Article by Riley Courtney

In July, Heather Peracchio, RDN and summer Extension intern Riley Courtney visited UConn’s Stamford campus for the purpose of providing nutrition and healthy eating education to teen members of the ConnCAP program. To start off, the two instructed the group on some principals of nutrition using the USDA’s MyPlate as a centerpiece. From there, they covered budget friendly tips on choosing the least expensive, healthiest options when perusing the aisle to spicing up typical college dorm go to’s with extra nutrition. Teens used photos of common foods to come up with healthy meal combinations that included more fruits and vegetables. As a culmination of this effort, a brief cooking demonstration and tasting was offered featuring a quick and easy yogurt parfait recipe including whole grain oat cereal, fresh and frozen fruits, and fat-free vanilla yogurt. All in all, the SNAP-Ed team had the class covered.

Comments on the Workshop:

• Most Useful
  • Eating better on a budget handout
  • Getting more creative with leftovers
  • Being more creative with food
  • Combining unhealthy with healthy foods
  • Meal planning and budgeting tips
  • Eating fruits and veggies in season
  • Using food photo cards to create a nutritious meal
• Tips to Use Going Forward
  • Knowing what foods mix well with others
  • Being more creative
  • To meal plan
  • To eat more fruits/veggies
  • Try new foods
  • How to save money
  • Compare and contrast technique
  • Looking at the unit prices of foods
• Helpful Info for Future Workshops
  • Working out and more info about nutrients
  • Making new foods, food/cooking demos
  • Making foods already eating healthier