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Post by Lex Hurley on Oct 9, 2016 23:45:49 GMT
During the guest speaker presentation, one of the topics presented as a contributing cause for hunger in America was "limited life skills [and] lack of nutrition education" with the mention of a child asking "what is a vegetable?". It hadn't occurred to me at the time when I wrote the earlier post asking why one doesn't hear about low SES individuals eating beans and rice more often than premade meals, but it might just be that these people are unaware of how to properly prepare wholesome foods from scratch. I know that the Abilene Public Health Department offers free public cooking classes from an RD only using WIC-approved food items, however it might be an even better idea as a public health intervention to offer services such as this to at-need food insecure neighborhoods across the country.
Perhaps offering free cooking classes in the same vein which would use locally available goods which people could attend not only to learn these life skills, but to get free meals out of as well would be of financial as well as nutritional benefit to at-need areas; or, as an even cheaper intervention, if it would be possible to air directions for cheap, easy, and wholesome recipes over the radio (as it would be a bigger gamble to presume that at-need families would all possess televisions) on local broadcasting stations. I think that much of what makes cooking seem daunting to people is how our popular culture seems to fixate on niche and gourmet dishes on television (literally any cooking show) and radio (NPR's Splendid Table comes to mind), whereas these might be just the mediums to use for public health-related educational purposes.
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Post by ghannaba on Oct 10, 2016 1:59:24 GMT
Seems like a large degree of the information and items out there are culturally irrelevant for the general public, Lex. Maybe that's got Rachel Ray quick fame with her 30min meals. She seemed to keep it more down to earth than some of the other people on Food Network. I know I have had my fair share of buying weird looking things at the market or grocery store just to see what it was and try it. I was lucky enough to have a mother, first, and that she taught me to always try new things. In reflecting on that, some of the things I can whip up on the stove from those experiences I learned from her I take for granted: cooking onions, poaching an egg, baking. So many things skills I picked up purely come from a tight knit nuclear and extended family whose culture was constructed around the dinner table together (and the kitchen too). I guess if we included the idea of a living wage into the discussion, parents might not have to work so many hours or multiple jobs and spend their time home with their family sharing meals.
I certainly think that free classes and volunteering my own knowledge and skills would be something that I could share and give back, and yet, until you posted this, it never once crossed my mind. Really great idea, especially if the classes stick to what's economically and culturally feasible.
GH
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Post by Lex Hurley on Oct 10, 2016 21:54:11 GMT
I haven't watched anything from Rachel Ray before, but her popularity would definitely make sense if she taught simple, quick, low-effort meals on Food Network. It's easy to think that everyone knows their way around the kitchen all the same (at least for basic tasks like sauteing onions or cooking potatoes), however maybe this is a stumbling block preventing more effective interventions from reaching those who could really stand to benefit from these skills.
As an anecdote, I still remember moving in with one of my best friends in college and being floored because she didn't know how to boil water to make pasta. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but had always had her parents or someone else around her to prep her meals. When she moved in, she couldn't boil water, couldn't scramble an egg, and couldn't chop an onion in less than an hour; yet by the time we moved out, I made sure she knew as much as I did so I could be sure she wouldn't starve or just live off of Whataburger.
Do you happen to know of any possible outlets in which people could teach these skills? Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to offer them in schools where both children and parents could attend -- enough to offer helpful advice for preparing cheap, wholesome meals for parents & also fun enough to get children excited about cooking and trying new foods rather than just sweet or salty snacks.
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Post by Megan Mikesell on Oct 11, 2016 2:51:48 GMT
I didn’t know free public cooking classes existed, that is great! I think that is definitely something more cities should do if they are not already doing so. Everything comes down to education in my opinion, and reaching children early on makes it even more beneficial. Adults should be taught what foods are healthy, how to prepare meals, how to eat healthy on a budget, etc. I know there is an organization of medical students here at the HSC that goes to a local elementary school each month to teach kids about nutrition. To be honest, I do not know much more than that. If children can be taught what to eat, what not to eat, and be exposed to different fruits and vegetables to find out what they like they may be able to influence their family’s buying and eating habits.
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Post by Summre Blakely on Oct 12, 2016 2:47:37 GMT
One thing to think about, however, is single parents like Barbie Izquierdo who might not have time to watch tv to find recipes or have the funds to go out and buy a cookbook. I can only imagine how hard it is to raise two kids alone, especially when one has many health issues and she has to work full time at a minimum wage job to scrape by. However, something that is more positive is the fact that technology is ever encroaching on our daily routines, and for many people who do not have time to watch tv, they surely have time to check their facebook or other social media apps that are so widely accessible now. I'm sure you've noticed the fairly recent surge of "Tasty" recipes that are in quick 30 second videos with inexpensive ingredients that can be made in 30 minutes. The spread of these videos has gone viral, and I see at least three or four every time I check my feed. This might be a better way for public health activists to reach these people, seeing as the majority of the population has a cell phone, a computer, or a local public place to access a computer and internet.
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