Nutrition Workshop
By Andrew Richards (Project Officer - Care) and Cherricha Jacobs (Desk Officer & Social Manager) in Jamaica
Did you know that in your lifetime, you will eat about 70,000 meals and 60 tons of food? Can you imagine if these are unhealthy foods and what effect it can on our bodies? Well, those were enough thoughts to convince parents, volunteers and caregivers to turn up at our Nutrition Workshop on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at the Ridgemount United Church in Mandeville. The theme was “Nutrition: Your key to good health”. There were twenty-four participants; two males and twenty-two females. This included placements, parents on the Parenting Project, volunteers and partners.
The main objectives of the workshop were:
1.To sensitize placements about proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle
2.The importance of nutrition for the growth and development of children
3.Preparing cost-effective meals for children and adults
The main presenter, Marsha Woolery, Nutritionist/Lecturer from Northern Caribbean University (NCU) gave a sterling presentation entitled “Nutrition for the Child at All Ages”. She captured the participants’ interest by giving them real scenarios and asking them questions. Her presentation highlighted the need for food; its importance, causes and effects of bad versus good nutrition; nutrition of the infants as it relates to development of their cognitive skills, motor skills, digestive system; nutritional needs of the young child, pre-adolescent, adolescent and elderly. Ms. Woolery emphasized the need to have balanced meals from the six food groups and the functions of the different nutrients.
After Ms. Woolery’s presentation, participants appeared to be “fully-loaded” with information evident by many questions which were bounced at her from everyone. Parents wanted to know at which stage babies should be weaned and the importance of breastfeeding. Caregivers asked how they can make food more attractive for the children and how to provide a balanced meal on a “meagre” budget.
Participants having “consumed” all that information they were now placed into three groups: 2-6 years, 6-12 years and 12-18 years to plan a menu for one day (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Easy task – yeah right! Each menu should consist of foods from the different food groups. Participants were eager to get started as they got busy putting their ideas on paper. The laughter and chatter that echoed in the room were an indication that participants were coming up with creative meals. After twenty minutes, these “future nutritionist” having “digested” the information from the presentation were still bubbling with ideas and so the allotted time had to be extended by ten more minutes.
Time up!! Time up - Signaled the end of the group discussion. It was now time for the group presentations. The first group up was the 2 - 6 age group. For breakfast, they were going to prepare scrambled eggs with sausage, wheat bread, ripe banana, orange juice, water and oats porridge. For lunch they decided to “dish out” crushed potatoes, sardine, sliced tomatoes, fruit punch, slice of melon. It was decided for dinner they would have that vegetable rice, chicken strips, tossed salad and fruit salad.
–The second group was the 6-12 age group. For breakfast, they would prepare oats porridge sweetened with sugar and cows milk (low fat); eggs with sausage; bread, ripe banana and orange juice. Lunchtime it was baked chicken with rice & peas, mix vegetable (carrot, string bean, green pea), lettuce, water and sliced melon. After that heavy lunch, they decided that for supper it would be cream of pumpkin soup; corned bread and cheese with water.
- Now it was time for the 12-18 years old group. They would have for breakfast cornmeal porridge with low fat milk, boiled egg, egg sandwich made from brown bread with lettuce and tomato, ripe banana, a cup of cherry juice. For lunch, Rice & Peas, steam fish and butter, steam mixed vegetable (cabbage, carrot, cucumber, string bean, corn); orange juice. For supper, they would have soup made with chicken, pumpkin, carrot, cho-cho, irish potatoes, yam), melon and water.
Groups were commended for their efforts but were reminded that they need to ensure that the colours of their menus should be balanced – avoid too much of the same colour! Main points which participants took away from the workshop were:
1. Breakfast was the most important meal!
2. Eat Breakfast like a king; Lunch like a queen and Supper like a pauper!
3. Healthy eating helps children to grow, learn and develop!
4, Healthy eating reduces the risk of chronic diseases and conditions!
At the end of the workshop, participants commented that the workshop “was excellent, need more like this”; “presentation was informative and good”; “we need more of these workshops especially in the early childhood schools”. Overall, participants rated the workshop as an “A” – very good workshop!!
Special thanks to Anouschka van den Ban who was the first volunteer to donate funds towards the new Nutrition Programme in Jamaica. Anouchka spent one month in Jamaica volunteering at the Our Lady of Hope Child Care Facility in August 2009. The Nutrition Programme aims to build the capacity of placements and volunteers on healthy lifestyle practices, assisting in making placements more sustainable by encouraging gardens and working with different partner agencies to promote healthy living in communities. If you would like to contribute to this programme you may contact the Projects Abroad Jamaica Office. To all our volunteers who participated and those whom provided feedback geared towards this workshop, thanks! Thanks to everyone for making this workshop a success - parents, placements, Northern Caribbean University and Projects Abroad Jamaica!
Posted November 5, 2009 
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