Category: Wellness on the Road

A year ago today, in the early days of this pandemic, we could have never predicted what our programming was going to look like. Schools shut their doors in mid March of last year, but we knew that our work was more important than ever. We could not shut the door on our communities; so we went to them. We met outside, we held socially distanced classes, and we adapted our lessons for the virtual world and for communities beyond the walls of a school. 

One WITS Chef put it best: Armed with carrots, beets and cucumbers, we travel into neighborhoods that have been forgotten, and we do this with heart, passion and perseverance.

We became fixtures of virtual and outdoor classrooms. We were honorary guests at farmer markets all across New York City. We turned every room of our house into a kitchen or fitness studio (for the best lighting!). We created not one, but two shows (A Bite of Wellness on BronxNet and Talks with Telepan on Instagram Live). We’ve created engaging workouts that are instrumental in keeping students focused during virtual learning. And yes, we have mastered Zoom breakout rooms. 

When we look back on the year we remember loss and hardship, but looking at the pictures from this year tells a different story. It reminds us that the humans of WITS make the best out of any situation. In that way, looking back has prepared us to move forward.

Below is a slideshow of just a few of the incredible moments from this past year that were captured. Moments that show the heart, passion, and perseverance of Wellness in the Schools.

The following is an interview conducted by WITS Chef and Resident Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Ricardo Diaz. Ricardo interviewed Maya Feller, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist,a nationally recognized nutrition expert who recently joined the Wellness in the Schools Board of Directors.

Ricardo: Hi Maya, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me and answer a few questions. I guess we can just jump right into it with the big question of what led you to want to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist? Was it always your end goal?

Maya: Hi Ricardo! Actually, not at all. I started out studying experimental theater and philosophy as an undergraduate. So it wasn’t what I originally set out to do. The path to becoming an RDN actually started when I was training for the Boston Marathon. I was spending so many hours running and I began to think more about the food that I was eating. What’s happening with the food I eat? Where is it going? How is it metabolized? How is my food turning into fuel? All of these questions fascinated me, and still do. After researching those questions I learned about registered dietitians and knew that it was something that I wanted to study. I come from a family of academics, so I knew immediately I wanted to go for the terminal degree, so that is what I did and I became a dietitian!

Ricardo: Thank you so much for sharing that story with me Maya. It’s also interesting to hear that we both didn’t necessarily look at nutrition and dietetics as a primary goal from the start. Becoming an RDN was something I ended up stumbling into myself. I initially wanted to go pre-med. After taking some requisite classes in nutrition I started using what I was learning in that class in my personal life, and once I saw how these practices were influencing my own health then I thought, “well, maybe I should give this a try instead.”

Maya: Oh, that’s amazing. So do you use any of your knowledge from pre-med classes years ago as you are working with the students now?

Ricardo: Yes I do, but I take what I learned and I simplify it so that students can more easily use that information to make changes within their own life… So we know how you decided on becoming an RDN, but what led you to working in private practice and academia?

Maya: Before private practice and academia I actually started working with my community. Right after becoming an RDN I started working with a community organization where I worked with homeless or unstably housed patients with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. After that, I started working with the New York City Department of Health where I was a part of a program that would go around the 5 boroughs and teach classes on nutrition and body care. That eventually led to me doing 12 week nutrition workshops in New York City housing projects. It was around that time that I decided to start my own private practice. At first, my work really centered around maternal and family nutrition, but over time it has become more general, but I still do a lot of family nutrition work and a lot of it deals with non communicable conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, etc. All of my work is from a very patient-centered, anti-biased lens. I am really there to take the science that I do know and work with a lens of cultural humility so that I can serve the patients efficiently. I don’t know anything about a person’s lived experience, that’s their unique experience, what I do know is the nutrition science, which means I have to walk in with my eyes open and my ears open and honor what they’re telling me so that I can really serve them in the best possible way.

When I was running the 12 week nutrition workshops that is when I started teaching at NYU. I started teaching life cycle nutrition there in 2012 and I am still teaching it. So that’s how I ended up in private practice and academia!

Ricardo: I really like the point you bring up on cultural humility. I feel like that is something I had to gradually learn to appreciate a lot more, especially when working with different cultures all over New York City. So how did you end up working with the populations that you work with now?

Maya: I think that as a black woman dietitian many of my patients have sought me out because I am not the majority. So I have a large group of patients that were looking for someone who is representative of them. I also have a large group of patients that identify as LGBTQ+ because my work is through an anti-biased approach. Patients want someone who will listen to them, and because I work with an anti-racist, anti-biased lens that takes cultural humility into account I am better able to serve my patients. I can’t tell you how many people have said to me “thank you for listening.” That’s not generally a part of how we are trained as RDNs. We engage in motivational interviewing, which may work for some but might not work for others, and we are taught that we are supposed to educate, which is true, but we also need to educate ourselves by listening to and learning from our patients. I am always willing to say “I can learn from you,” and I think that’s why a lot of my patients come to me. 

