LESSON GOALS

• We deliberated on changing the name of this lesson from “Health and Nutrition” to “Relationship to Food and Food Choices” to more accurately reflect the content. Ultimately we decided to keep the name “Health and Nutrition” to highlight that having a healthy relationship to food is part of health and nutrition.
• The principal goal of this lesson and series is to encourage students to engage in reflective, critical thought about their food considerations. We are not trying to change their considerations in any way except to encourage them to do mental work, which may result in their own changes. We are actively seeking to avoid shaming any existing considerations or choices.
• In building this lesson we were looking to build a counter-narrative to a common narrative in nutrition education: that there are “bad foods” that will degrade and destroy your health and that they need to be avoided entirely. We first wanted to build a lesson with positive framing that acknowledges the tremendous joy that many students derive from eating as a valid input to making food choices.
• We also wanted to alleviate guilt and shame and share a vision of a healthy relationship to food as opposed to a narrow focus on healthy foods. A major part of the desire to do this rose from seeing our students shamed in other nutrition lessons that vilified foods that they frequently consume. This happened most often to students of color and students from low-income households. We saw this as counterproductive to building a relationship with the students, which we see as essential to being able to teach them and effect change in their lives.

RECIPE NOTES 

• At the start of the lesson we acknowledge that these recipes are less forgiving than many things that we cook and that they must follow instructions carefully because the techniques matter. We frame this as advancement and trust in their cooking ability.
• We introduced sequence thinking and asked the students to ask themselves questions such as: “What needs to cook first? Should I cut that first?”
• Measuring and combining the lentils and water before class starts allows the lentils to soak for 20 minutes or so, which speeds up the cook time.
• We found that working closely with students on toasting and blooming spices was important to get the most delicious coleslaw and stew. If the cumin and mustard don’t get toasted enough, the slaw has very little flavor.
• We found that putting a copy of the recipe next to the spices with the spices highlighted made it significantly easier for students to navigate that part of the recipe.
• The coleslaw recipe uses the word “shredded” to describe how to prepare the carrots and cabbage. We were surprised to see many students confused about what to do with that instruction. We guided them to using knives, peelers, and graters based on how they wanted the texture to be for their coleslaw.
• Asafoetida is a good addition to the lentil stew if you have it or can get it easily. That said, it is not essential. The stew is delicious without it as well.
• We asked students to try the sliced onion before and after it had sat with the salt and lime so that they could observe the difference in flavor and texture.
• If time allowed we would describe how some flavors are water-soluble while others are fat-soluble and that cooking in fat and then in something aqueous can extract the most flavor.

FOOD CONSIDERATIONS 

• If time allowed, we used the food consideration cards after finishing cleanup.
• Ask students to make a map or chart of their food considerations from most important and most frequently thought about to least important or rarely thought about.
• Do they have any cards or considerations that they would like to be in a different place? Would an aspirational map look different?
• Ask students if they think that their considerations will change over time. Anything specific?
• Ask students if they were surprised by anything on their map or if the process helped them learn about their considerations.
• We asked students if we should make and include a body image card in the deck to generate conversation around how they think about food and their physical appearance. This typically yielded a rich conversation with most students agreeing that we should include that consideration.

OTHER NOTES

• Our check-in question for this lesson was, “What is your comfort food?” This is to reiterate that happiness, pleasure, and emotional well-being are part of health and wellness.
• Students were often skeptical of the concept, the recipe, and the food itself while they were cooking. We responded by asking them to have faith in us as teachers, cooks, and eaters and to trust in that we always make delicious foods. Almost all the students really enjoyed the meal, and many were vocal about being surprised by how much they liked it.
• The coleslaw and lentil stew make a   great pair of dishes as they have very different dominant flavors. We encourage the students to try them together in the same bite and to try them in alternating bites and discuss how they like it better and if they think they support each other.
• At the table we often talked about school lunch and the nutrition guidelines for school lunches. We asked students if they thought they were a good idea or not and what effects they have.