Kevins Blog

The greatest job I ever had was when I was working as a tutor in an East Harlem public school. I was there to help students improve their math and reading, but I was already a student at NYU taking my first nutrition courses. With my real interest being in public school nutrition, I asked if I could eat lunch with the kids every day. For an entire academic year I taught children math and reading, while observing what they ate between 8am and 3pm, as well as observing their behaviors before and after meal time. One day, I will write a book about these experiences. For now, I want to stick to the story of one, very special child.

It was when one of my students became emotionally upset after gym class one day, that I feel I first became prepared for my career. We teach children that fruits and vegetables make us “big and strong”. And In third grade, children are aware of themselves. This student, short and overweight for his age was one of the brightest kids in class. It didn’t take him long to realize he was shorter than some of the other boys, and that vegetables may help him become “big and strong”. This student, named Kevin, also loved to play basketball. During recess he would run around the pavements with the other kids, always seeking a sport to jump into. After Kevin lost a game in gym class one day, he became emotionally distraught and began misbehaving. Later that afternoon, after I caught him giving the art teacher an eye roll, I took him out in the hallway to ask him what was wrong (and sort of reprimand him for giving the art teacher an eye roll). I started with “Kevin, do you know you scored a 100 on the math quiz this morning? Do you know how smart you are? You are having a great day today, may I ask why you are so sad?” He started crying. He cried about losing the game in gym. I explained that it was only a game, and that he should be proud of how he did in math earlier in the day. His response?

“I don’t want to be a (hiccup) math star, I want to (hiccup) be a basketball star!” (I tried so hard not to laugh at this moment. As heartbreaking as it was, this kid was hilarious).

I then went on to say that he could still be a basketball star if he wanted to, but the tears kept flowing and what came next gave me a pit in my stomach. Kevin was now sobbing about what was most likely really bothering him. The child switched from basketball talk, to home life. With his hands clasped together, and his head faced down, he told me that he asks his mother to buy fruits and vegetables at the food store, but how he must eat both breakfast and lunch in the school cafeteria since mom can only afford to cook one meal a day for the kids at home. Since Kevin qualifies, he can eat breakfast and lunch at school every day for free. He continued to explain that the food at school “gives me a belly ache”. As Kevin cried that he wanted more vegetables in his diet, I started to think about just how smart he really is. What 8 year old cries because he wants vegetables? And not just any…because I asked what he would love to have and his response was “I don’t know…a cucumber? Zucchini?” (Again,I love this student with all my heart).

I believe Kevin was at an age where he was becoming aware of his height and weight. These first insecurities along with a basic nutrition education had left Kevin feeling like if he could grab a vegetable, it would only be a matter of time before he was an NBA star. As this scene played out in a hallway right outside the Art classroom, I didn’t know what to do. I was caught off guard, but I gave him a hug and told him I was proud of him for being such a good boy and listening to his mom. I promised to eat with him at lunch that day, and walk him over to the salad bar in the cafeteria so we could find some acceptable food for him to eat. I finished by telling him that his mother loves him very much, and that eating at school has nothing to do with how much she loves him, or how much she wants to do for him. We finished by skipping the rest of Art class and walking back down to his classroom where his teacher kept granola bars stocked. I gave him a granola bar, and some cantaloupe I had brought in that day and allowed him to calm down at his desk. “Do you feel a little better?” I asked. He nodded his head yes, and I smiled over the granola that had mixed with his tears and caused a sticky mess all over both hands.

The talk I had with Kevin in the hallway that day was only the beginning. Kevin will be my motivation for a long time to come. Kids are kids first. They are not doctors, or teachers, or machines. They need real food to grow, not food products; and they depend on us as adults, teachers, and care takers to get it for them. Kevins mom is doing the best she can, but the food crisis in our country is worse than many of us realize. Currently, one in seven homes in America is going to bed hungry. The school I worked in had over 50% of the student population relying on breakfast and lunch at school for meals. A single person living in New York City who relies on the SNAP program (aka “food stamps”) gets 46 dollars a week to assist in food purchases. If you live in New York, you understand how difficult that number is to swallow. Currently, we “super size” empty meals (no nutrients), subsidize unhealthy foods to sell to school lunch programs, and have a 66% overweight population (33% being obese). And when I asked my second grade class in the Bronx 2 years ago where food came from, their first two responses were “cans” and “McDonalds”. In addition to all of this over eating, super sized insanity, we are still hungry? It’s a backwards situation as I like to call it. Whether I have 21 followers on this blog, or 2,100…I like to write about this. Because we need to be aware. And Kevin wants a cucumber…or zucchini…..so lets get it done.

