Jargon

This morning, I taught a prenatal nutrition class at Florence Crittenton. The historic home in downtown Charleston offers both residential and day programs for at risk, pregnant teens. The girls are provided medical care, tutoring, training in independent living, recreation, and counseling. The girls were so young. They first seemed toughened by the cards life dealt them and the consequences of their choices. But the more we talked, the more I could see they were just girls; girls that had lost the opportunity to live life selfishly. We told them what a dietitian was and the kind of school involved, knowing most of the girls would never finish high school.

When Julie came home tonight from Healthy Charleston Challenge, she voiced what I had been feeling all day. "She said they just want me to tell them what kind of bread to buy. If I were learning a foreign language I would want someone to tell me what to do, too!" That's exactly it. Her HCC participants and my girls had a common thread. They just didn't know what to buy, what to eat, or what to believe. Sometimes we forget that all this "fiber, phytochemical, omega-3" jargon, label reading, and throw together meals stuff that come second nature to us really can be a foreign language. We both grew up in health conscious homes, full of opportunity and resources. But, some people grew up eating out of a bag. Maybe their parent's didn't have the money or mabye they didn't have the time, but either way, they've never picked a tomato or snapped a bean.

I feel priviledged to be given the opportunity to teach a group of young girls expecting their first baby, to counsel the empty-nesters that aren't quite sure when they packed on those extra 20 pounds, or to ease the fear of the newly diagnosed diabetic. My hope is that I don't become calloused, that I remain thankful for the blessing of my healthful upbringing and sensitive to the nutrition needs (financial, educational, and otherwise) of others. I trust that through our work in the hospital, the community, and maybe even this blog, Julie and I can shed some light on the nutritional dilemmas of those around us, promoting not a diet plan but a healthy, affordable LIFESTYLE.