Page 93 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

Agriculture.36 The MyPlate is now also available in numerous other languages (Plate).37 Some diet evaluation
systems may not meet the cultural or ethnic needs of their target population. An example of this would be
cultures that consume numerous stews and soups.

Figure 4-3 ■ The Spanish version of the US Department of Agriculture MyPlate.

Source: US Department of Agriculture.

The following phrases may be helpful in eliciting information about a client’s cultural food practices:

“I am not familiar with the way you cook _____ (name of food). Will you please tell me about it?”
“When you celebrate a cultural holiday, what food items do you prepare? What types of snacks do you prefer?” (directs the focus to the whole
group)
“That dinner dish you mentioned sounds interesting. Can you tell me how you prepare it?”
“You are the expert on your food choices. You can teach me a lot.”

You should reinforce any client response with one of the following statements:

“Thank you for that information.”
“You are helping me to understand.”
“I appreciate your taking the time to explain your cultural foods to me.”

Nutrition Counseling Skills

Multicultural nutrition counseling skills demonstrate one’s ability to handle culturally appropriate interactions.
These include conducting nutrition and cultural assessments, identifying nutrition-related problems, and
planning and implementing relevant interventions.8–10 Table 4-2 offers some suggestions for counseling in
culturally diverse groups.

1. Assess prior knowledge by listening first. Focus on what is known and/or believed.
2. Reinforce correct knowledge, clarify misinformation.
3. Use simple language. Integrate visual media to “show” what you are teaching.

93