Moni! Dzina langa ndine Alexis Whellan ndipo ndine wophunzira wazaka zinayi wa MD/MPH ku UTMB ku Galveston. Ndikugwiritsa ntchito mapulogalamu okhala mu Internal Medicine pompano ndikumaliza zofunikira zanga za Master of Public Health kudzera mu internship ndi Nutrition Department ku GCFB!

Ndinabadwira ndikukulira ku Austin, Texas ndipo ndinakulira ndi mlongo wanga, amphaka awiri ndi galu. Ndinapita ku koleji ku New York ndisanabwerere ku Texas komwe kumakhala dzuwa kusukulu ya udokotala. Kudzera mu pulogalamu ya digiri ya MD/MPH, ndatha kuyang'ana kwambiri pakumvetsetsa anthu omwe alibe chithandizo chamankhwala ku Galveston County. Ndagwira ntchito zambiri ku St. Vincent's Student Clinic ndikudzipereka ndi GCFB mu maudindo angapo osiyanasiyana.

M'miyezi ingapo yapitayi, ndakhala ndikuthandiza pulojekiti yosonkhanitsa zida za chakudya kwa odwala a GCFB omwe ali pachiwopsezo cha matenda a shuga kudzera mu thandizo lochokera ku Blue Cross Blue Shield waku Texas (BCBS) lotchedwa "GCFB Fights Chronic Health Conditions: Diabetes with Maphunziro a Nutrition ndi Rx Meal Kits ”. Ndinkakonda kuthandiza nawo ntchitoyi chifukwa imayang'ana kwambiri kugwiritsa ntchito zakudya zopatsa thanzi kuti anthu akhale ndi thanzi labwino, zomwe zimagwirizanitsa chidwi changa pazaumoyo komanso thanzi la anthu.

Pantchito ya BCBS, ndidathandizira kupanga zidziwitso za matenda a shuga, maphikidwe, ndikuyika pamodzi mabokosi azakudya omwe tikugawira. Pazakudya zilizonse, tinkafuna kupereka zambiri zokhudza matenda a shuga komanso momwe mungasamalire ndi kuchiza matenda a shuga ndi chakudya choyenera. Tinkafunanso kupereka chidziwitso chazakudya ndi njira iliyonse yomwe tapanga. Ndikofunikira kwa odwala omwe ali ndi matenda a shuga kapena omwe ali pachiwopsezo chotenga matenda a shuga kuti amvetsetse momwe chakudya chimakhudzira thanzi lawo, komanso maphikidwe ndi zidziwitso zomwe ndidapanga zidapangitsa kuti anthu adziwe zambiri za izi. Tinapanga maphikidwe anayi oti tipereke ngati zida za chakudya kwa anthu aku Galveston County. Ndidathandizira kunyamula zida zazakudya ndikuthandizanso kupanga mavidiyo a maphikidwe kuti anthu azitsatira pomwe akupanga maphikidwe awo a chakudya. 

Ndinachitanso nawo makalasi awiri omwe dipatimenti ya Nutrition inaphunzitsa Kugwa uku - lina ku Texas City High School ndi lina ku Nesler Senior Center ku Texas City. Kusukulu ya sekondale ya Texas City, ndinathandiza aphunzitsi a kadyedwe kake kuphunzitsa ana asukulu za sekondale za kadyedwe koyenera komanso kuthandizira ndi ziwonetsero za chakudya kwa ophunzira. Ku Nesler Senior Center, ndidakonza zomwe zili m'kalasi yophunzitsa za "Kuchepetsa Mashuga Owonjezera" ndipo ndidatsogolera chiwonetsero chazakudya ndi nkhani kwa kalasi yayikulu. Ku kalasi ya Nesler Senior Center, tidagawiranso zida zazakudya kwa omwe adatenga nawo gawo ndikuwapempha kuti anene za zomwe adakumana nazo pazakudya ndi mapepala azidziwitso. Anakonda kwambiri chakudya chomwe adapanga ndipo adawona ngati zomwe tidawapatsa zingawathandize kupitiliza kupanga zisankho zopatsa thanzi.

Pomaliza, ndidapanga kafukufuku kuti ndiwone momwe polojekiti ya BCBS imathandizira. M’chaka chotsatira pamene ntchitoyo ikukambidwa, anthu amene akutenga nawo mbali pa pulogalamu ya chakudya chopatsa thanzi komanso amene amalandira zipangizo zophunzitsira adzatha kudzaza kafukufukuyu kuti apereke ndemanga ku Dipatimenti ya Nutrition ndikudziwitsanso ntchito zamtsogolo. 

Pamene ndinali kuphunzira ndi Dipatimenti Yazakudya, ndinakhalanso ndi mwaŵi wa apo ndi apo wothandiza ogwira ntchito m’gulu la GCFB. Zinali zosangalatsa kudziŵana ndi ogwira ntchito m’misiri ndi kugwira nawo ntchito yopereka zakudya kwa anthu oposa 300 nthaŵi zina tsiku limodzi! Ndidawonanso polojekiti ya Corner Store ku San Leon. Izi zinali zatsopano kwa ine, ndipo zinali zosangalatsa kuwona zokolola zatsopano zikuperekedwa kwa anthu okhala ku Galveston County m'sitolo yabwino. Tsiku lina mu Novembala, dipatimenti yazakudya idakhala m'mawa ku Seeding Galveston, kuphunzira zaulimi wakutawuni komanso kukhazikika. Ndimakhala pachilumba cha Galveston ndipo ndinali ndisanamvepo za ntchitoyi, choncho ndinali wokondwa kuphunzira zambiri za njira zosiyanasiyana zomwe anthu akugwira ntchito yolimbana ndi vuto la chakudya mumzinda wanga. Tinathanso kutenga nawo mbali pa Chikondwerero chapachaka choyamba cha Internal Museum ku Children's Museum ku Galveston, komwe tinaphunzitsa mabanja kufunika kotsuka zokolola ndikugawana nawo Chinsinsi cha supu yachisanu yachisanu. 

Kulowa ku GCFB kwakhala kodabwitsa. Ndakhala ndi mwayi wogwira ntchito ndi antchito ena odabwitsa omwe adzipereka kuti aphunzitse anthu okhala ku Galveston County ndikulimbana ndi vuto la chakudya m'dera lawo. Ndinkakonda kuphunzira momwe banki yazakudya imayendera komanso ntchito zonse zomwe zimalowa mu projekiti iliyonse komanso kalasi iliyonse yamaphunziro. Ndikudziwa kuti zimene ndaphunzira pano m’miyezi ingapo yapitayi zidzandithandiza kukhala dokotala wabwino m’tsogolo, ndipo ndikuthokoza kwambiri Dipatimenti Yoona za Zakudya Zam’thupi chifukwa cha mwayi umenewu.