February 19th, 2013

Today, our guest speaker was not able to make it into class; instead, we discussed our viewpoints on the menu assignment and the $2/day challenge. The different ways to eat on two dollars a day that everyone came up with were very interesting to me. It never crossed my mind to just drop by a friends house, and eat dinner with them.

February 21st, 2013

Today Janine Faber, a Registered Dietitian and Healthy Living Advisor for Meijer supermarkets, came to speak to our class. She first told us a little bit about her college education, job experience, and how she made it to where she is today. She's been with Meijer for almost 8 years, and has done a lot in that time. She focuses on southwest Ohio and Kentucky, and works with four other women who cover Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Janine gave us some helpful tips that will be useful to us in the  coming years, such as get as much experience as possible, and it never hurts to ask because the worst that can happen is they can say no. She loves her job, and it really shows. I never considered working with a supermarket, but with all of the expos, cooking demos, and media spots Janine works with it seems like a lot of fun!

She also talked to us about NuVal, and how different foods are scored based on their nutritional value. She passed out a recipe booklet and many other brochures that I found to be very interesting. She definitely opened my eyes to the supermarket aspect of nutrition.

February 12th, 2013

Today in class we finished going through everyone's agency assignments. After we were done, we started to discuss learning goals and objectives. Dr. Holben formulated the statement "After completing NUTR 4000, the learner will be able to state the definition of community nutrition with 100% accuracy." Next, as a class, we came up with our own statement from: Cooking program for the 5^th grade, whole grains incorporated, and recognize the whole grain foods. We came up with, "After completing the cooking program, a 5^th grade student will be able to recognize 3 out of 5 whole grain foods with 90% accuracy."

Objectives are important because it states what we want the outcome to be, and may allow us to increase the chances of completing the objective. Also, the Magic Triangle shows the relationships between learning activities, objectives, and evaluation. If these three aspects are harmonious, then learning and teaching is enhanced.

February 14th, 2013

Karen Dion from the Ohio Board of Dietetics came into our classroom to talk to us about licensure, regulation, and practice in Ohio. I think Karen has an interesting job that I wasn't even aware existed until she came in to speak to our class. For a dietitian to practice in the state of Ohio they need to be licensed. Also, if someone is practicing without a license or calling themselves a dietitian, the Board receives a complaint and they will investigate it. Also, licensure and registration varies between state to state. Some states may require something that another won't.

Although I am not on the path to become a registered dietitian, this information will be beneficial for the future if I ever decide to pursue my RD, or to ensure I am not breaking any rules through the Ohio Board of Dietetics.

February 7th, 2013

Today in class, Dr. Holben first reported back to us the information he received from Nick that it is possible to use the Ohio EBT card in other states, and the money on the card does roll over into the next month. Although, this probably does not happen a lot because the money is needed for every month.

We then started the student presentations of the agencies. Each student told a brief summary of what there agency is, history, and the goals. A couple agencies that stood out to me were Farm to School which is federally funded and gets local produce into the school lunches. Parents of the students are very vocal about this program. There is also a similar program for universities called Farm to College. The School Milk Program is also federally funded and brings pasteurized low-fat milk fortified with vitamin D and vitamin A to the school systems. This might be the only place children can meet their nutrition requirements of dairy during the day.

Next week we will continue to go through the agencies, and I'm looking forward to learning about different programs throughout the country and internationally.

February 5th, 2013

Today in class Nick Claussen, the Community Relations Coordinator at Jobs and Family Services in Athens, Ohio, came to speak to our class. He discussed the SNAP program and its benefits to the community. There were two points that Mr. Claussen brought up that really interested me. He wants the employees of public service jobs to be more personable, and more benefits to the recipients of the SNAP program.

Think about when you go to the store, or the bank, or the bookstore, is the worker friendly and conversational or are they monotone and robotic? Mr. Claussen asked us what it's like when we go to the grocery. It's something that you don't think about a lot, when you're just going through the motions of shopping or your job. He wants people to be more personable because he realizes that a lot of the people he talks to on a daily basis just want to tell their story and to be heard. This is something I will work on and think about more in my daily life.

Another thing Mr. Claussen said that we don't really think about is that he wants more cash and food benefits to be provided to those on the SNAP program. I think most of the time we try to take away some of the benefits that people receive. But in reality, the benefits are what is keeping them alive. Without them, they wouldn't have the basic necessity we need to live; food. He also pointed out that statistics show that the  EBT card actually positively stimulates the economy. Before we take something away from someone, we need to really think about how it will affect their life.

Econutrition Series 1

Yesterday was the first lecture of a four part lecture series. The topic of the lecture was local food and the health benefits. Dr. Holben gave an informative presentation, and led a great discussion after the lecture. We talked about food deserts to the impact of local food movements in urban areas. It was great to see how many people are interested in eating local.

January 29th, 2013

To start of the day, we began with an icebreaker. Everyone needed to answer the question, "Whenever I get the chance, I would like to...". My answer was whenever I get the chance I would like to go to New Zealand, and backpack for two weeks around the country. I liked the other students responses very much, and it made me consider things I would like to do in my future.

Today in class we continued our discussion on Food Security. I thought it was very shocking that 14.9% of American households are considered to be food insecure. Also, that much of the food insecurity takes place in the southern part of the United States. We also went over the survey that many Americans receive called The Guide to Measuring Household Food Security. To conclude class, we watched a video about food insecure families living in Southeast Ohio. One man in the video said he couldn't put any money in his savings account after his paycheck because it all went to food, diapers, bills, and gasoline. The concept of having 6 months worth of salary in his savings account seemed impossible to him. If your family is food insecure there are many sacrifices and coping methods to dealing with the lack of food. The video really opened my eyes to the problems we have in our state, and throughout the country.

January 31st, 2013

Food insecurity "is a barrier to positive health and nutrition outcomes". Food insecurity has a negative effect on health care costs. It increases poor health and could lead to the development of chronic disease. Adult women are particularly at high risk for overweight and obesity. It could also affect school performance, because it is hard for a child to concentrate in school if they are distracted by hunger, and can also affect mental health.

It is possible to reduce food insecurity by utilizing community programs. The Athens Farmers Market accepts the EBT card, the Chesterhill Produce Auction has some great produce at low prices, and local food pantries and farmers can be helpful. Also many federal programs like SNAP and WIC can help. A family can reduce its food insecurity by utilizing different federal and community programs. It amazes me that the United States is such a developed country, and yet everyday families face the problem of getting food on the table.