Maggie McKay (Host): Welcome to TriState Health Talk. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Today, we're going to talk about nutrition, how important it is on a daily basis, how it connects us all, and more with Jennifer Raykovich, registered dietician nutritionist; and Leah Feleke, registered dietician; and Magen Fairley, a culinary chef and Assistant Professor for Culinary Hospitality Management at LC State. Thank you all for being here today.

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: Of course. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having us.

Host: I can't wait to learn more about this, because my nutrition could always use some health and improving for sure. So, what is National Nutrition Month all about?

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: Yeah. So, National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign that's sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It invites everyone to learn about making informed food choices and developing sound eating habits. And every year in March, we celebrate that and they have a new theme that we focus on every year. And this year's theme is Food Connects Us.

Host: Oh, how fun. So, like different cultural foods?

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: Yes. It really encourages expanding your flavor profile and including foods and herbs and spices from other cultures and learning how we can expand our nutrition from trying new foods.

Host: Okay. We'll talk a little bit more about that in a minute, but how important is it to use local foods? Any tips for sustainability?

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: So, using local resources is not only financially sustainable for the community, but also encourages better eating habits. You know where your food is being produced, you know the quality that's going into it. And so, utilizing those resources is really important. Finding those beef suppliers that you can get direct from the farmer, those farm fresh eggs. Using farmer's markets are really a great option and accessibility for people. Having access through local greens. We have a lot of access to lentils here, where we're from, so we can use those as a great source of protein and finding those avenues and what's available, whether it's sourdough breads being baked with organic flours or utilizing those eggs as I mentioned previous, and those farmers, and really getting the best nutrients from the best quality products.

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: Yeah, I think you have a lot more pride in your food and you really appreciate what's coming from the food when you know it's locally sourced and your neighbors with the person growing the garden that provides some of the produce that you're eating. I think that can be really encouraging and you enjoy your food in a different way.

Host: I think those are all great ideas, especially the farmer's market. But what do you say to people who live in big cities and they work all the time, they can't get to a farmer's market, or they don't really have stores that are affordable and carry local foods?

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: So even in some of the larger cities, I find that there are more resources available today than there have been before. There's going to be a lot of research that maybe has to go into finding them. But there's a lot of co-ops that you'll find in bigger cities and actually provide a little more accessibility than even some of the smaller towns have.

So if they can find those co-ops in their grocery stores, even some have local co-ops within the chain grocery stores. So, a little research will go a long way in trying to locate those. If you are trying to find more sustainable products in, say, the chain aspect, looking for those organically sourced products, sometimes they'll even be marked where the product comes from. So, it is accessible on a larger scale, but it does take a little bit more research to find them.

Host: Okay. Yeah, you mentioned co-ops. I forgot all about those. You're right. We talked a little bit about flavors connecting us to different cultures. Let's talk about that a little bit.

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: So as a culinary professor, I try to introduce my students to a lot of different cuisines from all across the world. So, one of the things that we really like to focus on is the why behind we eat the foods that we do and the cultural ties that that brings. I have a brother from Senegal and he's introduced me to a lot of the cultural reasons why they eat the foods that they do, and having an understanding of that kind of spikes the curiosity. So then, we start to dive into new adventures of the culinary world and what those flavors could look like. Introducing spices such as turmeric and ginger and curries, Indian spices. There's just so many options out there that can really enhance the foods that we're eating, not only from the nutritional standpoint, but also the flavor profiles that might spark an interest into people to get them curious about trying new foods and incorporating new vegetables and new proteins that they maybe weren't comfortable trying before.

Host: It's so interesting to me to see spices now. It's like its whole own row in the market, in major markets, you know? I mean, they have everything under the sun now, which is so cool. And then they have sections where it's international foods. So, that just seems to be in the last maybe 20 years, would you say?

