6/2

Thursday was the locavore brunch in which we all created different dishes made from local ingredients. Our group brought a tomato/basil/goat cheese spread along with corn chips and fruit salsa. Overall there were alot of interesting things that were made and alot of things I had never eaten before. The food was really good and I just thought it was a fun class activity.

6/1/11

Today i went with Kira to the farmers market to pick up some produce to use in the locavore brunch. We bought some tomatos, Chevre which is a type of goat cheese and some basil. It was the first time I had ever been to the Farmer's Market down here and it was pretty cool to see all the different vendors. There seemed to be alot of good stuff that was being sold.

5/31

For tuesday's class we got together as a group and worked on our needs assessment project. We had broken down each section of the book and split it up amongst the group to try and save time. We got through all of the chapters and after that was done we spent some time discussing what we were going to get for our locavore brunch for thursday.

5/27

Friday I went with Angela and Kira to the good earth farm. I was finally able to do something other then weeding which was a nice change of pace. We picked the spinach from the ground and cut off the roots. After picking the spinach we picked off only the leaves and washed them in water along with lettuce. After they had been rinsed and dried we carefully inspected each leaf for bugs, dirt, apperance etc. After we had gotten through an entire grocery cart full of lettuce and spinach we bagged them up and weighed them.

5/26/11

Thursday we didn't have class but our group met for a little bit to discuss our needs assessment project as well as our locavore brunch meals. We went over the workbook for a little while and broke down the work by chapters to make it easier. For our locavore menu we talked about doing some sort of tomato/basil/mozzarella salad, as well as possibly doing something with local fruits to make a fruit salsa.

Holters Holstein Farm

Tuesday's class we went out to Holter's Holstein farm and took a tour. I had never been on a dairy farm before so I thought it was really interesting. We got to see where the cows were milked, fed, inseminated etc. They only have enough food to feed the heffers from the grass, so they buy feed from the store to feed the rest of the cows. I learned that the cows are given a 50-60 day dry spell which is something I had never heard of before. Overall it was a really interesting experience.

5/18

Thursday's class we listened to a discussion on dietetics licensure. The purpose of the board of dietetics which is located in columbus is to provide working knowledge of ohio dietitian licensure laws. The board review requirements for licensure include limited permits, initial licenses and license renewal. They also deal with complaints. We discussed that it is important to take complaints to them even if you aren't sure, just to help prevent fraudulent practice. 46 states regulate the practice of nutrition and dietetics in either registration, certification or licensure. I learned that there are 5 board members (3 dietician members, 1 educator who has a phD, and 1 public member who has no affiliation to nutrition/dietetics). They serve a 5 year term and meet 6 times a year to discuss things to help protect the public. Overall I thought it was a pretty interesting talk since I wasn't really familiar with the licensure rules especially in Ohio when it comes to dietetics. Since my undergrad was in athletic training it was nice to learn how different professions  have different requirements when it comes to being licensed.

5/16

Tuesday we met with dr. holben to discuss our projects for a few minutes. We are using starter plants so we have already planted things like tomatoes, peppers, spinach and soy beans. We met as a group after and discussed a little bit about how we want to go about finishing up the needs assessment. After class I went to the good earth farm to help out. I did some more weeding around the garden. Picking the excess weeds from around the spinach and some of the blueberry patches.

5/12

Thursday's class, Karen Bakies came in to talk about the American Dairy Association. She is a registered dietician there. She had some really interesting and useful information. I learned there were about 3,200 dairy farmers in Ohio as compared to only about 500 in the state of West Virginia. They work with some really great programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60 which teams up with the National Football League to promote more physical activity and eat nutrient rich foods. The National Dairy Council is a member of the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition which is a partnership that brings together leading researchers, health professionals, communication experts and agricultural organizations. They work together on educating people on how to get more nutrition from their calories by eating the nutrient-rich way.

Not only was the information on Milk and nutrient foods important, but I also enjoyed her insight on how to deal with people when publicly speaking. I thought it was really smart to address the situation when someone tries to argue with your opinion and that you should in a nice way tell them that you appreciate what they are asking but refer to research or other ways to tell them that they have been misinformed. You never want to talk down to, or at someone, and I thought that was a really helpful piece of advise for the future. I also really liked answering a question right and getting a sweet blue cow eraser haha.