Ricardo: The listening is so crucial. I find that especially with my work with the students, you have to listen closely to them so that you can meet them where they are at, but as you say, people don’t focus enough on the listening aspect of our work. We also never really got guidance on working with the LGBTQ+ community as you mentioned –

Maya: Not at all. We are told that so many of those conversations that we have with patients from the LGBTQ+ fall under “social issues,” and are not classified as dietetics work, when in fact, people’s identities are deeply entwined with how they interact with food. I think that as we start to teach a new generation of dietitians we need to begin to build all of this into the fabric of dietetics so that students are better equipped to work with diverse populations.

Ricardo: Absolutely. One thing that comes to mind is looking at different cultures and how different cultures eat healthily. Looking back, I never really knew how to address how individuals from different cultures could eat healthy while consuming traditional cultural foods. As a preceptor, professor, and a mentor, how do you challenge and broaden the perspective with regard to how your students and future RDNs could better serve these diverse populations while keeping cultural traditions intact?

Maya: That’s an incredible question. The academy loves to say that “there is no one size that fits all.” And they’re right. There is no one size that fits all. When new patients come in we should be asking them, “what is it that you are engaged in eating, what are some of your favorite foods?” Let’s start by asking and listening, before we start to prescribe. We should take into account what is accessible in their communities.

Ricardo: That is such a good point. Chef Marion and I have to factor this into our pantry work in the Bronx. We have to take into account what kind of food and ingredients that people like to eat, along with what they have access to, and try to help them from there while being fully aware of their cultural traditions. Well, thank you so much for speaking with me Maya. It was so great to hear about your journey to becoming an RDN and how our paths had a few similarities. 

Maya: Thank you so much for having me! Always happy to support Wellness in the Schools.

This article was initially published in the Whole Kids Foundation Blog of March 2021.

Life is full of unpredictable events, most of which we have no control over. However, the year 2020 will be forever remembered as the one that forced a world to stop in its tracks and alter every aspect of life that was considered normal, familiar, planned, and even mandatory. It challenged everyone, even the most inspiring optimist, to find comfort and stability.

As the long days turn into long months during this Covid-19 pandemic, it continues to radically change the way we live, work, learn, socialize, and the way we take care of our loved ones. Above all, the most important factor that this pandemic has highlighted is our health which happens to be the one thing we DO have control over. With all the anxieties, fears, and stresses, we are grasping at everything that brings us comfort, relief, and happiness. Self-care is not selfish, it is mandatory. Now that we are one year in, the dependency on technology has taken its toll and the desire to find easy ways to unplug is even more in demand. The quarantine trends of baking bread, learning a musical instrument, or hosting drive-by parties are all great ways to unplug for one’s mental health. However, taking care of our physical health requires a little more creativity.

At Wellness in the Schools, we bring food & fitness programming into the classroom. Our short-term goal is to teach healthy habits to live and learn better. Our long-term bold mission is to end childhood obesity. In order for our programming to have a lasting impact, ideally the habits we teach continue at home. Fortunately, the Covid silver lining for WITS is that we have been able to do just that. Our WITS Chefs and Coaches have been able to stream live lessons into the bedrooms, kitchens, and/or family rooms of our students.

We’ve curated a list of fun ideas for parents and teachers to use at home with their families:

OUR TOP 4 MEALTIME TRADITIONS:

1. Have each member of the household rotate nights of the week and cook for each other, then give ratings on yumminess, healthiness, and presentation! If some are too young to cook, partner up in teams. Tally the scores at the end of the week for a prize – fruit dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut anyone?
   
2. Want dessert? That’s ok, take a poll and make rules around how much is too much. For example, 3 dessert nights/week and urge homemade and/or fresh fruits. If you have teens at home, you know teens like being part of the decision-making process, and having them choose usually leads to a successful outcome. You can also hold “healthy competitions” for who can make the most delicious cookie that is filled with healthy and yummy ingredients! 
3. If the tradition of cooking for each other is a success, start keeping track of all the highest rated recipes made from each family member and create your own cookbook! This is a wonderful tradition as well as something to use again when you want to recreate the dish together – or to share among friends. 
4. What better way to clean up after dinner than with a dance party? Turn on your favorite music, create an assembly line, and dance while you clean. If the kids are too young, give them a little area to “clean” while you clean and the happiness of the dancing will keep them included. A great way to get moving, laughing, with the reward of a clean kitchen.

