Beth: welcome back to Fresh Focus, I’m Beth your host, In this series all about National Nutrition Month, you were able to hear what exactly that means and some of the top questions a dietitian gets asked. Of if you have ever felt overwhelmed with all the nutrition information on social media go back and check out the tips on navigating those with Erin to help you sift through. With this years theme on celebrating a world of cultures we do encourage all of you to add in more food diversity and if you want to know how to start even with the most simple item that we all have in our kitchen pantries right now a potato like Dr. Hamilton suggested in the previous episode. That was such a great episode definitely go back and check them out.

Today I asked Abbie to be on with me to help tie it all together! Hey thank you for coming back on today.

Abbie: happy to be here!

Beth: I hear so many times from veterans and their family members that they hear about some great recipe ideas but they just aren’t sure how to put a meal together. And you have been able ot help folks with that through the Healthy Teaching classes.
The Healthy Teaching classes are all on video, right?

Abbie: yes, Healthy Teaching Kitchen Classes are currently offered on VA video connect . Veterans receive an email link and click to connect to the virtual classroom where they can cook with me from their kitchen while watching me in mine.

Beth: I just love that, I sat in on that one where you made pumpkin pancakes you can watch and learn or like you said while on video they can take their phone or device and actually cook the recipe in their own kitchen while watching. Tell us what all the class entails… how long is the class typically?

Abbie: The Women’s only class is for 6 weeks and each week is a different category (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides, dessert). Recipes and handouts are sent out before hand so everyone knows what items they would need before the class starts. After cooking, we discuss a new nutrition topic such as using spices and seasonings, how to build healthy plates, how to make balanced snakcs, and how to grocery shop successfully. Here in Marion, I’d love to start another series to be able to expand from the first 6 week session and would be awesome to have a more general HTK option for all veterans and then expand that into more specific arears such as diabetes or heart healthy cooking. The veterans that have taken the class have all given us great feedback already!

Beth: yes, we keep hearing such great things from veterans and not that its only education its fun too!
so with going with this years NNM® theme… How would you recommend someone start to add or embrace global cultures and cuisines?

Abbie: Start off with one new recipe a month or a week. Don’t use all new ingredients in one recipe but start by changing out one or two things at a time.

Beth: that’s super important we need to start off with only 1 or 2 things to start we don’t want anyone getting overwhelmed right off the bat.

Abbie: absolutely, for Example: try 1 new vegetable like boy choy and one new spice such as ginger with your typical starch and protein.

It is also important to remember that cooking method and spices/herbs can change a food. Just because you don’t like something by itself doesn’t mean you would not like it added to a dish or mixed in a stew

Beth: that’s a great tip, I just said the other day too, sometimes we forget about that say we never really liked asparagus when we were little but that may have only been canned, you may like grilled fresh asparagus or maybe like it in a different dish so don’t be afraid to revisit some of those veggies from the past!
Have you had any veterans tell you about trying some different types of recipes or maybe recipes from different areas and cultures?

Abbie: I actually have been given the suggestion to do weekly cooking classes for different cultures. Something I will consider moving froward.

My HTK Vets are always surprised by how they enjoy foods from other cultures or ones they aren’t familiar with such as quinoa, orzo, or tofu.

Beth: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s image of Myplate was designed to show us what the components of a balanced meal are and how much of each food group we should fill our plates with. The typically American Myplate picture shows a plate with salad, green beans, grilled chicken and rice. What would expect to see on the Myplate inspired by another country such as Germany or Mexico?

Abbie: That’s a really good question Beth. You would certainly expect to see a lot of difference in the foods on the plate. The portions and food groups would stay similar by the types of starches, vegetables, fruits, and protein would differ.

In the Mexico inspired Myplate you may see corn tortillas for the starch/grain category, avocado or peppers or pico de gallo for the vegetables, beans for protein.

In a German inspired Myplate you may see rye-wheat bread or potatoes for starches, herring or pork in protein, turnips or cabbage for vegetables.

Two consideration when looking at any Myplate is that we should be considering this plate set up for each meal, not just supper/dinner. As well, In many cultures the plate isn’t made of separate foods on each side of the plate. A lot of meals are all incorporated into one dish such as in Asian culutes where you may see a rish or noodle dish with the vegetales and protein mixed in. Or in any culture where you have a soup with the protein, vegetables, and starch together in a broth base.

Beth: I actually am a huge fan of the one bowl or one dish type of recipes first of all not many dishes to clean up, haha and super delicious like a hearty stir-fry recipe or possibly a quinoa, shrimp and black bean casserole, or Chicken cauliflower enchilada skillet
Abbie: We also want to consider the topings and flavors in a dish. Consider trying to spices and herbs to bring out the flavors of other cultures while keeping your favorite foods such as chicken.

If you are a fan of spices or hot food, consider something like curry for a versatile and flavorful dish. If you aren’t a fan of spicy/hot food, try turmeric or ginger.

Beth: I think most folks are familiar or have heard the term Mediterranean but that would include items such as…..some folks maybe just think salmon etc
Abbie: salmon is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acid which is important for protecting your hear, improving pain and inflammation, and keeping your memory intact. In the Mediterranean diet you may also see poultry, other fish, and beans/legumes for protein. Starches may include whole wheat pita bread, quinoa, couscous. Vegetables and fruits could be cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, arugula, grapes. While dairy is less common, you may see things like Greek yogurt or feta cheese. And fats are more plant based such as olive oil. The Mediterranean diet is great because it includes plenty of heart healthy foods.

Beth: so many great recipes ideas are available. The VA has the Healthy Teaching kitchen cookbooks available, where can a veteran or family member locate?

Abbie: The VA HTK cookbooks are available to download, along with recipes from many catogories such as snacks, side dishes, and holiday foods. You can find these great cookbooks and recipes by going to Recipes and Cookbooks - Nutrition and Food Services (va.gov). Another great resource is the HTK youtube channel where you can watch recorded cooking videos to show you how to prepare these delicious recipes.
The Chicago VA is also offering Facebook Live HTK espisodes on facebook.

Beth: yes great point thanks for the reminder… anyone can listen since its on facebook tpp so not only veterans so definitely tell your family members and friends to check it out, if you are on facebook, search VA Chicago. They are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 11-12 eastern time. They do such a great job with the demos and have awesome recipes and they save the vidoes on the facebook page after the live event.

Abbie: yes absolutely and another great source of ideas to incorporate into your own meal plan, be sure to check those out you may find several new things to try!

Beth: I have a few things I’m definitely going to add in the next few weeks for sure! Let us know if you try any new dishes!
please subscribe to this podcast and you can leave a review. Be sure to check with your local VA for any upcoming Healthy Teaching Class options and to follow up with your local VA dietitans for more tips!