Nutrition for Oti's family

They all love apples (Adela)

We've been thinking a lot about nutrition lately and how much the foods we eat effect our health, how we feel, and even how we think.  As literate Americans, nutrition and healthy eating habits are often discussed. And sometimes we make significant diet changes to combat or prevent sickness and other negative effects. Changing our diet a little or a lot, while not easy, is very feasible. 

Last weekend I was holding Rodrigo (Oti's 2 yr. old) during VBS. He's a happy boy, but I couldn't help but notice his rotting teeth.

Separating the fruits from the veggies

 When we offered him a piece of fruit he said no. But as soon as the birthday cake came out, he was all over it. We've spoken to all of the kids and Oti as well, about eating less sugar (Coke, cookies, candy, juice), but eating more fruits and vegetables. But it occurred to us that Oti has lived in survival mode at least since we've known her, and she doesn't think of food as anything more than something to fill the belly. How it effects her long-term health and that of her children is the furthest thing from her mind. But one of the goals of Back2Back is to educate the people we serve about healthy habits.   

Eggplant?

So Julie had this idea of taking about 20 fruits and veggies to Oti's house and having our first nutrition lesson. We asked her and the kids some basic questions about the fruits and veggies. "What is your favorite fruit/veggie?" "What are some red fruits/veggies?" "What are some green fruits/veggies?" Then we asked the kids to separate the fruits from the veggies. It was so fun and eye-opening for us to see how limited their "food vocabulary" was. Oti had no idea what an eggplant was. She asked us how you cook spinach. It was fun and sad at the same time. But we definitely know where we can invest some of our time. Next up...cooking class with Oti. BUT, teaching Oti how to make new recipes with new food is a challenge because she can't read. It's not as easy as giving her a recipe. This may also partly explain why she sticks with the same food choices. So we'll have to be creative with the cooking class. Any ideas are welcome. Picture recipes included.