class project

Thursday we met in the class room and worked on our project.  It is coming along really well.  We already have our kolrabi handout finished.  We have some research done and some other information finished.  It was good getting together.  We divided up the work and figured out when to meet to put the finishing touches on our project.  I think our project will turn out really great.  We divided up the work evenly between the group.  We are going to meet again on Monday and just put the finishing touches and make sure everything is done correctly.  I think our garden came out really well and it is somewhat unique with the edible flowers and kolrabi. Our group works really well together.  I am going to do the other nutrition handout and the other information that relates to it.  We are all doing parts of the power points that related to our part of  the project.  I think our project is going to turn out really well.  I really enjoyed this project and am looking forward to presenting it on tuesday!  I think our group is doing a good job!

Holzters dairy farm

I really enjoyed going to the dairy farm.  I have never been to a dairy farm before or any farm for that matter.  I was surprised to find out how much technology went into farming.  I had no idea that they had all of the monitoring to see how much milk was being produced and how much they were being fed.  It was also interesting, to see all the equipment they had.  I had no idea they needed that much.  It was very organized and definitely takes a lot of work to run a farm.  It was also interesting to hear the nutrition side of farming.  I did not know that each cow had a different diet that they were put on to optimize milk production and keep them from getting fat.  I was surprised that they had two dietitians on staff that figured out their feed formula.  It was also very interesting how strict the inspectors were that came to the farm.  I did not know the regulations were so tight.  I do not think I would really like doing animal nutrition.  I think it might get to repetitive and boring for me.  It was good to see that nutrition was very important to the farmers and for their cows.  I learned a lot about the dairy farm that I never knew before.  The technology surprised me the most.  I did not think there would be so much computers involved and so much tracking of the animals. I had no idea that they tracked each and every animal that came in.  They tracked them in every way possible which was surprising.  

I think dietitians should go to all types of food plants and farms to see how food is really made.  I think it is important for us to know where our food comes from.  It also would allow us to see what is locally made and how it is made.  This way if people ever asked we would know or at least we could refer them to somebody who would.  We would also be supporting sustainability and the local economy if we could go to all the local farms and food producers in the area.  It would have a huge impact on our practice and maybe allow to practice better and help our clients more.  

I think going to a place that like this allows people to see exactly what it takes to produce that food.  You see how much work and money goes into producing a food like that.  I do not think most people realize what it takes to produce the food and how much time and how many people. This was just a small farm, I can't imagine what a big farm would entail.  There is just so much that is involved with farming and making sure everything is safe. 

meeting with DH

Today we met with Dr.Holben to go over our projects. From the meeting I think our project is going pretty well. We are doing our project on pregnant adult women. I think our garden is meeting all the needs that we can do in our garden. Our garden is big on vitamins and minerals such as folate, iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium. We are planting a wide variety of vegetables and even some edible flowers. We wanted to do something a little different. It would be good for people to try new things. Our garden should meet the needs of our target population. We are going to do our information sheet probably on kohlrabi because no one else will have that in their garden. From our meeting it sounded like on garden is on the right track. I think we are focusing on the right minerals and vitamins for our population. Many of them are involved with reproduction of cells which is very important in early pregnancy. I am looking forward to working on our project next week and putting it together. I think our group is working well together. We all get along and we all work hard. I think our project is going to turn out really well along with our garden. This project is great and I will definitely take all the things I have learned from it and use it in the future. It is a wonderful thing that we are learning how to garden and that is something that we can use forever and pass on to others. I think this project has taught me so much already.

Arts West tree planting

Today we went again to plant trees. We planted many different kinds of trees at Arts West. We planted peach, gooseberry and current trees and bushes. As a class we probably planted 6 or so fruit trees or bushes. It went by much faster this time because we all knew what we were doing from the last time. I think this is a really great project to help people get their intake of fruit. I look forward to coming back next year and seeing how much they have grown. I hope this project really helps people increase their fruit intake. With the wide variety of fruits we are planting I think that there will be something for everyone. I hope everyone kept their map from the newspaper so they know where all of the trees are. I enjoyed planting the peach tree. Ashley and I dug the hole for the tree pretty fast and were ready to go. I feel like I definitely know how to plant a tree and protect it with the fence type stuff around it. I hope to use this in the future and plant some trees when I have a bigger yard. It was good to help with this process and hopefully help the city of Athens be a little healthier.

I think that our garden is coming along pretty well. Most of our plants are planted. But next week it is going to be hot so we have to make sure to water it a lot so our plants don't die. We are planting peppers, nasturtiums, kohlrabi,broccoli, spinach. I think that is everything. I hope our plants grow really well and we produce a lot. I think this is a great project. I plant on taking a picture next week to show the what our garden looks like. It will be interesting to see our plants once they start producing vegetables. I think next week will be out working on our garden and project frequently.

