By Kirby Adams
Louis Heuser, M.D., owner of the Heuser Clinic, noted for improving the health and wellness of Kentuckiana youth, told me recently that “moms will be instrumental in changing and improving childhood obesity of Kentucky.”
Mary Kay Korfhage and I, both mothers of elementary school kids in the catholic schools, were on the Shakertown bicycle tour last year and talking about the lunch programs. What could we do, we wondered? We are just two moms up against an entire system.
From that bicycle ride (and to Mary Kay's great credit) three local grade schools (St. Raphael, St. Agnes, and St. Stephen Martyr) will begin implementing an award winning hands on nutritional curriculum created by Dr. Antonia Demas, Ph.D., of the Food Studies Institute. Food is Elementary uses hands on sensory-based nutrition.
In a nutshell… (and yes, nuts should be a part of the program for those who are not allergic), students will to learn how to make healthy food choices. But not in the typical dry way you might think of from past health classes.
In Demas' curriculum, kids are educated about the relationship between food choices and disease prevention; they learn life skills of healthy meal planning through hands on cooking, nutrient information and food preparation. Yes, we'll be cooking in class! We'll be tasting, we'll be learning about foods used and consumed around the world.
So many kids, including mine, won't branch out past what they know to be safe and common. I mean how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches one can eat in a lifetime?
But what if you could get your kids to eat … and ENJOY collard greens, okra, black-eyed peas, or maybe fresh fruit tarts for his next birthday?
Dr. Demas empowers children to make their own healthy foods choices and share their newfound knowledge with their families. And that sharing is important to keep the nutritional changes going. It's called the “trickle UP” effect. If children start learning about healthy food choices and making them and then bring those choices home, parents will be more willing to do the same.
I won't go into exactly how the program works, but it's fascinating and I highly recommend that you take the time to log onto the Web site at some point and check it out. You can easily work with your kids at home with some aspects of the foods if you like.
The site is www.foodstudies.org
Enough is enough. A small group of concerned parents, health advocates, teachers and registered dieticians decided changes had to be made
If you want to make a difference you can begin simply by trying. I remember thinking that the group I was going to talk to at St. Agnes would think this food idea I was going to present was crazy! But I did it anyway.
According to Margaret Bowen, Principal of St. Stephen Martyr School, “this program could not come at a better time. Kids need to be empowered to make their own healthy food choices and share their new-found knowledge with their families.”
This “trickle-up” effect on families, as it was recently described in a National Public Radio story, is what Demas' visit had on the Korfhage family last spring after seeing her speak to families at the 2006 Taste of Health. “My two young sons helped assemble a “soul-food” stew with collard greens, okra, and black eyed peas,” explains Korfhage, local Food is Elementary coordinator. “Together we made it at home the next day. And my 6-year-old son insisted on serving the fresh fruit tart at his birthday party. All the kids helped with the chopping and assembly and I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the party-goers chose the fruit tart, which has no added sugar, instead of the birthday cake with two inches of icing!”
“After our experience, a small group of concerned parents, health advocates, teachers, and a registered dietician decided to attempt to bring Food is Elementary to kids right here in Louisville,” adds Korfhage. The goal is to have more schools, including inner-city public schools, join the program.
Funding for teacher training for Food is Elementary at St. Agnes, St. Stephen Martyr, and St. Raphael schools is being funded by the schools and private donors including Dr. John Distler of Bluegrass Eye Physicians, Borders and Borders Attorneys, APS, Byerly Ford/Nissan, and St. William Church. Rainbow Blossom is donating all the food items for training, as well as fruit tarts for parents attending the June 4 meeting. Other support provided by EarthSave Louisville and Sign-a-Rama.
Food is Elementary is an innovative program that I hope to be teaching at St. Agnes to benefit not only my own children but the other students and their parents as well. There will be a number of program educators at each school.
Training for local educators and volunteers will be June 4 and 5 at St. Agnes School. On June 4 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall of St. Agnes, parents and other interested adults are welcome to hear an overview by Dr. Demas of the Food is Elementary program and how families can improve their health through healthy food selection and preparation. Interested individuals should RSVP to Anne Walter at annekwalt@aol.com.