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: Yes. I would say that our accessibility to that through online markets and even in our local markets has grown significantly. Locally here, I know we have better access than we've had in the last 10 years by established markets. You'll see a lot more international-focused markets and the international sections in a lot of the chain grocery stores that are available to a lot of people. The co-ops also, they were a big promoter for enhancing availability. So, they kind of started this trend. And now, more grocers and communities are getting on board and bringing in these varieties.

Host: I think it's wonderful trying new ingredients, but sometimes it can be intimidating. How would you encourage someone to get started?

Leah Feleke, RD: One of the things that I like to encourage people to do is to just start reading different recipes or looking at pictures of food and seeing what it's called and start getting familiar with the terms and the language and the ingredients, and then go from there. It can be really intimidating to spend money on new ingredients. And then, what if it fails? You know, then you're out the cost and you're out dinner. But by familiarizing yourself with some of the terms and the cooking terms and the ingredients, then at least you have some knowledge before you make those purchases.

And also, exploring your friend groups. Do you know somebody from another culture? Can they teach you something? Can they let you borrow some spices from their home country before you dive into it? And maybe there's something that they have to offer that you wouldn't know about unless you ask.

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: In addition to that, I love what Leah mentioned about the utilizing the resources next to you and the connections that you have. A lot of the colleges in our local area like to host International Night and they will open it up to the public where people can come in and the students from different regions and countries prepare dishes. That would be a great opportunity to not have a financial investment in it, but just really feed that curiosity that they might have. And then, a lot of communities are starting to see a wider range of ethnic restaurants. So, going out and maybe trying new dishes at those restaurants before you go and try to replicate them at home. See what you like, see if maybe a flavor sticks with you, or if maybe one didn't really resignate then you know that maybe that's not your favorite. But try from the people that know the most about it and educate yourself through those resources of learning, through the textbooks, through your relationships with people and through your community resources.

Host: I love that idea about the colleges. So, the students cook their own meals from their country, and then the public's invited to try them?

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: Yes. At LC State, when they host their international night, they will have anywhere from 15 to 25 different representations from different cuisines, whether it's a single side dish or an entire meal paired together. And the students will make the food and then open it to the public to come in and talk to the students, learn about the cuisine, and get to taste and sample the dishes that they prepared.

Host: So I'm probably dating myself, but I'm thinking of the movie, the Big Chill and how they were all in the kitchen. they were all cooking together and dancing. How does food connect us with family and friends?

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: Well, if we try to think of a time we're celebrating something that doesn't involve food, it's almost impossible in my opinion. Almost everything is centered around a dining experience, whether it's a family dinner at the dinner table, it's a holiday that we're celebrating, it's Ramadan. There's so many things that are focused around culinary and cuisine and sharing and exploring traditions within our families and community that I find it hard to find something that's not connecting us through food.

Leah Feleke, RD: I will add, in my experience that when I cook something that maybe is a little different than what people are used to, maybe from a different culture, friends and family are excited to come visit. And it also exposes them to something that maybe they would be intimidated to try, like we already talked about. So actually, having the meal be maybe it is the reason that we get together or maybe the meal is just kind of a side thing that we're doing while we're celebrating something else.

But like what Magen said, it definitely is part of the memories that are made including the flavors that we tried together and the way that it was prepared. It all goes together to form that memory of whatever the gathering is about.

Host: A lot of my friends have made cookbooks with their grandmothers or their mother's recipes, and it's as much about the actual recipe as the memories that go with it. I think that's such a cool idea.

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: Yeah. And having families and friends cook together then involves some of the younger generation. And so, often I find that kids aren't learning to cook. They're not standing in the kitchen with grandma and learning some of her recipes and learning how to, you know, utilize knives to cut vegetables and the different methods of cooking and baking. It's kind of becoming a lost art. And so, just encouraging families to connect together and to be together in the kitchen so the next generation knows how to use food and can focus on nutrition in a way that meals are a pleasurable experience together.

Host: I will say, if you ever want to bring the crowd into the kitchen without calling them in, just make chocolate chip cookies. And the minute they come out of the oven, they will be running in. Because I bake, and every time, they're like, "Oh, where are those cookies? Are they out yet?" What are some of your favorite meals to cook and share with others? Each one of you could answer that.

