By Diane May
On October 24th, 2011, Teachers College took part in the first national Food Day. Food Day is a grassroots movement made up of individuals and organizations passionate about promoting healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. The TC event engaged the entire TC Community and was based around the Food Day school curriculum and featured the programs and activities of the Center for Food & Environment. The Food Day School Curriculum was developed at TC by Pam Koch and Isobel Contento. Students from the Program in Nutrition, including almost all of the 20 current Dietetic Interns, worked the event and did a great job. There were six tables in Zankel hall that represented the five Food Day lessons: Eat Real, Mostly Plants, Not Too Much, Navigate the Environment, and Be an Advocate, as well as a table dedicated to promoting healthy living and educating children about nutrition. Delicious food such as butternut squash, pickled beets, apples, garlic string beans, zucchini bread, pumpkin squares, quinoa salad, wheat berry salad and energy bars were served to those that stopped by. Throughout the day there was a steady stream of people learning about Food Day and sampling the food. In the cafeteria, the RD for Culinart, Anna Bullitt had a food tasting and showcased her new initiative, Step up to the Plate. Tables in the cafeteria and John Jay Lounge, at the main campus of Columbia University, also represented the programs and curriculum at Teachers College. All in all, the first Teachers College Food Day was a rousing success!
For more info, visit www.foodday.org