LOCAL CHEFS TARGET COMMUNITY COOKS TO IMPROVE DIET FOR DELTA
(LITTLE ROCK, AR) - Planning to attend a family reunion this summer? A project at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences found that the fat payload from a modest servings of a typical family reunion dinner of Cole slaw, macaroni and cheese and fried chicken amounts to about 70 grams. That's more fat than the average person should eat all day. This project is Arkansas' second "Down Home and Healthy" grant from the Office of Community Service USDHHS to educate Delta cooks and residents about healthier cooking methods. The programs feature ways to cook traditional recipes without the fat and salt that contribute to diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
People who cook for hospitals, day care centers, nursing homes, schools and churches are targeted. Jaime McAfee, chef at Delta Country Club at McGehee, and Louise Etoch, chef at Phillips County Community College, will demonstrate cooking techniques. They will use healthier ingredients and methods that bring out the flavor of foods without adding salt or fat.
"We reversed our thinking," said UAMS professors Beverly McCabe, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.--College of Health Related Professions in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition. Rather than asking Delta residents to change their diets, she and Rosemary Rodibaugh, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.--nutrition specialist for the Cooperative Extension Service and adjunct professor-plan to teach people how to modify their favorite recipes.
"In Arkansas, our rural population is at high risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease," McCabe said. "These diseases are closely related to diet."
After meeting with community focus groups and discussing the nutritional concerns of Delta residents and the kind of help they wanted to receive, McCabe and Rodibaugh developed healthy but tasty cooking methods and recipes using simple ingredients. They recruited local chefs to demonstrate these changes in diet. The program will be broadcast in the seven counties through the Arkansas Rural Hospital Program's interactive video system.
"Healthier recipes can taste good," McCabe said. "One method we use is called 'blooming the flavor,'" she said. "We consulted chefs to learn tricks and techniques they use. Caramelizing onions is one example. Another is 'shocking' vegetables, a method of steaming them for a few minutes and then rinsing with cold water. This retains the color and flavor, and the vegetables can be reheated easily in the microwave. Rural participants wanted to learn how to use herbs and spices other than salt. Chefs use 'mirepoix,' which is a mixture of finely chopped onions, celery and carrots that can be sauteed and used to flavor soups and other dishes or as a baking bed for pork chops or other meats.
"We also encourage people to cut down on fat and salt gradually. If you're drinking whole milk, go to two percent; work your way down to one percent, then skim."
"Of course, we encourage the use of more fruits and vegetables as well as less fat," McCabe said. Smoked turkey breast can substitute for fatback in flavoring vegetables. Peach crisp contains less fat than peach pie or cobbler. A traditional side dish such as macaroni and cheese contains about 20 grams of fat but using a modified recipe can lower that amount to two grams.
McCabe and Rodibaugh will present three different workshops in Desha, Bradley, Ashley, Crittenden, Phillips and Arkansas counties. They also will make special videotapes and hope to eventually cover the entire state with the program.
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Media contact: Bonnie Brandsgaard 501-686-8013
BACKGROUND The seven counties in the Delta region are in East Arkansas along the lower Mississippi River. This area is one of the poorest regions of the U.S. Health statistics that describe residents of the area are particularly harsh. For example, Phillips County is ranked in the bottom ten counties of the U.S., for both men and women, for worst life expectancies. Across the Delta region, a critically high infant and mortality rate, higher prevalence of serious untreated chronic health conditions, lower self-evaluations of health status, and higher rates of injury are common. All seven counties are in one of the top two categories of highest need for primary care services. Extremely high rates of infant and perinatal mortality, low birth weights, and teen pregnancies are endemic. More than 36 percent of the residents are high school dropouts and illiteracy is prevalent.
UAMS established the Delta Health Education Center (DHEC) in Helena, AR in 1990. The primary mission of the DHEC is to develop and implement better ways to serve the most underserved Delta population groups. Its ensuing progress has been a result of extensive local support, through inter-agency relations and programs, which have resulted in a wide range of models, materials and experience that can now be tailored for use in other rural Delta settings.
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