5/10

Tuesday's class Melissa Alfano came in to talk about the WIC program. WIC is a supplemental nutrition program that is eligible to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants and children. To be eligible they must fall at or below 185% of the poverty income guidelines. WIC is 100% federally funded, and operates in all 88 of Ohio's counties. WIC improves pregnancy outcomes, reduces infant mortality and provides infants and children with a healthy start to life by providing or referring to support services, along with nutrition and breastfeeding education. WIC gives out 5 coupons per month that look like a check to use for different food packages, which include foods like: milk, juice, whole grains, cereal, fruits and vegetables, fish and baby food.
What I really thought to be a good idea was that in case they come across someone who is illiterate and can't read they have a chart of pictures of all the foods they can buy so the individuals can have an easier time seeing what they have access too. I also liked how they encourage people to not use all their coupons at once in case of an emergency. I think that is very smart, especially if something happens during the week like a power outage and some food spoils.

5/5/11

Today in class Francie came in to talk about being a registered dietician at wellworks. She also works with counceling people on nutrition as well as working with people with eating disorders. She told us she worked with the basketball team and used food models to help create well-balanced meals for the athletes. The main focus was to increase their fruit and vegetable intake. I think that is a very useful tool especially when trying to design an intervention program. She also mentioned that she gets paid per session with a rate of $30 for the first initial hour, then 15 dollars for every half hour follow up, which is incredibly cheap compared to other people who charge for the same services.

5/3/11

Today the guest speaker came in and talked about Meijer groceries and the nuval program. I had never heard of nuval before today. I have mixed feelings about the program. On one hand I think it seems helpful to those people who aren't good at reading labels and picking out what really is bad for you, so it would be beneficial to them to go off of a higher score as healthy. I just feel that the overall point of it is compromised especially when comparing different foods, especially those that aren't nutrient rich. I did like how the website had a section that could make a grocery list for you as well as give you the recipes for each meal.

4/29

Today I went to good earth farm. The weather was pretty cold and the fields were still muddy from the rain which was a bummer. I helped to pick weeds away from the radishes. There wasn't really a whole lot going on at the farm. I did however get to see a sheep being sheared for the first time so I thought that was pretty cool. I thought at one point the sheep was going to attack, because it kept squirming while the lady was holding it, although I think it got cut in a bad area so I personally don't blame him. I give credit to whoever does that for a living because it definetely does not seem easy.

4/28

Today in class we finished going over our agency assignment. We each discussed an agency that we were given that was a food program. I had the commodity supplemental food program which was created based on the WIC program except it goes up to age 6 for children and includes the elderly population above the age of 60. It was pretty interesting to learn about all the different agencies and programs that have been created thus far to help address the poverty and food security situations.

4/26

Today Heidi came in to talk about working in a wellness center and in a community nutrition agency. She works at wellworks as a special events coordinator and talked about some of the different types of events they create to help spread the message of a healthier lifestyle. These events include things like walk-a-thons and fashion shows for mothers. They created a vegetable costume which was used in the fashion show. I thought it was a pretty creative way to get the idea across. The main thing she told us was to keep your options open and to take advantage of what you can, even if it isn't something you thought you would do.

Poverty Simulation

After attending the poverty simulation I really got a better understanding of the hardships people have to go through to try to make ends meet. I played the role of a 42 year old dad with 3 young kids, one of which was pregnant. I was unemployed and it was hard for me to go out and do things like buy groceries or go pay the bills while still trying to watch the kids. I had one of my children taken into custody at one point because I left it at home. It was amazing to see how quickly people turned to stealing things just to try to get ahead, whether it was money, transportation or food etc. Coming from a city, this kind of poverty isn't something I am used to and I really feel for the people that have to go through this because it is definetely stressful and can have a huge impact on the family and their health and well being.

4/21

Today in class we visited the Ohio University extension over at the county health department. Nyla who is in charge of the family nutrition program, works with seniors, and WIC moms and children. It is a program that provides extra information on food safety and dietary quality. The target audience is food stamp recipients and everyone gets incentives assuming they attend.

The extension program itself was talked about by Rory. The framework for it was set in 1862 by the Morrill Act which helped establish land grant colleges. The Smith Lever Act of 1914 really helped pull everything together in order to establish the extension program they have now. The extension program is an outreach arm of the Ohio State University. There are offices in each of the 88 counties in the state. They focus on critical economic, environmental and family issues. It is federal state and county funded. It is easily accessible by websites, phone, media and publications.

