National Nutrition Month
Veterans learn to prepare their own healthy dinners at the DCVAMC’s cooking classes held in the Healthy Teaching Kitchen.
Teaching Healthy Cooking
At the Washington DC VA Medical Center, Healthy Teaching Kitchen classes are offered to teach Veterans and their families healthy cooking skills. HTKs aim to improve health by teaching Veterans and their families how to make healthy food choices and by showing them how to prepare food.
March is National Nutrition Month, a perfect time to spotlight the initiatives of the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Nutrition and Food Service. Every Wednesday during the month of March, you will see the team of dietitians and chefs in the Atrium. They are showing Veterans, staff and visitors how to access healthy food wherever they are and how to make small changes to their daily routines that can make a big difference in their overall health.
According to Chief, Nutrition and Food Service, Sue-Ann Forde, RD, this year’s theme is Put Your Best Fork Forward. “This serves as a reminder that we all have the tools to eat healthier to improve our health now and in the future.”
One of N&FS’s newest initiatives that is helping Veterans improve their health is the Healthy Teaching Kitchen. Started in 2014, the Kitchen consists of a mobile cooking cart with mirrors angled over the cooking surface to allow students to see what the chefs and dietitians are doing. The classes meet three times a week for six week sessions and teach Veterans the basics of food safety and preparation.
N&FS can also reach Veterans outside the classroom and at area Veteran outreach events. It is not unusual to see chefs and dietitians in the Atrium conducting live cooking demonstrations. The smell of sesame citrus chicken always draws a crowd.
“They learn that cooking healthy food is not complicated and it’s a lot quicker and more economical than going out to eat,” said Forde.
Ms. Forde says the classes are very popular and Veterans are excited to learn how to cook healthy meals. “We have Veterans calling us regularly and bragging about the dishes they make at home, they are so proud and empowered.” She says her service has plans to expand the classes to include weekends and more telehealth opportunities at the Community Based Outpatient Clinics.
If you are enrolled for care at the Washington DC VA Medical Center and are interested in the cooking classes, just speak to your primary care provider.
Simple tips to improve your nutrition:
1. Create an eating style that includes a variety of your favorite, healthful foods.
2. Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
3. Eat and drink the right amount for you, as MyPlate (the current nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture, a food circle (i.e. a pie chart) depicting a place setting with a plate and glass divided into five food groups.) encourages us to do.
4. Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
5. Manage your weight or lower your health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.