Veggie Taco Night

This is one of my favorite dinners to make. Ever since switching to vegetarianism, I have definitely increased the Spanish food intake. Rice, beans, cheese, and carbohydrates are just so yummy and easy to make a bunch of meals with. Also, rice and beans eaten together make a complete amino acid. And while protein is the least of my nutrients I need to worry about, I enjoy that combination especially after lifting weights at the gym. Over the weekend I had a successful trip to wholefoods where I picked up all the necessary ingredients for a successful taco night. It came out so delicious that I suggest you give it a go.
1. Dump one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans into a large pan.
2. Add ¾ cup of water, and a packet of taco seasoning (usually you use this seasoning on the ground beef, but why not just mix it with the beans? This decision was brilliant as it totally worked and I got all the taco seasoning flavor without having to use ground beef).
3. Pre heat the oven to 350 and place your taco shells on a cookie sheet. Heat shells for 5 minutes. I used Garden of Eatin' brand, blue corn shells.
4. Simmer the beans until most of the water is absorbed and then reduce heat to low.
5. Cook a pot of brown rice. I use the Success 10 Minute boil brown rice.
6. Stuff tacos with brown rice, beans, and your favorite taco toppings. I topped mine with the following: organic shredded cheese (365 brand), salsa fresca (from wholefoods), wild arugula, and taco sauce. :)
I asked my roommate “did you eat dinner yet?” He replied with “no…I have a lean cuisine in the freezer though”. I said “forget the lean cuisine, I am about to make veggie tacos and there will be a lot of food, so come in here and grab a plate. The rule though, you can only eat them if you definitely add arugula”. He asked “what’s arugula?” (aye aye aye…we don’t know our greens!) Without being rude, I just pointed to the wild arugula on the counter. When he realized it was a “lettuce” he went “oh…” But my roommate knows that when I cook food for him, I make sure he takes in his vegetables for the night (since I never see him eat anything other than peanut butter on bagels, chicken, or frozen meals). My green rule always works, since well…what 25 year old man do you know that doesn’t accept home cooked food? The tacos were a hit.

a sunday funday, with turkey bacon.

Before I have angry vegetarians tell me that I am out of the club, allow me to explain myself.
Yes I am a vegetarian. Yes, everyday for the last 3 ½ years I have chosen a meatless diet. No turkey, pork, beef, chicken, or fish. My reasons for choosing this lifestyle are largely nutritionally based and of course, my own opinion. I am a very happy vegetarian. I do not, however believe that if I eat meat I am going to die, or be individually responsible for an increase in slaughter house Co2 gasses that week. I am not trying to justify my story, but I don’t want anyone thinking that I broke some major ethical codes I had previously set for myself. I am still a vegetarian, and one incident in the kitchen doesn’t change that.
I was with my good company (that’s what we will call him for now, since I don’t like to do the “names have been changed” thing) and we were watching Kansas City play Baltimore in the NFL playoffs. It was a typical lazy Sunday that had followed a fantastic brunch, but leave it to me…3 hours had gone by and I was ready to eat again. We decided on a kitchen adventure, and pulled out all the worlds finest ingredients: cooking spray, (gluten free) bread, and American cheese. We’ve taken on this recipe before; we are pretty well versed on the “grilled cheese with ketchup” dish. This time, I saw an extra ingredient hit the counter. Turkey Bacon. “Uh, you’re using bacon in yours?” I said. “It always smells so good and then I crave it. Bacon is the only meat I kind of ..miss….at times…”. He asked if I wanted any, and I replied with “of course not, no no..I can’t. But…if some were to accidentally make it into my sandwich then it wouldn’t be my fault right?” We laughed at what I thought was a clear joke. I mean, I always say things like that. I was just trying to be funny, playing the whole “what I wouldn’t give to taste bacon again” game. Or so I thought.
Since the bread slices were small, we also made the non nutritional decision to make 2 sandwiches for each of us (total of 4 sandwiches on the stove at once). We were….hungry. So it wasn’t entirely my fault when I stopped paying attention to which was what on the frying pan. Somehow, right under my nose, my co-chef placed about a 2 inch piece of bacon into one of my sandwiches. I guess all the talk and joking around really stuck with him. I don’t know how he had the courage to do this. It was a risky move that could have went terribly wrong. When we sat to eat, it was only a matter of time before I took my first bite of sodium nitrates in 3 years and well…honestly?
…I didn’t know whether to spit it out, or thank him. I am not going to pretend that bacon doesn’t taste good. It tastes awesome. Does this mean we should over eat anything and everything that simply “tastes good”? Of course not. But is a 2 inch piece of turkey bacon that someone slipped into my sandwich out of love going to kill me? I think I am OK. I bit my sandwich, and looked up. He laughed. I said “you sneak!” He laughed some more…and I said…”oh my god this tastes so good”. “It’s not your fault Jess”, he said; you didn’t know you were going to eat it, it was a kitchen error…whoops?”
Clearly…he just wanted to make sure I got what I deep down, really wanted. He is cool like that. We finished lunch, and then I went to vegetarian confession and repented. (…joke…).


(some food humor from thanksgiving season, thanks to my clinical nutrition professor who included this image in our lecture slides that week).