Nutrition students share culinary tips around chronic disease
You are what you eat and 40 per cent of Canadians eat for convenience. Lack of time or knowledge about cooking can prevent people from preparing nutritious meals. This is particularly true for those suffering from chronic illnesses, and whose symptoms can be managed through specific diet and eating habits.
Ryerson Nutrition and Food students are sharing their knowledge through a group project in the Food Service Systems Management class that addresses current challenges in the food industry. This year instructor and registered dietitian Pooja Mansukhani partnered with registered dietitian Dahlia Abou El Hassan at Compass One and Ryerson students to develop programming for Compass One’s Teaching Kitchen at North York General Hospital. The initiative educates patients, health professionals and the community on cooking under the constraints of various chronic diseases. Students designed the curriculum, selected the recipes, completed all the costing, prep and planning, and delivered the class.
Below is a photo series by Adam Pulicicchio, along with some tips and tricks, from the class “Eating to alleviate constipation for people suffering from IBS.” The next cooking class will take place on Wednesday, August 21 at 4 p.m. Instructor Nadia Pabani’s students will be offering a class on 30-minute meals.
Class is in session. From left: Sarah Muncaster, instructor Pooja Mansukhani, Vanessa Fernandes, Qui Lam, Christine Ngo, Dahlia Abou El Hassan (Compass One).
Keep your onion slices attached to the root for no tears, as instructor Pooja Mansukhani shows.
Fresh herbs add colour and flavour, Muncaster and Ngo demonstrate.
A+ for chopping skills.
Quinoa is tasty when cooked with chicken or vegetable broth.
Who says cooking can’t be fun? Vanessa Fernandes and Qui Lam are having a laugh.
The finished product.