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: So, one of our favorites that we have really embraced since my brother-in-law has joined our family from Senegal is eating the cuisine from his region. And so, it's so much more than just the food that we're eating. We love it because he taught us the traditions on how it was prepared, how we eat it, why we eat it, and we come together and we have these dishes. And it's foods that we may be familiar with, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. But it's pairing that with an acidic dressing that is then served over a hot chicken with peppers and then hot rice and you have crumbled egg. And it's just the total experience together that makes the dish so fun. And if we put out that we're making that meal, everyone's coming to the dinner table that night. It never fails to have the whole family show up.

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: So, my comfort food memories are all farm food. So, I love a good casserole, and so that is one of my favorite things to make for our whole family because we always have leftovers with it as well. And then, having a lot of side dishes too that involve different vegetables, roasting vegetables, doing different cold salad with a variety of vegetables, and just getting different flavors and textures in there with the meal too. But something that just brings a little bit of comfort to the soul.

Leah Feleke, RD: One of my favorite things, my husband is from Ethiopia and his family lives with us part of the year. And before we got married, he told me jokingly, I hope, that before we could get married I had to learn to make something called doro wat. And basically, that is the spicy chicken sauce or stew that's served at the holidays and at big celebrations. And it is basic in ingredients, but very time-consuming in the labor and the timing of getting those flavors to develop in the pot. So now, we did get married, so that means that I did learn how to make it. And actually, I get to make it for the family, including the Ethiopian relatives every Christmas. And it's just something that definitely we look forward to as a family. And I always look hesitantly to see how everybody's enjoying it. And thankfully, I've developed a knack to be able to make it. And it's not just about the food, it is about how it connects us and how it joins our family together and in me embracing a new culture and new flavors, new techniques, a new challenge, that really has just developed the deepness of relationship with my in-laws.

Host: That is so cool. And what did you make your husband learn before you got married?

Leah Feleke, RD: Oh man, I should have put a stipulation.

Host: Come on, there was your opportunity.

Leah Feleke, RD: Oh, I missed it.

Host: Well, this has been so informative and fun. Is there anything else anyone would like to add in closing?

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: I just kind of wanted to throw out, so like the focus of National Nutrition Month. Yes, we're encouraging good, healthy eating habits. But I think sometimes in our society it's easy to focus on like the diet world where we're focused too much maybe on calories or what can I do to lose weight or how many grams of carbs or protein or fat in something. But just taking a step back and a different perspective about food and nutrition, that when we are putting efforts into just cooking and using whole foods and thinking about all the colors on the plate, that is where we're getting our nutrition from. And so, it's really important to really appreciate food, have pleasure with your meals, and enjoy the whole process and not get stuck just on some of the numbers, I guess, that can come with nutrition, and it's really appreciating where food comes from.

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: And I would agree to that in the sense of making things from scratch already are going to improve those nutritional aspects to it. And it's a labor of love. You appreciate the meal that is on your plate when you're done with it kind of a little differently when you know you've made all of the components, or you even say, have grown those vegetables or know the people that have grown those vegetables. It just takes on a new meaning when you're consuming food for emotional purpose and nutritional purpose, and it feeds you in a different way.

And so, I encourage people to try new things, not be afraid. It's okay to not like everything, but maybe find something new that they haven't tried, and encourage conversation with those around them to maybe encourage it together. Take a little bit of that burden and anxiety away from trying new things and create an experience about it. Bring people together to try it and see if you can't create a new tradition within either your family, your friends, or your community.

Host: Great idea. Thank you all for sharing your areas of expertise and for giving us some new ideas. Very educational and fun.

Magen Fairley, Culinary Chef: Thank you.

Leah Feleke, RD: Thank you so much.

Jennifer Raykovich, RDN: Thank you.

Host: Again, that's Jennifer Raykovich, Leah Feleke, and Magen Fairley. To find out more, please visit tsh.org/wellness. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for listening to TriState Health Talk.