Celebrating Nutrition Education Across Vermont

A graduating class of The Learning Kitchen from Newport, VT

TLK participants learn about different names for sugar when reading labels

TLK participants make healthy recipes with their peers

A TLK participant readies the homemade sweet potato fries

A volunteer TLK educator does a lesson on the sugar content of soda verses fruit

It can be hard to make ends meet on a small budget and when Vermonters are working-sometimes multiple jobs-everyone in the family is busy, making it that much more daunting to cook meals at home.  Many Vermonters, however, are concerned about the implications of the obesity epidemic and many families on a tight budget want information on how to shop for and prepare low-cost, easy, healthful meals.  Hunger Free Vermont's The Learning Kitchen (TLK) program is designed to empower families with the skills to make nutritious meals on a budget.  Started in 1999, TLK has reach nearly 6,500 participants serving between 400-500 participants each year.  TLK is comprised of three series designed to meet the needs of Vermont's limited income parents, at-risk teens (age 15-19), and youth (ages 11-14).  For each series, Hunger Free Vermont staff work with volunteer hosts, shoppers, chefs, and educators in schools and community programs throughout the state.  Hunger Free Vermont provides the structure, curriculum, and funding to make it possible for whole communities to come together and invest in the nutrition and health of their neighbors.  Each six-week series meets once a week for 2 hours in communities in each of Vermont's 14 counties.

The age-appropriate curricula emphaizes the importance of good nutrition and regular physical activity, shopping on a budget, and improving cooking skills.  In class, volunteer chefs discuss what to look for at local markets, what seasonal produce substitutes they can use in recipes, and encourage the use of 3SquaresVT benefits at farmers' markets.  After preparing and enjoying a meal in class together, participants take home the necessary groceries to recreate the meal at home.  With their classroom experience and ingredients in hand, students are more likely to try the new recipes, thus reinforcing the lessons learned in class.  Participants in the program are shown to consume more fruits and vegentables and make critical changes to their eating habits.  Children in particular are excellent change agents at home.  After trying new foods they have washed, peeled, chopped, cooked, and enjoyed with their peers, they are likely to request these items from their parents at home, improving the eating habits for the whole family.

If you know of a community who would like to host TLK please be in touch!  Nutrition education is a critical tool in improving the state of hunger and malnutrition in our citizens.  You can also support TLK by making a donation on our website.

The Learning Kitchen Grad School

David Horner, Food Service Director for Chittenden East Supervisory Union, has been sharing cooking and nutrition skills with a group of Camel’s Hump Middle School students for over a year through programs of Hunger Free Vermont, VT FEED, and the Burlington School Food Project.  Under David Horner’s guidance, students participated in The Learning Kitchen (TLK), which is a 6-week series of cooking and nutrition education classes that empower limited resource participants to prepare healthy meals on a budget. 

Several of these students went on to compete in the 5^th Annual Jr. Iron Chef Vermont competition and are currently expanding on these experiences through The Learning Kitchen Grad School program.  As part of the TLK Grad School, students are hosting a series of events in which they share their skills with local parents, school board members, and now the entire school.  On May 14^th they hosted a school-wide taste test made with a variety of vegetables and received The Learning Kitchen Grad School diplomas.  

 



Dave Horner notes, "These students have spent over a year working after school on cooking skills and have worked extremely hard. Witnessing them gain confidence and skills has been so rewarding for me as there role model/leader. We have learned knife skills, classic french mother sauces, mushroom duxcelle, force meat skills, sushi, vinaigrettes, kitchen sanitation and safety skills to mention a few."

The Learning Kitchen Grad School is an example of Hunger Free Vermont's expansion of nutrition education around the state of Vermont.  To learn more about how you can help promote nutrition education in your community check out our website!



Nutrition Education and Obesity

Dara-Lynn Weiss with daughter, Bea (Vogue)

During these rainy spring days, I occasionally enjoy curling up with a Vogue magazine.  However, when reading the April 2012 edition I was disheartened by Dara-Lynn Weiss’ article about putting her seven-year-old daughter Bea on a diet.  Bea’s pediatrician had pronounced her as obese at 4 foot 4 inches and 93 pounds.  Because of this, Bea’s mother (who struggles with her own eating issues) went on a year-long mission to get her daughter to lose weight.  Weiss admits to depriving Bea of her dinner after, “…learning that her observation of French Heritage Day at school involved nearly 800 calories of Brie, filet mignon, baguette, and chocolate.”  She also would no longer allow her daughter to have pizza at school on Fridays after Bea had admitted to adding a corn salad as a side dish one week.    When a Starbucks barista couldn’t verify the calorie content of the kids’ size hot chocolate, she dramatically grabbed the drink out of her daughter’s hands, poured it into the garbage, and stormed out.  Weiss expressed annoyance at her daughter’s persistent cries that she always felt hungry.

Bea eventually lost sixteen pounds and met her mother’s weight loss goal for her Vogue photo shoot.  Bea told the magazine that she’s still herself even though she lost the sixteen pounds.  She expressed, “I’m not a different person just because I lost sixteen pounds.”  Her mother publicly protests that she is different.  She notes, “At this moment that fat girl is a thing of the past.”

When I read this article I was overwhelmed by the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional emptiness Bea must be feeling.  Without a doubt, we are facing an obesity epidemic in this country.  Obesity in children and youth has lifelong health risks including diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.  In Vermont, hunger and obesity exist in the same households.  Families on limited incomes can run out of food or rely on inexpensive, often high fat foods that promote weight gain.  Good nutrition is financially out of reach for many Vermonters.  This was not the case for Bea’s family, but food deprivation and malnutrition are a strain on the body for anyone who is not getting the proper amount of nutrients on a daily basis.

I’m proud that Hunger Free Vermont has continued to offer The Learning Kitchen cooking and nutrition education series which celebrates the preparation and consumption of nutritious food.  Participants learn skills to make nutritious food choices, get hands-on experience in preparing healthful meals, and practice their skills at home with their families.  We’ve seen The Learning Kitchen graduates consume more nutrient rich foods, prepare more meals from scratch, and plan healthier meals.  Ensuring that children and families have access to a consistent supply of healthful food and the knowledge to prepare that food is essential in addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity, especially when children’s minds and bodies are growing.

Solving the obesity epidemic should not be about shame, it should be about power.  The power of nutrition education can help people be informed food consumers and make choices that will benefit them for a lifetime.  I will be thinking about Bea and all children struggling with obesity as we seek to expand our Learning Kitchen programs which spread the joy of cooking and healthful food for a lifetime of good nutrition.

Learning Kitchen Participant

September 2011