Nutrition to Nurturing

One of my favorite parts of serving as the AmeriCorps Health Educator at the Erie Clinic at Roberto Clemente High School has been talking to patients about nutrition. In an area of the city where there are many food deserts, many fast food chains, and limited education regarding nutrition, this was a way in which I felt I really helped students. I began with meeting students just three times to discuss nutrition, starting with a pre-test and ending with a post-test. We addressed topics such as the FDA food plate, shopping for healthy food on a budget, and meal planning with the family. I started with just a handful of students, but now meet with twenty-five students whenever I am available at the school.

The vast majority of students are excited to eat healthier, control their borderline diabetes and hypertension, and (especially during prom season) lose a few extra pounds. This intense enthusiasm is also combined with a fear of trying new vegetables and disgust every time I say the word'quinoa." I quickly learned that meeting with students just a few times was not enough to build a relationship with them. They were hesitant to listen to me, an outsider to their world, talk about the importance of eating vegetables and fruits. They did not trust me enough to understand the barriers they face every day at home.

Throughout this year, however, I have gotten to know my students better. One student comes to talk to me regularly. Not only do we talk about nutrition, but we also talk about her experiences being bullied for her weight and how she has been learning to stand up for herself. She began writing a memoir about her experiences, and one of the greatest moments of this year was when she showed me the book that she had published herself! Yet another student always told me that he could not try new foods, like brown rice or eggplant, because of family hurdles. While he was always shy about giving more details on this fact, he slowly opened up and revealed that he has a little brother with autism who is very anxious to try new foods, and the family cannot afford to buy foods that not everyone will eat. Once he was able to open up to me, we talked about how he might be able to talk to his brother and mother about food, and make it a fun and challenging experience not only for him but his whole family. Yet another student and I spent half of our sessions talking about eating healthy, and then the second half preparing for the ACT exam, because she was determined to get into a good nursing program. These are just a handful of the students I have gotten to know better this year.

What started out as just nutrition became something much greater. I run into my students all across the school every day and on weeks when I am very busy with other projects they'll come up to me and ask when we are meeting next. They like to talk about food (or try the samples of brown rice and whole wheat tortillas I often buy), but they also want to tell me about the drama with a friend or fill me in on the summer opportunity they were just offered. Many of these students have my phone number and I have promised them my continued friendship and mentorship after my term is over. I am thankful for the chance I have had to get to know so many students at the school personally. These students know they have an advocate for them in the building who they can go to and vent their frustrations, get advice about issues and find them other adults to help, or seek support for a project they have. While many of my students have started to eat more vegetables, lost a few extra pounds, and switched completely to whole wheat bread, I am most proud of the strong relationships we have built and will hopefully still have into the future.

This blog post was written by NHC Chicago member Hansika Narayanan.

Hansika serves as a Health Educator at Erie Family Health Center-Clemente.