We hope everyone will join us this Thursday, January 15th
between 2 and 5 p.m. for our next Pathfinder Produce market at the Village
Commons. We’ve got the freshest produce around, and our friendly staff is
happy to assist you with your vegetable and fruit purchases.
***
This
past week, I caught up with my new friends, the students enrolled in Otsego Academy, Pathfinder Village’s
new two-year post-secondary program. The students are completing a food
and nutrition unit; they were visited last Thursday by Deborah Rodrigues, a
Registered Dietitian who works for the Otsego Office of the NYS Office for
People with Developmental Disabilities.
The
four Academy students – who live in a Village dorm and take advantage of
learning experiences throughout our entire region -- have focused on healthy
eating since their arrival at Pathfinder in early November. The students
help plan, shop, and prepare the meals they eat while attending school.
Through their increased awareness of the foods they eat (serving sizes,
nutritional and calorie content), coupled with regular exercise, the students
have all lost weight, averaging each about 11 pounds. Well done!
“Moderation
and variety,” Dietitian Rodrigues explained to the students during their
discussion, “It comes down to making better choices and the right-sized food
portions.” The students also discussed healthy strategies, like drinking
lots of water, not drinking sugary drinks or too many fruit juices, using healthier
fats, and cutting back overall on fats, sweets and salt. Ms. Rodrigues
also advised that skipping meals does not lead to weight loss, as this
practice actually lowers an individual’s metabolism as the body tries to
conserve energy.
Ms.
Rodrigues reviewed the most recent information from the US Department of
Agriculture’s choosemyplate.gov website, including the
recommendations for food serving portions (more than half of your
plate should be comprised of vegetables and fruits) and the food pyramid. The students
demonstrated their food smarts on food categories, offered healthy dinner menu
suggestions, and discussed healthy foods they enjoy. One student likes
grapes, another likes bananas, and yet another likes shish kabobs as a healthy
dinner favorite – kabobs are a fun way to feature delicious grilled vegetables,
balanced with an appropriate amount of lean meat.
Our
thanks go out to Ms. Rodrigues for the visit, and I hope to visit the students
again soon. (Mmmm, I bet they’re all good cooks – would it be rude to show up
at dinnertime?!)
Until
next time, eat and be well,
Lori
