By Akua Oppong, VRG Intern
While doing my Vegetarian Resource Group internship, I attended a virtual vegan nutrition class hosted by Christopher Place. Christopher Place is a residential employment program that provides education, training, and recovery for formerly homeless men in Baltimore (https://cc-md.org/programs/christopher-place-employment-center/) Kara Hall teaches classes at Christopher Place and covered macronutrients on the day I sat in on a class. She talked about carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fats, simple sugars (monosaccharides and disaccharides), and cholesterol (LDL and HDL, “good” and “bad” cholesterol), and the impact food has on health.
Kara made it a point to explain things thoroughly for everyone to understand. She truly wanted the men to learn and understand the concepts she was teaching. As a result, the attendees in the class were very enthusiastic and curious about nutrition. They genuinely wanted to understand what they were learning and apply it to their eating habits, and advocate for healthier food choices in their cafeteria. They would ask which foods contained specific nutrients, and pointed out if their cafeteria had the foods Kara discussed or not and their intentions to ask about including them. Kara answered the men’s questions such as why corn doesn’t fully digest, and why it is good to eat apples (and other fruits) daily. Corn doesn’t fully digest because it contains fiber, which human digestive enzymes don’t digest. Fruits are recommended to eat every day because they are high in fiber and carbohydrates, which are essential for a healthy human diet.
On alternate weeks, Kara teaches vegan cooking classes in person. I didn’t attend the cooking class, but Kara mentioned that she made a vegan creamy Alfredo pasta that the men really enjoyed. Some even mentioned that they wanted to become vegan and eat more vegan foods.
Overall, this was a very informative and pleasant experience. The men’s energy and the eagerness Kara had to teach and explain nutrition concepts to them were encouraging. They seemed to have a close and genuine bond that I am sure will benefit them as they continue with the program and learn how to lead healthier and happier lives.
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For information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php