Inside a VA Healthy Teaching Kitchen

Courtney Magierski is one of 40 dietitians at Orlando VA, and one who prides herself in being involved with the Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK), a program that provides Veteran patients with nutrition knowledge and the guidance and skills to learn how to cook.

HTK helps support Veteran patients’ food insecurity and provides an interactive behavior-change program to teach them and their families about healthy cooking and eating skills. The classes are open to VA-enrolled Veterans and a partner if they choose, including a family member, caretaker or anyone involved in helping purchase and prepare food.

“This is important because making healthy food choices is one of the most important things one can do for their health,” Magierski said. Our dietitians “serve Veteran patients in a variety of settings, including inpatient, outpatient, home-based primary care and specialty clinics.”

Pictured above, Magierski provides a Healthy Teaching Kitchen demo for Veterans in the lobby of Orlando VA.

Teaching Veterans and their families about healthy cooking

“Good nutrition serves as the building block for fueling your body to work effectively. By improving what you eat, you can improve your overall health. Each decade brings with it specific health concerns and nutrition needs will change,” said Emily Leonard, associate chief of Nutrition and Food Service at Orlando VA.

One of the biggest barriers some people encounter with eating healthy is simply knowing what is healthy and why nutrition cooking classes are so important.

“Cooking programs are showing lasting effects in patients’ health—in some cases within just one year of attending classes. Eating at home is typically healthier and lower in calories. The evidence shows that teaching patients how to cook meals at home is an effective medical intervention. It improves diet quality, weight loss, and can prevent diabetes,” Magierski said.

Start with small steps and be patient

For others, it’s the shopping, food preparation and cooking that can be intimidating.

“If you are new to it, I recommend people start with small steps and remember to be patient with yourself. Planning may help relieve mealtime stress and avoid poor choices. What you eat, how you treat your body and how you talk to yourself reflects the respect you have for yourself,” Leonard shared.

Still, it’s never too late for people to begin learning how to cook for themselves. “Anytime is the right time to learn to cook. Preparing our own meals not only saves money but it gives us control over how healthy the food we are eating is,” Magierski added. “I recently had a Veteran tell me he didn’t think he liked kale but he liked it in the white bean and kale soup I had made during a Healthy Teaching Kitchen demo. That made my day, knowing I helped him make a positive health change. It brings me joy and purpose.”

Showing Veterans that healthy food can also taste good is just part of the fun part of being a dietitian.

For HTK content, check out our YouTube at Healthy Teaching Kitchen YouTube Channel.