Maudene Nelson, RD, CDE has been a nutrition educator at the Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition for the past thirty years.  She is also a diabetes educator at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center. Here she tells us that home cooking is the best way to eat healthier and how you might be surprised at how little you have to change in order to eat better!

Q: People come from many different cultural backgrounds and have many ideas of what "comfort food" and home cooking are. Do you find it hard for people to start changing their diets because of that?

A: A person may get very defensive about changing their usual way of eating in part because they don't think you (the dietitian or educator) will understand their attachment to certain foods.  So if someone feels like I won't understand what they eat I try to remind them that there's a lot more about us as human beings that makes us alike than different.  With very few exceptions, cultures and societies have staple foods that are rich in carbohydrates or starches as a regular part of their diet. Depending on where you come from this type of food may be rice, pasta potatoes, poi, corn, or plantain.  But they are all carbohydrates and it is a point of reference for everyday eating patterns.

All cultures also have protein foods of some form.  For many people their protein comes from something that had fins, fur or feathers.  Some rely exclusively on milk products and/or beans and peas.

What varies a lot from culture to culture are the flavorings and methods of preparation of these staple foods.  There may be a little resistance to going from frying to steaming, but there may be almost a refusal to switch from one protein staple to another.

I usually look at someone's diet and cuisine and point out the things that they should KEEP doing-like using spices! Spices are important to add to food because they offer natural protection. Spices like turmeric and ginger are anti-inflammatory. Cinnamon has been shown to help with blood sugar management in people who have diabetes.  I make sure to shine a light on the up-side of what a person is already eating everyday and then show them how to fine-tune it slightly to do a little more of this and a little less of that, depending on their health condition.

With today's busy lives and a huge variety of ready to eat foods in stores, there are fewer and fewer people who eat the fresh, simple foods they grew up on. Fewer meals are prepared at home.  A survey a few years ago reported that people spend on average 30 minutes a day in food preparation.  That means that more people are getting most or all of their meals from chain restaurants, fast food places, and short order counters.  This makes it hard to eat healthy because foods bought in these kinds of places will always have more sodium (salt) and a lot more fat than home cooking.

Q: Which is healthier­-home cooking or going out to eat?

A: My reflex reply is HOME COOKING.  The more simply you can prepare your food in your kitchen, the better.   Home prepared meals usually have more nutrients, more vegetables, more fiber and less fat.  Maybe that's because people who prepare their food at home put a bit more thought into it than when you bring a carry-out meal home.  Using some basic items like pasta or noodles (whole wheat is better), a mixture of veggies, and a simple broiled or baked meat will almost always win a nutrition comparison to fried chicken wings, French fries and cole slaw from a take-out menu. Take-out meals may please the eyes and the mouth, but they don't make up a body friendly meal.

But, realistically, many families and singles will buy take-out.  If this is you, then you can make a deal with yourself.  For every one take-out item, match it with a homemade item such as a mixed green salad, a fresh fruit, or microwaved mixed vegetables.   Peel the skin off take-out fried wings and add some baby carrots and celery.  At least it brings in something that's a plant, something with fiber.

My husband will sometimes bring home a whole chicken from the restaurant chain MaleconTM.  We'll add a can of beans and brown rice (5 minute or leftover).  We make sure it's at least half beans and half rice.  Then we put real uncooked, unprocessed foods with the rest such as cucumbers, carrots, etc.  Anyone can walk out of a market with these kinds of vegetables and make their food a little healthier. So, by buying the chicken already cooked, we've used a shortcut for half of the meal, but we've kept it healthy by adding vegetables and beans-lots of beans.

If you are interested in working with Maudene Nelson and bringing nutrition into your community, please e-mail her at mln2@columbia.edu.

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with community health experts written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.