Improving Food Security for the Korean Americans - Term Paper Example

Scenario 1 While working with the Korean community in New Jersey, I would be sure to keep in mind that Confucianism tends to have a great influence over the social organization and food habits of Korean Americans (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 149). Thus, while interacting with this community, I would consider the status and hierarchy of each individual. I would make sure I addressed each individual as Mr., Miss or Mrs., accompanied by their surname, as Korean Americans value courtesy and respect in their interactions (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 150). As the Korean culture is family oriented, clients will be encouraged to invite their family members and relatives to our meetings. I would also strive to be respectful of suggestions, ideas and inputs given by each member of the family (Rutter & Quine, 2002, p. 93). The objective of this task is to improve food security for the Korean community in New Jersey in cases of emergency. Thus, policies that will facilitate the community’s access to adequate nutrition, during emergency situations would need to be created (Menzel & D’Aluisio, 2005). Additionally, the families will be encouraged to establish an emergency food pantry containing food items specific to their cuisine. They will also be advised to maintain stocks of Korean foods that have a long shelf life, are easy to store, and that will provide them with a balanced diet during an emergency situation. This emergency pantry will be prepared while taking into consideration the demands and dynamics of the specific families. Considering that Koreans prefer a traditional Korean diet, the emergency pantry will consist of many traditional Korean staples which would provide each family with the necessary nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Sufficient amounts of rice will constitute an essential part of this emergency pantry, as rice is a traditional Korean staple food (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 145). Koreans use rice to make a large variety of traditional dishes like rice cakes (duk) (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 146). Koreans also consume rice in almost all of the three meals that they have during the day (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 146). Families will also be advised to store sufficient amounts of beans like soy, red beans, and mung, which happen to be a part of the traditional Korean diet and are also a good source of protein (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 146). The families could also store many vegetables like potatoes, and sweet potatoes. As Koreans mostly prefer fruits as desserts, preserved fruits like apples, pears, peaches could be a part of this emergency pantry (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 146). Any Korean diet would be incomplete without another important and standard staple called kimchi, a mix of many fermented and salted vegetables, and various types of Korean noodles (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 146). Boiled and dried vegetables and greens, which are also commonly used in Korean foods, would also make an excellent addition to the pantry. They will make a good source of fiber and roughage. Families will also be requested to store sufficient amounts of traditional condiments and seasonings like soy sauce and bean paste, which have a long shelf life and which add flavor to many traditional Korean recipes. Care will be taken to include such Korean foods in the emergency pantry that are also multifunctional, in that they could be used to cook many traditional Korean recipes. As there is a high incidence of obesity and diabetes amongst Korean immigrants, pantry will be designed so that individuals with these conditions can get proper nutrition while avoiding certain Korean foods that are high in fat and sugar (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 145). Tins of meats like chicken and pork, which are commonly consumed by Koreans, will also be added to this pantry (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 147), and beverages like tea and coffee will make good addition as well. As young Koreans are accepting of American foods and ready to cook foods, boxes of cereals and convenience foods like ready to cook vegetables, meats, rice cakes and Korean dumplings (mandoo) may also be added to this pantry (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 147). The families will also be requested to store sufficient amounts of bottled drinking water in this emergency pantry. Finally, the entire emergency pantry will be designed based on the inputs and suggestions of the Korean community members. Once an emergency pantry is put in place, a sample population from this community will be asked to fill a questionnaire that will assess their level of satisfaction with the pantry. The community members will also be asked to resupply and maintain this emergency pantry on a regular basis. Scenario 2 In the case of the two Alaskan Native families for whom I am required to serve as a community nutritionist, it is disappointing to learn that the local doctor and nursing practitioners failed to provide the families with nutrition education. Perhaps these healthcare professionals failed in this task because they did not consider the importance of being culturally competent while counseling these families. Thus, I will learn from this and will make an effort to become more familiar with the specific culture of these families. This will be especially important for me as I develop an intervention strategy for them. Insight into the food practices of this Alaskan Native families, will allow me to accomplish the task assigned to me with greater success (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 24). Once I am more aware of the food practices of these families, I will do my best to establish rapport with them when we meet. I will try my best to make these families understand that I respect their culture, and that I am here to help and serve them. If need be, I will call for an interpreter who understands the language spoken by these families and who could help me to better communicate with them. I will try to individualize the counseling sessions that I will have with these families and will strive to demonstrate due courtesy and respect towards them during these sessions. I will also be sure to recognize and carefully consider the verbal and non-verbal communication of my clients. As I begin to counsel these families, I will keep the pace of my sessions slow and will give ample time to the individuals I interact with so that they can fully frame and verbalize their responses (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 25). I will provide nutrition education to these families in a very patient and gentle manner. However, overall, the objective of my initial meetings with these families will be to help them develop a level of comfort with me. Once I feel that these two Alaskan Native families have accepted me as a friend, and are willing to work with me, I will proceed to focus on the obesity problem impacting their children. In the following counseling sessions, I will try to learn what they already know about obesity. I will ask them some questions about obesity such as: ‘What do you currently know about obesity?’, ‘Do you know what causes obesity?’, and ‘Do you think that obesity can cause health problems?’ I will ask the parents how they feel about their children moving away from their traditional food culture. I will also try to learn about the food the families eat and other factors which may influence their dietary choices such as: work, environment, and economic conditions. The whole idea will be to develop a broader understanding of the family dynamics and to understand how the food choices of these families may be causing their children to become morbidly obese (Goody & Drago, 2010, p. 25). The third stage of my strategy will be to provide nutrition counseling to these families. The current lifestyle of these families has shifted beyond hunting and foraging (Menzel & D’Aluisio, 2005, p. 5). I would explain to them how their traditional dietary choices of fish, lean game, wild fowls and berries kept them free of lifestyle associated diseases like obesity, diabetes and hypertension. I will make it a point to make them feel proud of their food heritage and culture. This may increase the chances of their complying with the advice that I provide. I will encourage the families to have their children consume more of their traditional foods, and I will also teach them how they can help their children make the right dietary choices. These suggestions will include: having the children avoid high calorie and low nutrient foods like sodas and junk foods (and instead go for complex carbohydrates and fiber rich foods), by serving them frozen and canned vegetables and fruits, by eating whole wheat bread instead of white bread, by going for lean meats, and by limiting the amount of oil and fats they consume. I would also suggest the families that they teach their children about their native food heritage and culture (Dombrowski, 2001, p. 194). While doing so I will have to accept the fact that these Native Alaskan families cannot help that they are being influenced by the popular dietary choices of today (Anderson, 2005). Thus, the whole focus of my counseling will be to help these families manage the obesity of their children by establishing a balance between adhering to their traditional food culture, and by making the right dietary choices in today’s society. Throughout the counseling process, I would be sure to ask the families for their opinions and views regarding my suggestions for them. I will encourage them to ask me questions and I will also carefully observe any non-verbal cues from them. I will also ask the families if they think my suggestions will help their children achieve a healthy body weight. If these families indicate willingness to adhere to the dietary suggestions we discuss, and accept the individual diet plans that I make for their children, then I will consider my efforts to have been successful. References Anderson, E.N. (2005). Everyone Eats. New York: New York University Press. Dombrowski, K. (2001). Against Culture. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. Goody, C.M., & Drago, L. (2010). Cultural Food Practices. New York: American Dietetic Association. Menzel, P., & D’Aluisio, F. (2005). Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. New York: Material World. Rutter, D., & Quine, L. (2002). Changing Health Behavior. 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