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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2014)
Tribal Head Start preparing for next year, applications being accepted By Lori Jay-Linstrom, Parent Involvement Coordinator The Siletz Tribal Head Start program is currently accepting applications for chil- dren who will be ages 3 or 4 on or before Sept. 1. If you have not received an application and would like one sent to you, please call 800-922-1399 or 541-444-2532 and ask for Head Start. We would love for you to apply. Once you receive your application, please fill it out and return it with all required documentation as soon as possible. Please don’t wait until school is just about ready to start as our slots fill up fast and we want to serve as many Tribal families as possible. The Siletz Tribal Head Start program offers a developmentally appropriate and American Indian culturally relevant preschool experience. Our program has highly qualified and professional staff. Our program supports the individual growth of each child and offers activities to promote their physical, social-emotional, language and cognitive development. The Siletz Tribal Head Start program also extends services to support the families of the children enrolled and offers parent skill-building activities and family support services that are responsive to their needs. The Siletz Tribal Head Start program is located in Siletz, Lincoln City, Portland and Salem. Nutritional highlights for all families By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RD, LD, Siletz Tribal Head Start Nutritionist As part of my role as a consultant nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I offer information for families. This segment wraps up the school year with a summary as the end of the school year is not the end of nutritional needs for your children and families. My theme this year was to balance nutritious foods that are easy to prepare with traditional foods and their nutritional equivalents to invite families to move toward culturally optimal nutrition. Traditional foods have many advan- tages, yet in many ways are a chal- lenge because of limited access to land, potential contamination and limited time (especially for busy Head Start families). In summary, traditional foods do not include wheat, milk or sugar (also known as white flour, soft drinks, milk and milk products). Traditional foods are variable depending on climate and location, but generally favor nutrient-dense foods that are low in starch and sugar. It appears to me that the loss of traditional practices has contributed to growing health problems. I believe that an important way to prevent and treat diabetes and other chronic disease is to transition back toward this traditional diet or to a holistic approach with nutritionally equivalent foods. The Salish Food Mound, as described by Drs. Korn and Ryser, is composed of 33 percent leafy greens, berries and fruits; 45 percent meat, fish and fowl; 20 percent fats and fish oils; and 2 percent roots and sweets. It turns out that the composition of the Salish Food Mound is similar to the popular Paleo diet (short for Paleolithic). It isn’t only American Indians who benefit from this approach. The following nutrients are needed for your children’s healthy eating: A simplified way to look at which fats are healthy is to look toward nature. Oils that are found in naturally fatty foods or are easily extracted are likely to be healthy when fresh. Examples include fatty fish, nuts and avocado. It isn’t always clear how much carbo- hydrate we need. Children may actually need more carbohydrates than adults. Most of today’s children, however, get too much sugar. Sugar and high fructose corn sweet- eners are among the biggest problems. Not only do sugars provide empty calories (meaning calories without other nutrients like vitamins and minerals), but they also set the stage for unhealthy cravings and can lead to excessive weight gain, tooth decay and other chronic disease. To make sure your children get enough vitamins and minerals , include fruits and vegetables. Vegetables are nutrient-dense because they are generally high in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. It is difficult to eat too many vegetables! Meats, fish, poultry, nuts, beans and eggs also are rich in vitamins and minerals as well as proteins and fat. In helping your children learn healthy eating habits for a lifetime, it is important to honor the child’s responsibility to decide how much and whether to eat what you serve. For this to be successful, parents also need to follow their foundational responsibilities of what, when and where . Children need to feel secure with a certain amount of routine around when and where meals and snacks are offered. Protein is needed for children to grow and repair. It is a good idea to include a protein source with each meal and snack (which can be thought of as a mini-meal). Healthy fats and essential fatty acids are critical to health. Essential fatty acids include the omega-3s found in fish oil. 14 • Siletz News • July 2014 Courtesy photo The afternoon class at the Siletz Tribal Head Start in Salem learns about earthworms. Children make the best choices when presented with only healthy selections (meaning each choice is a good selection). Young children feel empowered and learn from making choices. Parents help them to succeed by not offering choices that are inappropriate. Also, avoid yes or no questions. For example, rather than “Do you want veg- etables?” ask “Do you want carrots or peas with dinner?” This approach is known as The Divi- sion of Responsibility and is described further in the book Child of Mine – Feed- ing with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. She also wrote a book called How to Get Your Kid to Eat … But Not Too Much. My recipe selection is from Feeding the People, Feeding the Spirit by Elise Krohn and Valerie Segrest, and was pro- vided specifically by Kimberly Miller. This Skokomish soup traditionally was made in winter with dried berry cakes and smoked dried salmon. The first step is to find acorns. Crack the nuts, cut them into smaller pieces, then soak them in water for three days to remove the strong tannins. Change the water 3-4 times a day. If you do not have acorns, you can replace them with hazelnuts. Vet rep asks Tribal veterans to call in: All Siletz Tribal veterans are asked to call Tony Molina, Honor Guard director and Tribal veterans representative, to verify their DD214s and enrollment numbers so he can process their names to be placed on the Veterans Memorial on Government Hill. Molina can be reached at 541-444-8330 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1330. Siletz veterans office open daily: Tony Molina is available for all Siletz Tribal veterans. He is in the Tribal administration building in Siletz on Monday- Friday to help you get information for your VA benefits. Additionally, he needs your help to update our veterans’ roster, especially for those currently serving. See below for contact information. From our veterans representative, Tony Molina: All of our veterans and families can call me 24/7 at home at 541-444-2828 or on my cell at 541-272-2818. This will help since I’m only in the office part-time. My office number is 541-444-8330 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1330. I thank all of our veterans for their service to our nation. Hazelnut, Huckleberry, Salmon Soup 2 cups traditionally smoked salmon, pulled apart into small pieces 6 cups water ½ cup acorns, ground (processed as described above or replaced by hazelnuts) ½ cup hazelnuts, ground 2 cups evergreen huckleberries To taste, salt and pepper In a crock pot, add salmon, water, acorns and hazelnuts. Cook on low overnight or for several hours. When the salmon is soft and the broth is flavorful, add the huckleberries and cook for an additional half hour. Season to taste. Cook time: 4-8 hours, Serves 6. I would make this from canned smoked salmon, dried hazelnuts and frozen huckleberries. I’ve worked with acorns before and the process to remove the tannins is important, yet takes time. This could be a fun community project. Please invite me, I’d like to join you. Please let me know what you think of these recipes. Siletz Tribal Head Start offers my time at no cost to you to support family nutrition over the telephone (503-588-5446). Please contact me if you have nutri- tion concerns about your Head Start child. Next year, I hope to offer a few cooking demonstrations for families and parents.
