Eating Better Together

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Food & Family Day brought out hundreds of residents this past Saturday to learn about healthy eating through cooking demonstrations, food market tours, free exercise classes and more.

Sponsored by the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford-Stuyvesant (CIBS) and with the support of 25 additional community organizations, Restoration's outdoor plaza was packed with activities for families to learn about the best ways to improve their diets through careful planning, advocacy and simple awareness.

Children planted radishes in the garden, and women danced under the tent to Zumba, while food market shoppers were cooking up a new recipe with their fresh produce. Along with a half dozen speakers was Umi Smith, rapper Mos Def’s mother, there to show her support for the initiative.

Smith was raised in Marcy Projects as a vegetarian, which she said was very unpopular back then. She tells her grandkids to make sure their palates have color in it. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, Smith says, “Give it to your kids whether they want it or not, so that they are instilled with a healthy lifestyle as they get older.”

That was the overall sentiment of the event. City Harvest, an organization that helps end hunger, was at the event to teach residents about the nutritional value of their food. One activity was to guess how many teaspoons of sugar are in the sodas they drink.

Linda Nyugen, a City Harvest volunteer, said most people guessed 4 or 5 when the actual amount is closer to 21. They gave out an alternative to soda – a cranberry, seltzer, lime concoction – that was a hit or miss with those who tried it.

The goal of the event is to change the health habits of Bed-Stuy residents in small steps and connect them to the resources readily available in the community, according to Melissa Lee, CIBS managing director and organizer of the event.

The event also helped promote NYC’s Health Bucks program, one that provides $2 to spend on fruits and vegetables in participating markets for every $5 spent in EBT.

Attendees were given a map spotlighting the 65 food markets accepting Health Bucks across the five boroughs. Furthermore, residents were taught how to become advocates in the community and help bring more affordable and healthy foods to their local markets.

“This event shows that having healthy foods is a core community value,” Lee said. “If a resident leaves empowered that they know where to get fresh food, and how to prepare fresh foods and advocate for their families, that’s huge.”

Fitness experts Vince Ferguson and Orvel Douglass were at the event to provide personalized health advice; the Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center informed residents of available medical centers; and the Bushwick Co-op, was there to provide information on how to take advantage of the foods they offer.

“Nutrition is so important for quality of life,” said co-op member Sam Merkowitz. “A lot of people in the community don’t have awareness, knowledge or access. If people start to buy healthy food, those benefits will seep into other parts of their lives. Healthy eating is the starting point for everything.”

CIBS and co-sponsors, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Super FoodTown and Councilmember Albert Vann, hope this event becomes an annual affair, but in the meantime, they plan to keep the momentum high through marketing and outreach.

“The commitment is there. The energy is there,” Lee said. “We’re committed to continuing the dialogue and to make sure all residents are connected.”