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Winter 2014
PATIENT CARE SERVICES | NUTRITION
Kids to Farmer’s Market Program: Combating Childhood Obesity Ellen Loreck, MS, RD, LDN, Director, Clinical Nutrition
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2010. Obese youth are at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bone and joint problems, and sleep apnea. Social and psychological problems such as poor self-esteem and being ostracized by peers also increase with obesity. In addition, obese youth are more likely to be obese as adults and are subject to the same health related risks. A healthy lifestyle, focusing on healthy eating and exercise, is the best strategy for obesity prevention. Communities, schools, medical providers, and schools can all influence these behaviors in children. To that end, and on behalf of Dr. Jay Perman, President of UMB, Jennifer Litchman, UMB Chief Communications & Vice President, and Special Assistant to the President, assembled a UMB/UMMC team to create a Kids to Farmer’s Market venture, focusing on improving the eating habits and physical activity of inner city school children on the west side of Baltimore. The team was initially assembled in 2012 and has successfully planned and executed two Kids to Farmer’s Market seasons. The initial goals of the program were to expose the children to local sustainable foods, teach them about the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and to encourage them to taste locally grown food prepared by a chef. This past year, the team offered additional education sessions in two local schools with a focus on healthy eating and physical activity. Here’s how the program works: a UMB bus brings a fourth or fifth grade class to our Farmer’s Market, along with teachers and chaperones. Our team greets them, gives them a backpack stuffed with healthy eating information, seasonal fruit and vegetable recipes, and ten dollars of “Farmer’s Market Bucks” which they can use to purchase items at the Market. The children are divided into three groups; one group starts their shopping, one group goes to a chef’s demonstration, and one group goes to a nutrition education session led by a registered dietitian or nutrition intern. The groups rotate until all students have completed each activity. At the end of the session, the team members document the types of foods each student has purchased, and before leaving, each student receives a healthy lunch to take back to school. Here are a few program details and observations about each Farmer’s Market activity: The shopping: Our first year, the children were instructed to limit their Market purchases to fruit and vegetables. The first question we received was, “Can I buy the pickles?” Well, since pickles are a vegetable, the answer was “yes.” This definitely made our pickle vendor happy! This year, we decided to allow the children to purchase anything at the Market, with the hope that after educating them, they would make more fruit and vegetable choices. There were too many temptations, so next year we may need to rethink the rules. It was great to observe the children chatting with the farmers, asking them about the locations of their farms and the specific types of crops they grow. The farmers were quite generous, often giving the children one piece of fruit to try or reducing prices so the children could make a purchase. The children asked questions about odd-looking
vegetables and they talked about ways their families cook vegetables at home. Our team gave healthy cooking ideas as the kids shopped. The chef’s demo: Chef Dani, from CulinArt Catering, has developed an interactive component of our program. She prepared a seasonal recipe by going through each step while teaching the children cooking techniques and describing each ingredient as she goes. Some examples of the recipes prepared and tasted were: Watermelon Salad Kabobs, Cheesy Spaghetti Squash, and Pumpkin Dip with Fresh Apples. Chef Dani did an excellent job soliciting help from the students and encouraging them to taste unfamiliar food. One young man was quite hesitant to taste the spaghetti squash; however, after high-spirited cheering from his classmates, he declared that it was “pretty good.” After tasting, many of the children said they were excited to share the recipes with their family so they could make the food at home. The nutrition education session: UMMC dietetic interns and registered dietitians develop and present the content for this session, emphasizing the following goals: benefits of eating local and seasonal fruits and vegetables from a farmer’s market, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors, and the importance of making half of a plate fruits and vegetables (www.myplate.gov). Some of the interesting questions asked by the children were: “Are any fruits and vegetables good for your eyes?” “How do fruits and vegetables help us play sports?” What’s the difference between canned and fresh fruit and vegetables?” This conversation is always stimulating, as both continued on page 27. students and staff learn from each other.