Nutrition Class offered at Mixteca through November

During the months of October and November, Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension is offering a nutrition class at Mixteca, a community-based organization in Sunset Park that serves the needs of Brooklyn’s Mexican and Latin American communities. The course, which began on Oct. 7, meets every Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. through Nov. 25 and is open to all.

The course, part of Cornell’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP), is taught entirely in Spanish and teaches parents and caregivers of young people the skills they need to prepare healthy, affordable meals. Students who attend at least six of the eight sessions receive a certificate that shows their proficiency in healthy, sanitary food preparation.

Following introductions during the first session, Maireny Guzman, the instructor, explained the food groups, how much of each food group should be eaten every day, and how to measure portions. To illustrate the importance of using measurement tools when preparing food, the class played a game: guess how many cups or ounces of each food were on the plates.

On a side table, arranged on paper plates, were rubber representations of real food, arranged by food group — peas, carrots, and green beans together on one plate; tortillas and rice on another; steak, chicken, and beans on another — covering all food groups.

After the students wrote down their guesses for how many cups or ounces of each were on each plate, Guzman revealed the actual measurements. Some guesses were very close, others were far off. This, she explained, illustrated the importance of using measuring tools, or, in the case of difficult-to-measure foods, such as tortillas, reading the package the food is sold in to understand how much they are eating.

During the first two sessions, lessons were taught this way, through games, guessing, and discussion, broken up by moments of stretching and dance, a reminder to the students that physical activity is just as important as healthy eating for living a balanced lifestyle. During the first session, Guzman led the students in a dance to the song “1, 2, 3” by the Argentine pop band El Símbolo.

Other times, the class is more straightforward. Guzman instructs, covering subjects such as different ways of preparing vegetables and easy ways to fit a few minutes of exercise into one’s day. Every student in attendance is attentive, taking notes and asking questions.

Dominga Kempis, a mother who travels from Bushwick to attend the program, spoke about the value she is getting out of the class.

“I usually cook typical unhealthy Mexican food. Pozole, tacos, pozole. I try to cook with vegetables like nopal and chayote, but I want to learn how to cook a wider variety of meals. I want to learn how to cook healthy meals with chicken and fish,” she shared.

Guzman emphasized that the certificate they will receive is not only for show but also a valuable addition to their professional résumés.

“When many immigrants arrive in the United States, they aspire to continue their education, but they get sidetracked by work and family. It’s hard to go to school, hard to make time to attend classes. This class has a minimal time commitment, but the rewards are extraordinary,” Guzman said. “I once taught this workshop in a school cafeteria. One of the students in that class took her certificate and applied for a job in that same cafeteria, where she was immediately hired.”

The certificate is a major motivating factor for Samanta Montoya, one of the students and a mother of two children.

“I’m a manicurist, but I’m always looking to pick up new skills in case I want or need to get another job,” said Montoya.

Mixteca, located on 23rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, was founded in 2000 by Dr. Gabriel Rincón. It supports the advancement of Brooklyn’s Latino community through classes in English as a second language (ESL), literacy, computer skills, labor and immigration rights, and it also hosts community celebrations.

During the second session of the nutrition class, an ESL class was simultaneously being taught. After the students in the nutrition class prepared their recipe for the week — Confetti Bean Salsa — they shared small portions of the food with those in the ESL class.

Although students must attend at least six out of eight sessions to receive a certificate, new students are welcome to join anytime through the end of the course.

“Bring others next time,” said Guzman at the end of both the first and second sessions. “Bring your friends who have children!”

For those interested in joining the remaining sessions, they are welcome to show up at Mixteca at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through the end of the course.