The joy of teaching

Tonight I taught a nutrition class for a PTA meeting.  The participants all appeared to be well-educated men and women who reported liking green leafy vegetables like kale and collard greens.  An excellent group of teachers and parents.  Which is why I was surprised when I got asked a question about the difference between white bread and wheat bread.

Upon hearing the request, I immediately launched into the explanation.  White bread is made from a wheat plant that has been processed to remove the bran and germ, leaving behind the starch-rich endosperm.  The bran contains most of the fiber and the germ contains most of the vitamins and minerals.  After a few years of Americans eating processed grains, people started to develop vitamin deficiencies....  Which is why the FDA now mandates that processed flours be fortified to replace those nutrients lost during processing.  This is when I asked the participants "Why not just eat the plant in it's original form?"  Nobody answered.  I think they were all too stunned to respond.

http://www.grainsessential.ca/english/grains/healthylifestyle.html

 My second-favorite part of the evening was when a teacher asked the rest of the group if they had heard about the genetically-modified salmon.  "Genetically-modified salmon is the least of your worries," I told her.  "Over 97% of our corn and soybeans are GMO!"  Which brought up the whole conversation about Round-Up ready plants and how we are consuming these products that have been grown in a chemical-rich environment and the question: What do you suppose that is doing to our children?!

Despite the fact that the conduction hot plates did not work and I was unable to cook Black Bean Sweet Potato Quesadillas, it was a good night.  We had some great conversation and I feel like I really helped change the way some of the participants think about food.  It's nights like these that I am glad I am a nutrition educator.