January 20, 2010
Urban Zen’s First Food Solutions Workshop a Crowd Pleaser
The Urban Zen Foundation, designer Donna Karan’s nonprofit philanthropic organization, held its inaugural Food Solutions workshop today for a full room of patrons. The workshops are designed and led by experts Amanda Archibald, RD and Stefanie Bryn Sacks, MS, who alternate educational presentations with audience participation via tastings and light cooking. For today’s day-long event, “Rightsizing Your Waist and Plate,” they were joined by Dr. Lisa Young, RD, CDN, to focus on re-thinking one’s approach to food in order to live a healthier life.
“Rightsizing” kicked off with an examination of how portions have grown out of control in the last three decades and have contributed greatly to the U.S. population’s overconsumption and weight gain. Also discussed was the tendency for restaurants to serve meals in unhealthy proportions, such as too much meat with too few vegetables.
After taking a healthy snack break, attendees participated in a grocery sampling modeled after wine tasting flights. Each fruit or vegetable flight contained similar-tasting foods to demonstrate that it is easier than it may seem to expand one’s palette and receive nutrients from a greater variety of sources.
The most participation-heavy part followed: the nine tables of attendees were divided into three groups, with each group cooking three different vegetarian dishes that were all quick and easy. A chef and a runner were assigned to each table to monitor team progress and finish up the meal with healthy soups. All of the dishes were spread out on a large buffet table to let people dig in—plus, they could decide which dishes they wanted to replicate at home after the recipes are posted on Urban Zen’s site next week.
The day wrapped up with advice on how to create a food plan that suits everyone’s individual preferences and lifestyles. Charts were provided that broke up foods into useful categories, such as one that divided numerous grains and cereals into groups including Gluten-Free, Highest Protein, and Fastest Cooking.
The participants—who ranged from dieticians to cooks to foodies—were enthusiastic throughout the day, which bodes well for the five following workshops planned so far.
Visit UrbanZenFoundation.org for more about the organization’s work and details on future events.
Related:
Donna Karan Reaches out with the Urban Zen Foundation