4/19

Today in class Nick Clausen from jobs and family services came in to talk about the SNAP program. The SNAP program deals with food stamps, child support, job training, transportation etc. The biggest programs for the jobs and family services are medicaid and cash programs. To be eligible for SNAP you have to fall under 130% of the poverty line. To get food stamps you have to have a pay stub, social security card, and proof of identity. To monitor how the program is working, they check for fraud and talk to people. They also have nutrition programs which are not mandatory. I learned SNAP was an entitlement program where if you were eligible and applied you automatically get the program. The purpose/Mission is to help people that are most vulnerable, and to help them meet their basic needs. It is funded state and federally. Overall it seems like an interesting program.

4/15

Today I went to Good Earth Farm to help out. I started off by weeding the onion patches as well as near the spinach patch. After that was done I went over to the blueberry area and removed the Johnson grass/roots. Finally the day ended with helping move branches and logs after Paul had cut them down, which will be later used for firewood. The weather was great, and it felt good to help out.

4/14

Today we spent the day over at the community garden, and familiarizing ourselves with the plot in which we will be using to garden for our project. It was a pretty nice area and one that I have never been to or knew existed before this class. I learned that everything is grown organically there, and it was nice to see little children helping with digging and planting. It seems to be a great place to get the community working together, so I am excited to contribute to helping myself.

4/12

Today was home farming day which we briefly celebrated during class. Aside from that we finished up our talk about food security and what it means to us. We then got into talking about nutrition policies that exist. It was pretty interesting to learn about the different laws etc that have been created to help further nutrition information for people such as the labeling of food items etc. We also picked our "populations" for what we are going to grow in our garden. Our group is adolescent female vegetarians which is pretty cool, because now we can address issues like iron deficiency etc in our garden.

4/7/11

In class we talked further about food security and the effects it has on the community. We briefly discussed what we enjoyed from listening to the eco cafe lecture and how the programs are helping the community. We watched a video clip about how much of a struggle it is for families to get food to feed their kids. Alot of people just don't have the means or money even if they do hold a minimum wage job. It was definetely sad to see how some people just won't have a kid in order to save some money, or how they will try to dilute their milk just so they can prolong its usage. It is a shame to see people struggle, and they do the best they can to cope with it, but it is definetely a problem that needs to be addressed more and more.

Eco Cafe

The Eco Cafe was really interesting to attend. I have never been to an open panel discussion before let alone one about food security. It was amazing to see the different types of programs that are available now and being create to help solve a major problem in our area. These programs are a great start to try to help a community in need. It seems like they try really hard to get people involved, and to accomodate those who may not necessarily be able to afford good produce.

4/5/11

Today in class we began discussion on food security and how it greatly affects the population. We watched a brief clip on Erin Brockovich and discussed the different ways that movie showed signs of accessability and availability to food, whether it was good or bad. It is interesting to see how much of an affect a lack of money and food can impact a family. Poor living conditions can lead to greater risk for illness along with a lack of nutrients. People can begin lieing to save face amongst their peers, and often times you have the mothers or other family members giving up their food so their children can eat. It is definetely a depressing problem, and hopefully one that will eventually get better rather than worse.

3/31- Good Earth Farm Tour

Today was a pretty interesting day, in which we toured the Good Earth Farm. The farm is managed by Paul Clever and his wife Sara. The farm is a food provider for soup kitchens and local food pantries. Not only is the goal of the farm to help those less fortunate acquire produce, but also to encourage volunteers to get involved with hunger related issues. In 2009 they were able to produce 15,000 pound of high quality food. The farm's budget is based on donations of others and currently sits at around $150,000 for the year. The farm grows a wide variety of things such as cabbage, radishes, garlic and blueberries. On top of that they have a dairy cow for milk, chickens and pigs for meat, and sheep which are used for their wool. Overall the good earth farm is an interesting concept and they are beginning to work closely with food pantries located in the nelsonville area in hopes of helping the food insecurity and impoverished areas that greatly make up the southeastern, ohio region.

NUTR 525 3/29/2011

I think the concept of community nutrition is the incorporation of a healthy lifestyle into those populations who may not be able to achieve that by themselves. This class seems like it will be really interesting, and I am looking forward to going to this farm and being able to actually plant a garden that will be used to help those less fortunate. I hope to learn more about less poverished areas and food insecurity problems which I can further relate to my dietetics career and thesis.