Place visited: SNAP-Ed Date of shadowing March 17, 2016
SNAP-Ed is an online resource centre that seeks to help all individuals who are eligible with specific focus on mothers and children in low income areas to aid in choosing healthy lifestyles that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The SNAP program provides both economic benefits to its members as well as education driven by nutrition goals. In every class or session, the instructor trains and educates the participants about any of the food groups while also integrating demonstration by carrying or brining a snack for each of the participants. This active learning and demonstration ensures that the participants are versed with what to cook, how to cook while also having a chance to taste the meal or snack.
On the day I visited SNAP-Ed, the instructor made a mango salsa and provided chips as the accompanying snack. The instructor further provided nutrition facts and ideas on best practices for serving families within a limited budget. On this particular day of visit, the session discussion was based on Whole Grains as the food group of focus. The primary objective of the instructor was to educate the women on the advantages of whole grains to the health of their families and why they should prioritize whole grains in their meals. The instructor began by providing each of the participants with a handout that included important information on whole grains with specific content on the three steps of picking whole grains as well as expounding on the varieties of whole grains such as Quinoa, bulgur, and whole grain rice. The handout or reading material also contained important information on how to prepare whole grains as well as the benefits that should endear the participants to choosing whole grains. After provision of the handout, the instructor began to demonstrate some of the important points in the reading material especially those that were considered important to expound so that the participants can have a better understanding. For example, the instructor gave every group of two women a picture of some product that included the nutrition facts of the product and its ingredients. The instructor then inquired from each of the participant groups to indicate whether the product is falls under whole grains. At the end of the session, the instructor asked each of the women to fill the SNAP-Ed Behavior Survey – Adults. The questionnaire or survey includes questions about MyPlate, consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as consumption of protein-rich meals.
For the SNAP-Ed to meet the goals and objectives for which it is intended to, there is a need to have a registered dietitian or nutrition professional in their team. This would help eliminate the challenge on the instructor in providing accurate or professional responses to the questions by the participants. For instance, during the session, the women asked some questions that the instructor could not answer and this significantly limited the value of content provided to the participants since the instructor was not actually a profession. Having registered dietician would help answer the pertinent questions from the participants such as those on how individual health status can dictate variations in choice of food. The registered dietician can also play a key role in helping these participants in making lifestyle and dietary decisions that can prevent chronic illnesses or any other lifestyle-related disorders. In my opinion, healthy eating is not confined to choice of low-calorie food but on the nutrition value of each food and this is what professionals should focus on when educating patients
