Facts on nutrition, healthy recipes and a food demonstration by a master chef were the highlights of a recent Nutrition Café hosted by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Human Sciences. The recipes are healthy options just in time for homecoming gatherings, tailgating and the holidays.

The event occurred at the UAPB Business Support Incubator in downtown Pine Bluff. At the end of the presentation, participants sampled a variety of fresh vegetables and a sugar-free dessert, received healthy recipe handouts and earned door prizes.

“So, (what) we’re celebrating here today is the Evans Allen Demonstration Garden Site Project,” said Marilyn Bailey, interim chair of the UAPB Department of Human Sciences and project lead of an initiative entitled “Implementing Healthy Eating Habits While Combating Obesity in Preschool Settings.”

“We have childcare center providers from four counties — Jefferson, Bradley, Drew and Chicot. Our goal is to encourage children to eat healthy, starting with fresh fruits and vegetables in the classroom,” Bailey said.

Children, parents and caregivers were present during the interactive session that was filled with informative details on how diet impacts the body and methods of modifying recipes to make them healthier.

Kimberly Haynie, UAPB associate professor of food and nutrition science, presented on the differences between good and bad fat. She showed foods associated with both categories and encouraged the group to avoid certain foods because they increase the chances of heart disease.

Master Chef W. Jinnings Burruss Jr., UAPB assistant professor of food service and restaurant management, demonstrated how to make hummus. He said the recipe was ideal because it is simple, quick and inexpensive to prepare. Attendees enjoyed the hummus, served with fresh, colorful vegetables from the garden, including broccoli, carrots, celery, squash, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes and cauliflower.

Nutrition Café was created to bring childcare center providers together to brainstorm ways to inspire children to eat healthy from the classroom through curriculum, modeling and giving children a hands-on experiential opportunity, according to Bailey.

She shared that the garden project was inspired by her walking through UAPB’s Pre-K classroom several years ago. Children were sitting at a table eating lunch, which included french fries. She recalls looking at one of the children and asking what they were eating. The child replied that they were eating french fries. She then asked if the child knew where french fries came from. The child’s answer was McDonald’s, she said.

“Of course, I knew that we had some work that we needed to do,” Bailey said.

That conversation motivated her and Janette Wheat, UAPB assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences and co-project lead, to write a proposal for the project. She said they invited a group of adults to visit the garden, harvest and get their ideas for lesson planning in the classroom.

Bailey said there is an emergence of social and emotional issues, such as depression — affecting mental health and wellness — that are becoming more apparent following the global pandemic.

“We can even see it in the younger population… the oppositional type of defiant behaviors… we’ve seen a little head banging and some other behaviors that say to me children, young children are under stress,” said Bailey.

She added that giving children an opportunity to work with the UAPB farm manager and allowing students to “touch the dirt is very cathartic.”

“The overall goal is to be able to support the mental health and wellness of our youngest citizens so that they can grow up to be our community leaders and grow up in a healthy way,” Bailey said.

While the Nutrition Café started in 2021 and officially ended in September 2024, Bailey has applied for an extension to keep the garden going. This commitment ensures that the project’s benefits will continue to be felt in the community.

“It’s just been a fun, fun time tonight,” she said.

Bailey expressed her excitement about the project’s future, saying: “We’re looking forward to keeping this project going for years to come.”

She also invited the audience to view a recent video showing families touring the garden, learning what is being grown and visiting a nearby farm. The video is available at https://bit.ly/4gkiXc3. This invitation underscores the audience’s potential role in the project’s future.

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