Learning to eat, live a healthier lifestyle with Fort Meade VA Clinic

STURGIS, S.D. (KOTA) – In 2023, a national food distributor found that Americans, on average, were ditching the kitchen about four to five times a month, ordering takeout or delivery instead. Finding that just over half of the people that they surveyed said they find it more convenient to dine out, and 74% of people surveyed said they simply don’t feel like cooking.

For some US veterans, that number could be much higher, as factors like food insecurity, limited income, and high cost of living would make getting a meal from a fast food place more appealing than cooking a healthier meal at home.

Now Fort Meade VA Clinic has reintroduced a program earlier this year focusing on getting vets back in the habit of eating and cooking healthier.

“The really special thing about HTK is that we’re really developing veterans’ skills to cook and not only cook but cook healthy at home,” Healthy Teaching Kitchen program coordinator Rachel Van Den Top explained.

For the Healthy Teaching Kitchen program, providing nutritional knowledge and cooking skills is one way the VA is helping vets take a step toward getting healthier food on their plates.

“I find myself cooking at least five days a week now instead of going out to eat or picking up simple things that you just throw in the microwave,” Healthy Teaching Kitchen enrollee Bob Thomason shared.

“I’m having to learn foods that don’t add the extra calories that you don’t need. Especially at my age, when you get older, you slow down,” Healthy Teaching Kitchen enrollee Don Fuller shared.

For Van Den Top, the ability to teach via live stream is only a plus when it comes to observing vets’ progress through the live streams.

“It’s so nice to see them try a new recipe and try cooking with new ingredients that maybe they’ve never cooked with before and walk away from the class being like, ‘Wow! That was actually pretty good. I’m glad I did it; I’m glad I tried it’,” Van Den Top said.

But a home-cooked meal isn’t the only goal for students.

“If you can’t do the cooking, at least you’re there; you can understand what’s going on, and they can get feedback from everyone that’s doing the cooking and find out substitutions and different things that you can do with the menus,” Healthy Teaching Kitchen enrollee plus one Toni Fuller explained.

Just like in school, being able to take away key aspects of the class and apply them to daily life is important.

“I used to use vegetable oil for most of my… if I had to use oil, and now I’ve switched to either extra virgin olive or avocado oil, you know, a healthier option,” Thomason said.

Personal health isn’t the only reason why substitutions are encouraged.

“All the vets have different budgets, and they come with different backgrounds. So that’s definitely something I keep in mind when preparing these recipes and getting ready for class,” Van Den Top said.

These differences are why the program was reintroduced this year.

“In today’s world, it’s so easy to rely on convenience foods and rely on fast foods, and so if we’re able to give veterans the ability to cook at home and have that confidence and develop their skills to do that, it just sets them up so much better to take charge of their health and overall wellbeing,” Van Den Top explained.

Over 40 vets are currently using the program, and some of them, like Thomason or the Fullers, have seen positive outcomes in their personal lives, including improved cholesterol and weight loss.

If you are a veteran interested in the program through the Fort Meade VA Clinic, you can ask your primary care provider for more information.

You can also reach out to the VA clinic at (605) 347-2511, or you can reach out to Van Den Top directly at (605) 720-7374.

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