OUR TOP 4 FITNESS-FUN TRADITIONS:

1. Obstacle courses! This can be modified to be perfect for any household. Let the kids lead for optimum success. The course can be set up inside or outside. One leader designs the course and the whole family has to complete it. Each course usually consists of 5 obstacles. It can include everything from crawling under chairs to hopping over a row of pillows. Depending on the athleticism of your household, the obstacles can be at any level of ease or difficulty, as long as it gets everyone moving. Have everyone do the course once, clock each run, then have each person do it again trying to beat his/her last time. Want to challenge teamwork? Partner up! 
2. Take a daily walk, with a twist. Many kids find walks boring. So jazz it up and make it a game. Bring the dog, if you have. Bring a football and play catch while walking. Or, end the walk with family competition (football, wiffle ball) – adults against the kids! 
3. Turn chores into a game. Instead of saying “I have to do something”, try switching your perspective to “I get to do something.” Just this slight word change can change the amount of energy you bring to the task. If you said, “I get to do laundry today”, it sounds exciting, right? For example, when putting away your laundry, grab a partner and make it a relay! Maybe open up your sock drawer and see how many balled up socks you can make it in your drawer from 6 feet away. Get creative with your chores and you will find you and your family genuinely saying, ”I get to do chores today!” 
4. Get outside in nature. Of course, respecting social distancing, find a peaceful spot outside. Enjoy the air. If you haven’t already, this is the perfect time to bring the healthy habit of meditation into your day. An easy way to start is to go outside, find a tree, and have a seat. Focus on just one leaf on the tree, watch it blow in the wind, and intently listen to hear the noise of that one leaf blowing in the wind. This will help the start of blocking out all other noise in that one moment.

From our team to yours, stay present, safe, healthy, and have fun!

Wellness in the Schools continually adapts our lessons to meet the needs of our communities. In some cases, the partnership between WITS Chefs and schools is so strong that an entire new curriculum is created. The Rainbow Salad Lab is one of those colorful cases. 

The idea was born from a collaboration between WITS Chef Cait Olesky and Lu Sutton Elementary School garden coordinator Erin Compton. Erin and Chef Cait decided to refresh a Greens Lab taught a few years ago with a new, colorful twist – adding the bounty of locally grown California produce and a “mix-and-match create your class salad” activity.

Why is Lu Sutton Elementary such a great place for the Rainbow Salad Lab? Lu Sutton Elementary has a fantastic garden, and gardening is a regular part of the school curriculum. Students are familiar with the yearly life cycle of the garden and all it has to offer. Erin keeps the school garden bountiful year-round with greens (lettuces, chard, and kale), apples, beets, squashes, pumpkins, herbs, and more. 

Not being able to teach in person this year hasn’t stopped Erin’s creativity. She has found many innovative ways to keep students involved, even if they couldn’t be weeding and harvesting as they usually do. One of these innovations was to focus on California agriculture, as it is a considerable producer of greens, citrus, stone fruits, berries, nuts, and floriculture. California grows nearly 100% of the U.S. artichoke crop, with 80% of that produced in Monterey County – not far from Lu Sutton!  

For the Rainbow Salad Lab, Chefs Cait and Nancy Larson teach a virtual-live lab to each class. Chef Cait demonstrates making the same salad and herb vinaigrette for all classes. All of the Lab ingredients are grown in California and can frequently be found in the school’s garden. The Lab also includes items often in the cafeteria lunches that students take home, such as sunflower seeds, craisins, and apples. 

As with all our Labs, we discuss the health benefits of each ingredient in the salad. This nutrition lesson  includes information on the vitamins and nutrients of the leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, and the benefits of the healthy fats such as avocado and olive oil.

The fun and learning continues with the “mix-and-match create your class salad recipe” activity. Each class collectively chooses from a list of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, plus items such as cheese, olives, and herbs. Their choices are then added to a green salad base.  At the end of the week, class recipes are put into a hat, and Chef Cait blindly chooses one to distribute to the entire school, as “Class XXXX’s California Rainbow Salad”. Students will even get a take-home spice packet to mix into oil and vinegar at home for a delicious dressing.

It is an action-packed lesson with gardening, cooking, nutrition, local agriculture, and an element of surprise all wrapped into one. What makes the lesson memorable, like all WITS Labs, is that it is a complete sensory experience: students are smelling and tasting the ingredients that they are hearing about, and forming these connections.

Chef Cait says of the Rainbow Salad Lab, “this Lab is a fun and creative way to motivate kids to make and eat a big beautiful salad with local ingredients and also ones that are easily accessible to all of our families.” 

It turns out that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, is actually a bowl. And that bowl is filled with salad.