• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Nutrition-Education Programs Can Help Low-Income Consumers, Experts Say

Posted on: Wednesday, 23 March 2005, 12:00 CST

Mar. 22--STOCKTON -- Educating consumers about nutrition and how to eat well on a tight budget can boost nutrition among low-income consumers, said Anna Oliveras, a nutrition educator at University of California Cooperative Extension in Stockton.

"Nutrition-education programs are really important because it gives them other options when they can't afford the foods that are fresh," she said.

Recipes based on the federal Thrifty Food Plan, which provides good nutrition at a low cost, can help families feed themselves without spending a lot of money," Oliveras said.

"The problem is people really like convenience foods," she added. "They think what's going to be fast and easy or what's going to be the cheapest."

Even at the Greater Stockton Emergency Food Bank, where food cost is not an issue, convenience often trumps good nutrition, said Tim Viall, executive director.

In the midst of one of then nation's foremost agricultural regions, the food bank receives bulk supplies of locally grown produce.

However, Viall said, "That's not the first thing people want to pick up."

"If we have Hungry Man dinners, which we get from time to time, we get cakes and pies and doughnuts," he said. "People will push and shove to get that stuff."

Viall understands why his clients make those choices.

"It takes more time and it take more money to cook right and eat right," he said.

That's why the food bank offers diet education.

"We're trying to accentuate the nutritional foods we have and try to show people how to make them into healthier family dinners," Viall said. "We're having some success, but we've got a long way to go."

One current program, underwritten by a Kaiser grant, brings nutrition education once a week to about 230 preschoolers in the Manteca Unified School District.

"If this works, hopefully, it's a nice little model for other school districts," Viall said.

Cooperative Extension also offers various nutrition programs, including cooking demonstrations.

"It gives them the opportunity to try different cooking methods or try different ingredients," Oliveras said.

"The hands-on activities are really important, because you can talk and talk and talk and talk, but you have to show people how to do that."

Some of her students may be learning to cook for the first time. Others may just be learning about new kinds of foods or more nutritious foods

"It does make a difference in families' lives," Oliveras said.

-----

To see more of The Record, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.recordnet.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Record

More News in this Category