To help promote National Nutrition Month, Montefiore Medical Center held a cooking demonstration for their patients to teach them more about cooking healthier meals.
According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, however, it is also one of the most preventable.
As anybody in the medical field does, the staff at Montefiore Medical Center wants what is best for their patients, and they want their patients to understand that with healthy cooking and eating, comes less of a risk for people to develop colon cancer.
On Friday, March 18 at the Montefiore Medical Center on 605 E. 161st Street hosted a live demonstration of how to prepare colon-healthy dishes and side dishes using fresh vegetables.
The event was performed to coincide with the New York City Green Cart Program which will now allow licensed city residents to set up their own fruit and vegetable stands in Bronx neighborhoods that are lacking in fresh produce options.
In the patients waiting area, Montefiore clinical dietician Helen Persovsky, along with her research assistant Anne Votaw, set up a cooking table in the patients’ waiting area to demonstrate how to cook a delicious meal with brussels sprouts.
“It’s very common that people are not fully aware of the excellent meals that can be made out of vegetables,” Persovsky said. “When you ask many people what they eat, their most common answers are all starches. the Our idea is to stay away from those and lean more towards greener vegetables. We truly want to help our patients.”
According to Persovsky, eating more green vegetables on a daily basis can not only lead to a healthier colon, but can also boost the immune system and pay off in the long-run.
In the audience were staff members of Montefiore, as well as over a dozen patients who were visiting doctors for appointments that day. While the demonstration was performed, many people consistently asked questions and enjoyed the smell of the simple, healthy meal that was being cooked.
The goal, according to Persovsky, is not to keep people from eating the foods that they enjoy, but to help them properly fill up their dinner plates with healthy side dishes.
“We live in a very multi-cultural borough where people of different nationalities all have their own recipes,” she said. “We don’t want our patients to think we are trying to change what they eat, we just want to help improve how they eat. The smallest addition of vegetables with their meal can make a huge difference.”
After the demonstration, members of the audience each received a sample of the ‘golden crusted brussels sprouts,’ and although many of them have never tried the vegetable before, the smiles on their faces showed signs of enjoyment.
Everyone who attended was given free brochures and recipes for colon-healthy dishes and were encouraged to take full advantage of them.
