• Jasmine and Ashley weren’t set on creating their nonprofit, EatWell Exchange. However, they started working at the government program Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) where clients were being told that they were noncompliant because they chose to eat the culturally-preferred foods. Ashley and Jasmine saw the need for a culturally-centered approach. That’s when their nonprofit came into being.
• Ashley and Jasmine will be presenting at Today’s Dietitian’s Spring Symposium. Their talk is titled, “Our Foods are Healthy: Culture-Focused Nutrition”. It will be on Tuesday, May 24 at 12:30 PM (ET). You won’t want to miss it!
• 7 percent of dietitians are black. We need to teach a mostly-white, female profession about being culturally sensitive with patients. That’s why Ashley and Jasmine are trying to educate dietitians on how to work with diverse clients, share foods from around the world, and discuss how to appropriately categorize these foods within a culture and the food groups.

• Their goal with programming is to get invited before making any nutrition intervention. In culturally diverse areas, there is history of implementing programming without understanding the wants and needs of the community and culture.
• EatWell Exchange provides food access and gardening opportunities, nutrition education, and culinary classes to prevent disease states, and various virtual and in-person events.
• The “African Diaspora” refers to the mass migration of people from Africa to other places across the U.S. This redistribution of Africans occurred in the 1500s. People from West Africa came to North America. The Afro black south is made up of Africans in South America. Afro Caribbeans are Africans distributed across the West Indies. These groups of people bring such unique languages, diverse living circumstances, different foods, and more. It’s a beautiful melting pot that makes up this diaspora. All the delicious foods that these varying cultures eat, whether people are accustomed to them or not, are healthy for us.
• Taking the time to embrace others culture leads to richer experiences. Their goal as nutrition and anti-hunger experts isn’t to “give handouts” and leave. It’s to be engulfed in the culture, capture the attention of community leaders, and truly understand everything that makes a place unique. That way, when people are ready, they open up and share their problems and ask for help.
• Don’t just assume people need your help. Sometimes the assistance you think they need is not actually treating the underlying issue.
• People want food and nutrition information and are receptive to it. Never assume that someone - who might suffer from generational health issues or relies on packaged, unhealthy foods - doesn’t want to change.
• If you are striving for cultural humility and awareness, it’s a lifelong learning process.
• Food Dignity® means that foods can fit into a healthy diet and be enjoyed by all without judgement.

The beautiful image above was created by Rebecca Garofano, our Food Dignity Institute Lead and Illustration Specialist. You can find more of her work at @VeggieDoodleSoup on Instagram and at her website veggiedoodlesoup.com.