Healthy snacks, healthy communities

A Food Blog post last week highlighted the great work of UC CalFresh, the UC Cooperative Extension nutrition education program that reaches more than 220,000 people a year, helping low-income families make healthy food choices, stretch food dollars and increase consumption of California’s agricultural products.

The University of California has an array of healthy living outreach efforts. In addition to CalFresh, one program that you might not expect involves the UC Davis School of Medicine. The Communities and Health Professionals Together program links pediatric residents with community-based organizations to identify and address health concerns.

Residents are assigned in teams to work with a grassroots, community-based organization, under the direction of a local leader or faculty member. Residents learn to identify and mobilize community assets to create, implement and evaluate projects that enhance the health and well being of local children and families. The program helps train physicians to be dedicated to their patients and their communities.

Resident Andrew Nuibe helps kids in a K-6 afterschool homework club prepare their own healthy snacks — and prevent childhood obesity.

“I encounter childhood obesity too often in my clinic, and that served as my inspiration,” Nuibe said. “As a child, I really enjoyed cooking with my parents. I wanted to share that enthusiasm and plant the seeds for a genuine interest in healthy food.”