Dairy Counsel

Mike Sieminski RD, LD from the American Dairy Association who is a Nutrition Communications Coordinator came to speak to us about the Dairy Association.This is funded by 15 cents for 100 pounds of milk sold. The planning for the ideas come from the group of 12 or so people that work in the office. Basically one person brings it up and they discuss if they think it is a good idea and how to accomplish this idea. They have many programs such as refuel with chocolate milk, and three a day. The American Dairy Association goal is to improve the nutrition that is in the community and provide education, science backed nutrition information and try to improve the nutrition of the entire society. It is really hard to monitor and evaluate programs because there are so many people that process milk and milk products. They do try to look at milk sales and other dairy product sales to see if the programs are working. Overall, it is still a hard to feat to accomplish.

I thought it was really interesting what Mike did. I was surprised and how much communication was involved with his job. I can see how having his background in communication really work to his advantage as a dietitian. He does alot of tv spots and interviews for all sorts of reporters. It would be really hard to do that everyday and be on all the television shows. You really need to be careful about what you say to make sure their is scientific evidence behind it. I do not really think that I would doing his job. I do not like being in the spotlight. I much rather work behind the scenes. I don't think I would comfortable doing all those interviews with all those reporters. It was really nice him giving us all the tips for communication. I will definitely keep those in mind and they will be really great to use in the future. It was great to know that there are such a wide variety of nutrition related jobs out there. It is great that they design all those programs to increase the consumption of milk. I will definitely look to them for the latest projects and other events that are going on. I will also use their education materials.

Wic Program

Julie Gladmay a lactation consultant from the Athens county WIC program came to talk to our class today about the WIC program. WIC is created for women, infant and children to supplement nutrition. It was interesting hearing about the program from Julie. The program is funded by the state and federal.The benefits of WIC include items such as referrals when necessary, supplemented high density nutritious food, health education, health screening and classes. The ideas for programs and other things in WIC come from other states sometimes or higher up. It can also come from within the Athens branch. This program is a very good supplemental nutrition program. The food is very limited to nutritionally dense items. Most of the items they are allowed to buy are fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The items have to meet very strict nutritional regulation in order to be allowed on the WIC program. I think this is great and highly benefits the people that are involved with this program. It allows them to buy nutritious food that they need. The program is monitored by the state and at the Federal level. The programs that usually successful somewhere else then they are used in other states. The program is evaluated by how many people are using the program and if the number of people breastfeeding is increasing. This lets them know that people are utilizing the program and probably being educated on this. This is a great program and it was really interesting learning about how they help moms who are pregnant or have had the babies.

I think it would be really interesting working at WIC. It would be wonderful experience getting to help all the mothers with their children. It would be great to help out with any nutritional deficiencies and encourage breastfeeding because it is so healthy for the baby. I think I would really enjoy working at a WIC program. You could really help many people at a WIC and give a lot of great nutrition education and interventions.I think that is great that there is a program like this to help pregnant and lactating women get the nutrition they need for both the baby. I think alot of people should utilize this. It could really help so many people out. I will remember to refer people to this, who I think it would help. It gives people many great opportunities to get the nutrition they need. I will always keep this in the back of my mind while I practice as registered dietitian.

tree planting

On Thursday, our group went to the south side garden to plant a fruit tree. We planted a mulberry tree over near the golf course. It was really nice planting the tree and I was surprised that it did not really take that long. We were able to plant the tree due to a grant and project that someone for their masters. We made sure to place a fencing around the mulberry tree so other animals would not eat it. It was a good experience and I am I know a good way to plant a tree in the future. It was really fun planting the trees in our group and it better than sitting and listenng to a lecture. I am looking foward to the other out door activities that will be doing in community nutrition.

I am gardening in Dayton. Last weekend, I planted lettuce, squash, peppers,basil, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, cherry tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes. I was not sure what I was doing but I enjoyed planting the seeds. It was really relaxing to me and it will be cool to see them grow during the summer. In Dayton, we are going to have an herb garden, vegetable garden and butterfly garden. They will be pretty small but I think it will be a good start. The lettuce has already started growing which is exciting. There is six plants and in a few weeks we will be transplanting them. Something else has also started growing but I am not sure what it is. My next trip to dayton, I plan on taking pictures of the garden, so I can see pictures of it as it grows. I am also excited about the butterfly garden. It is going to have Zinnas,dillweed and a few other flowers. It should be very colorful and hopefully many butterflys will come and enjoy it.