Lunch & Learn at 11th Street
Lunch & Learn at 11th Street
Embedded Files
Published in our May 2025 newsletter
Program Manager, Danielle, hosts a “Lunch & Learn” lesson for a group of adult students at the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University. This bunch was quite lively after just finishing up a chair yoga class, eager to start even before Danielle had finished setting up.
Once the lesson officially started, Danielle began with a check-in, which quickly turned into a discussion on hydration and drinking water. Participants learned how to calculate general recommendations for a healthy individual: dividing their weight by two and drinking at least, that many ounces of water each day— still, several were surprised to learn just how much fluid they needed. The discussion was the perfect segue to the topic of the day: fiber!
The day’s hour-long lesson was jam packed with information, nutrition education activities, and cooking. Danielle first went over how much fiber participants should be eating each day (25 grams for women and 38 grams for men) and taught about the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber and why both are important for health. The class was then able to practice reading nutrition facts labels to find out both the number of grams and the percent daily value of fiber that can be found in common foods. Later in the session, participants paired up to create high-fiber meal plans using the same nutrition facts labels. From adding a side of roasted vegetables to a sandwich made with whole wheat bread, to topping whole grain toaster waffles with fresh fruit, the class saw the impact that a simple and easy swap could make in their daily fiber intake.
To test out their new knowledge of fiber further, everyone was given the challenge of identifying which ingredients would add fiber to the day’s recipe, chicken jambalaya. Participants correctly identified that the bell peppers, onion, diced tomatoes, and brown rice all boost the fiber content in the dish!
Everyone teamed up to help chop, sauté, and season, and soon the aroma of the classroom began to make the whole class hungry. The jambalaya featured a mix of fresh vegetables and low-sodium canned ingredients, relying on garlic and dried herbs to add plenty of flavor. Participants were also amazed to find out that that the instant brown rice used in the recipe not only increased the fiber content in the recipe, but this was done without the longer cooking time of regular brown rice. The verdict on the recipe? Delicious!
To wrap up, each participant shared one thing they had learned from the class. A few shared some ideas they wanted to try when making the recipe at home, such as swapping in their favorite types of vegetables. Then it was off to art therapy (the next class in a full day of offerings at the 11th Street Center!), but not before checking in with Danielle about her next lunchtime nutrition lesson.
Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services is run by Drexel University and offers a variety of wellness services, including primary and dental care, physical therapy, social services, behavioral health, and health education and wellness classes, one of which is the nutrition series Danielle teaches. You can learn more about the Center, make appointments, and find out about class times and offerings here.
Google Sites
Report abuse