Students listen to dietitian about healthy options
By: JAKE HEIDBRINK
Staff Writer
October is National Cancer Awareness month, and to coincide with this, the STLCC-Meramec campus held a day for many awareness groups to spread their cause in the Meramec quad Oct. 9. For the event Operation Food Search stated that they would be teaching students about how to have a nutritious diet on an affordable budget. The connection between what Operation Food Search was promoting and cancer awareness became very clear after a cooking demo by dietitian Leslie Bertsche, ultimately making the call for more nutritious cooking just as relevant as cancer awareness.
“One of the things that we know about cancer awareness month is that what you eat can help in cancer prevention,” Bertsche said. “Eating a diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins is all important for cancer prevention.”
The demo involved Bertsche preparing a black bean quesadilla, while showcasing her knowledge by highlighting the value of the ingredients. Some of the most interesting facts involved the cancer preventing aspects of the ingredients. For instance, when Bertsche began cutting up red onions, she talked about the high amount of antioxidants present in red onions and how this attribute makes red onions better for preventing cancer over other kinds of onions. The presence Bertsche had in these moments summarized the demo: a fun blend of knowledge and cooking that made the entire act of eating healthy seem easy.
“The important information I wanted to share was that making a quick and easy dinner full of veggies and other healthy ingredients can be pretty simple and doesn’t have to take a lot of time,” Bersche said.
The enthusiasm of the audience added to the overall feel of the demo through the banter of cooking tips among one another as well as a steady stream of questions that were provided to Bertsche throughout.
“I really enjoy anything that has to do with nutrition,” student, Rachel Jennings said. “I like to learn more ways to cook for my family on a vegan lifestyle. I like to find out about more information about the preparedness of vegetables and overall other styles of cooking because my entire family isn’t vegan.”
Eating healthy on a budget was also an important lesson taken by the audience and Bertsche made the connection between her demo and hunger awareness month. This is the first year Operation Food Search was part of Meramec’s Cancer Awareness Month.
“What we know is that people who are experiencing food insecurity or hunger may be more reliant on [fast food] because they see it as being cheaper, but the purpose of our program in general is to teach people that you can make a quick and easy cheap meal that isn’t full of fat or sodium or other processed foods and our whole purpose is to really tell them how to they can stretch a buck in the healthiest manner possible.” said Bertsche.
