Community Nutrition Partnerships

Published in our February 2025 newsletter

Nutrition Coordinator Hannah arrived at the kitchen at The Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships on a chilly but sunny Thursday afternoon in January for the next nutrition lesson in the series she has been teaching. Several participants were already there, using the next-door computer lab while waiting for the session to begin. Three women were returning after attending previous lessons, one of whom had invited several of her friends along with her.

While setting up, one of the repeat participants chatted with Hannah about how she had just been grocery shopping and faced a decision about which brand of canned soup to buy. While both had “healthy” messaging on the label, she knew she needed to read the nutrition facts label to make the best choice, leading her to discover that one of the brands had over twice the sodium of the other! She and Hannah spent several minutes conversing about reducing sodium in canned food by choosing low or no salt added options and rinsing canned beans and vegetables. Another participant joined the discussion, stating that she has hypertension and aims to follow a low-sodium diet.

Once everyone had settled in, Hannah began the lesson on the day’s topic: fruits, veggies, and a healthy lifestyle. She started by discussing the different color groups of fruits and vegetables and the health benefits of each. Participants shared which types of produce they enjoyed most and which they liked less or struggled to cook with. Hannah facilitated a discussion in which she and the class shared tips with each other on new ways to cook, season, and eat vegetables, such as okra, and legumes, such as lentils.

The lesson flowed naturally, the conversation touching on the health benefits of fiber and the flavor profiles of different spices. One participant pulled a section of ginger root out of her bag, wondering what flavors it could add to her cooking while another questioned the group about which vegetables paired well with turmeric. Cooking healthy food for family came up often as well, with several women mentioning that it was important to them to serve more fruits and vegetables to their grandchildren.

Midway through the lesson Hannah began to prepare the recipe of the day: vegetable quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas. While she cooked, the group worked on an exercise creating their own vegetable and grain bowls, utilizing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy—all five food groups represented on MyPlate. Soon the scent of sautéing onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms filled the kitchen, prompting the class to remark on how good everything smelled. While Hannah filled each tortilla with low-fat cheese and sautéed vegetables, the participants took turns sharing their grain bowl ideas.

To conclude the lesson, the participants each enjoyed a sample of the quesadilla while Hannah went over other questions and comments from the group. Several discussions arose, from brainstorming fiber-rich breakfast ideas (other than oatmeal, at the request of one woman) in anticipation of the next lesson, which would feature a recipe for easy red lentils.

Community lessons such as this one provide an important resource for older adults to learn about nutrition in the kitchen and at the grocery store, as well as build community with others who aspire to live healthfully. Nutrition lessons at The Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships are free, and Hannah teaches in the Carriage House kitchen the last two Thursdays of each month.

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