Healthy Victories – December 2, 2024
Del Norte CalFresh Healthy Living program supports healthy, active and nourished lifestyles by teaching Del Norte residents about good nutrition and how to stretch their food dollars, while also building partnerships in communities to make the healthy choice, the easy choice.
Visit Del Norte CalFresh Healthy Living website and learn more about nutrition and physical activity resources and healthful tips. Let’s celebrate healthy victories that lead your families healthier and happier!
Harvest of the Month
Persimmons!
For Harvest of the Month this December we celebrate with a delightful winter fruit, Persimmons! Students at four head start sites tasted raw persimmon slices and a persimmon bread recipe. 165 pantry participants tried the same persimmon bread recipe with very positive results. Many of the children weren’t sure about the “cold, slimy” feel of the persimmons at first, but once they tried the delicious fruit they were quick to encourage their friends to try also.
Half of one medium persimmon provides: An excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of fiber and vitamin C. Persimmons are a source of many antioxidants (including beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene) that give persimmons their vibrant color and possible health benefits for eyes, skin and reduced risk of cancer.
At least 500 different D. kaki varieties were brought to California during a major planting spree from 1870 to 1920. In 1877 alone, more than 5,000 plants in 19 varieties were imported from Japan. Today, the two major Japanese varieties grown in California are the Hachiya and the Fuyu. The persimmon is Japan’s national fruit.
In Asia, persimmons have been cultivated for thousands of years and rank next to citrus fruit in importance, culturally and economically. The art of hoshigaki — hand-dried persimmons — is an integral part of traditional Japanese New Year’s celebrations.
The Fuyu was developed by breeding out the tannic acid from the Hachiya, making it more appealing to taste and easier to eat whole and raw. (Persimmon information adapted from Harvest of the Month educator newsletter)
In Training to Better Serve our Community
This month your CalFresh Healthy Living team went for training in the CATCH curriculum. CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) offers a whole child approach to education with a focus on; nutrition, physical activity, physical education, social emotional learning, and mental health. Through this training we learned new skills and techniques to enhance education efforts within our own program as well as valuable knowledge to share with our partners in the early education field. Best of all, the CATCH curriculum is designed to work with what you are already doing and enhance your efforts, not your workload.
The CATCH early childhood program is a fun way to address healthy early childhood behaviors, to promote the kind of healthy lifestyle (physical activity, good nutrition, healthy interactions with others) that we want to see children learn and take with them for their entire lives. You can learn more at catch.org
