addressing one issue at a time helps not to overwhelm the participants and gives them time to really absorb the information and make changes slowly over time.
Simplicity would definitely be my approach. I would like to have a program that would bring in the same individuals once a week for around 6 weeks. That way I could assess their starting knowledge on nutrition and cooking and each week build their knowledge on how to prepare easy nutritious meals using a few ingredients and limited kitchen supplies.
I agree with the other comments that suggest using the foods most commonly donated to the food bank and doing a food cost comparison in the grocery store. Doing the comparison can really reduce the perception that healthy food is more expensive.
I would want to focus on the health care aspect while providing ways a family can utilize produce more often in an affordable and tasty way. I feel that one of the most important reasons to promote healthy eating with food insecurity is to reduce the risk for chronic disease. For families in poverty it is difficult to afford to feed themselves or keep shelter, and health care costs are often out of reach even with programs like medicare/medicaid. If clients are given hope that they can help lessen their health care burden and do so in an affordable and tasty way, I think they will be open to doing so. The Larimer County Food Bank in Colorado utilizes cooking classes for kids and parents to show them how to prepare and incorporate produce items at home that are increasingly available. I really like this model. I also like the idea of having a "red-yellow-green" code on different food items, which incorporated into cooking classes would make it easier for clients to make good food choices.
Sarah S. said...
I would want to give food demos once a month using the items at the food pantry. I would keep the recipe and preparation simple but tasty and also explain some of the nutritional aspects of the food while preparing it. I would try to utilize some of the ingredients that are not only inexpensive but that people often find difficult to use, like dried beans and rice. I would make handouts with tips on how to use and prepare some of these ingredients in addition to giving copies of the recipes.
I will agree that simplicity is ideal here. The recipes should be easy to make do not require a whole lot of equipment and ingredients. The individuals who are participating in the cooking demo are more likely to repeat it at home if they feel that it is something that they could do. I also think that it would be fun to do a food of the month and where you show them different ways to incorporate the food into a couple of recipes. I think that this would be fun for the people and it also gives they options. If they dont like one recipe that you show them, maybe they will like the other.
Sarah S. said...
I also like Teju's idea of taking them on a tour of the food bank. This would give them an opportunity to really look at what is available and ask questions.
I would place importance on making the healthiest choices and using the healthiest preparation methods using the items available in the food bank. For example, canned vegetables may be the used but I would teach how to rince the vegetables to lower the sodium content. The theme I would use is to use what you have available to you.
Well, it looks like everyone beat me to every good idea there is. I am in agreement with a lot of folks that many of the clients who come to the food pantry are probably not extremely interested to learn a lot of information. Therefore, I would keep the information in little info-bites where you can get one simple message across. Then maybe offer a food sample to increase food interest. Finally, I would attach a simple handout/recipe type of informational sheet that they can take home with them.
Nate, I like your idea to focus on cheap foods that get the job done. The great thing about these foods is that they are staples and can be prepared in many creative ways so they don't get too boring. Perhaps other cheap foods could be creatively incorporated into nutritious recipes, e.g. stir fry with ramen noodles.
Carly Johnson said...
For the first meeting, I would ask the opinions of the individuals as to what they want to learn or need help on. I am a visual learner so I would show a lot of examples of foods I would suggest. Also, I don't know the background of the literacy of the individuals so I would not present something that they must read. I would stress how easy it is to buy and cook in bulk so you can save money and time. I would present a couple recipes for crock pot cooking. They are a relatively cheap kitchen appliance that you can make basically anything with. After a hand full of sessions, I would hopefully do a field trip to a food pantry so I can have them get some hands on experience of picking out foods. I could gauge what they have learned from the trip to the pantry.
I the overall message needs to come from the aspect of economy and efficiency. As Nate and several others mention. Items like rice and beans are very economical. And as Nate commented, few people know how to prepare these foods. When I was at CCC, Mary Kay and I met with the director of a local food bank. Dried beans were one of the items that she had received from Midwest Food Bank that her clients were not choosing because they did not know what to do with them. As RDs, we can help prepare lessons/instructions to build healthy meals around these types of foods. Recipes and and samples can help introduce clients to the food. Nutrition advice should be secondary, but still present to provide additional motivation for choosing the foods.
Lynetta has a lot of great lesson ideas! She makes a great point with the variety in that food pantry clients have a lot of the same knowledge deficits and challenges as food secure people. e.g. Parents who rely on food banks may also have picky eaters at home.
I agree with Kelsey about doing food comparisons of healthy vs less healthy options. I have actually had someone say to me, "wouldn't it be more cost effective for poor people go to McDonald's and get a dollar cheeseburger?" AHH! We need to prove to them that a dollar can stretch further than one cheeseburger from McDonald's.
Finding recipes using the products that are readily available in food banks is important to encourage the use of foods that are sometimes uncommon to the population receiving the aid. Education on making the most of the foods you receive would also benefit this population. Providing the entire household with adequate nutrition from the products they receive each week or so is also important. It is known that parents often focus on feeding their families and going without more often.
Also addressing the ways they could add other cost effective and nutritious foods to the products they get from food banks may be beneficial to the clients.
I like Angela's idea of economy and efficiency. We need to teach people the best way to make the absolute most out of the foods available without disrupting their daily routine.
I also think a lot of good comments were made about repeated exposure. It takes more than one nutrition lesson to make clients understand the importance of good nutrition.
A group of food-insecure people are going to be more worried about volume over how healthy their meals are for their family. This is completely understandable, and I would not expect them to be more worried about nutrition. I would focus on how they could get more for their money. I would tell them about how cheep buying large bags of dry grains and beans can be. Along with that I would show them how to utilize many of the things that are available at the food pantry. One example could be adding a bag or two of frozen veggies to a hamburger helper. I think this method of thinking is better for food-insecure and you could easily do recipes that were slightly healthier without having to focus on that point too much.
Courtney, I am so glad you are with me! The USDA found (2012) that when looking at the cost of an average portion, moderation foods and protein foods are the two most expensive groups with grains and vegetables as the least expensive. I think people just have a misperception that healthy foods are more expensive (and sometimes certain items can be-but just don't buy those items when they are).
I like Kaitlin's idea of teaching them to use what they have available. I think that this would be extremely beneficial because they may not have access to a wide variety of foods.
I think Beth made some really good suggestions. Making sure the recipes you suggest seem easy and quick will make them more likely to be used.I also think that cooking demos also shows people just how easy a recipe can be.
I liked Courtney's comment about how the general public thinks eating healthy is too expensive. I even saw a status on FB last night of someone starting a diet, complaining about how expensive health food is. Yes, it is expensive when you are buying premade "diet" foods like Atkins granola bars, but when you buy fresh foods and actually cook, it can be cheap!
I like the potential of Emily's idea of a one weekly assessment of knowledge and tracking progress over a 6 week time frame. I also agree with her in the simplicity when you are working with people with little to no nutrition/label, etc. knowledge. It is important to meet them at their starting point and work from there so you aren't starting off over their heads. If a person doesn't understand your recommendations, there is no way they are going to be able to make the change.
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