Courtesy photo
Manuel Martin and his two brothers, Tony and Enrique, are at the Ridgefield Wild-
life Refuge, where they and others made masks with renowned mask maker Lillian
Pitt (Warm Springs, Wasco (Watalas) and Yakama (Wishxam)).
CTSI Jobs – Tribal employment information is available at ctsi.nsn.us.
Nutrition is deeply personal: Embody the food you choose to put in your body
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RD, LD, Siletz
Tribal Head Start Nutrition
As part of my role as a consultant
nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I
offer information for families. This seg-
ment examines personal nutrition without
addressing science.
Some say real change comes from per-
sonal growth. Can this be said about nutri-
tion? Is nutrition personal or scientific?
I say that science explains what occurs
naturally. Digestion and absorption happen
without us telling our bodies what to do. We
have choice, however, about what we pro-
vide to our bodies for its building blocks.
Welcome back to another Head Start
school year. As a nutritionist, I realize that
the scientific principles of nutrition don’t
matter much until we have a personal rea-
son or clear benefit. When we see the per-
sonal benefit, nutritional choices become
natural. Otherwise, it is just another thing
that we “should do” or “should teach our
children.” The real benefit occurs when
we embody the food we put in our bodies.
After all, the food we eat becomes
part of our body. Our bodies are made
from food materials. Food is what helps
our bodies to grow, to repair and even to
think. It matters.
How do we make nutrition personal
so it becomes natural versus work? Some
people “feel” the energy in food that they
eat. They may feel the joy or the sorrow
that occurred as the food moved through
the process of being raised and prepared
for consumption.
Be aware of what goes into the food
supply as you feed others. Giving thanks
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Siletz News
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Courtesy photo
The positive family-style setting is part of Head Start nutrition.
and praying over food helps align our food
with our bodily needs so it will be received
and used properly.
Eating in community with others
where we are loved and supported helps
prepare us to receive our foods in more
positive ways. These ideas may not seem
like nutritional principles, but they lead to
ideal nutrition. The positive family-style
setting is part of Head Start nutrition.
Personal choice is another Head Start
principle. The science of nutrition occurs
behind the scenes in what is served.
Children are encouraged to explore food
choices through taste, smell, sound, sight
and touch.
Conversation also supports the learn-
ing process. This experience leads to
September 2016
personal choice. Children are encouraged
to serve their own food, which supports
personal choice. Children also observe
the personal choices that others make,
including their parents, teachers and peers.
Pleasure is often a source of confu-
sion around nutrition. Sometimes people
see sweet and salty snacks as a source of
pleasure and feel conflicted when they are
called junk foods.
Pleasure isn’t just limited to the short
term. Pleasure includes knowing our rela-
tionship with food, such as where it came
from. Pleasure includes experiencing food
in season when it is at its best.
Pleasure includes the attitude we
bring to the table and how we feel after
we leave the table. There is pleasure in our
ability to think, grow and learn when we
choose foods that support our ideal func-
tion. These are among the concepts that
lead to ideal nutrition without requiring
label-reading skills.
Speaking of label reading, we support
eating naturally wholesome foods that
are close to the way they come in nature.
These foods generally aren’t packaged and
don’t even have labels. Some of the plea-
sure in sweet and salty foods is actually
addiction and not lasting pleasure.
Knowing when we are hungry and
when we are full is another concept that is
deeply personal. If children are told to eat
at a certain time or asked to finish food on
their plate, they may not develop a sense
of their own internal body cues.
It is important for children to have a
safe space to discuss bodily sensations
so they can learn to honor personal needs
rather than overrule them for the requests
of others. This does not imply disrespect
of elders, but it honors awareness of one-
self and where it fits with the whole.
I recently learned that, in my desire
to contribute to the world, the best way
to affect change is through the personal
experience. This may mean a one-on-one
conversation with another person. It may
mean an article, such as this, when read by
one person, inspires a deeper understand-
ing and action that is shared with a child,
that is shared with another and so on.
Happy sharing!
Siletz Tribal Head start offers my time
at no cost to you to support family nutri-
tion over the telephone. Please contact me
if you have nutrition concerns about your
Head Start child.
