La Soupe's Impact Through the Keen Eyes of a Student Dietitian
By Megan Burke, La Soupe Intern
Where Nutrition Meets Community
La Soupe represents everything a dietitian dreams of accomplishing. Rescuing overlooked grocery products, transforming items that cannot be utilized elsewhere, and sharing meals with the community, all completed proficiently by employees, volunteers, and chefs. While this is remarkable, it gets even better. Not only do they reduce food waste and prepare delicious meals, but La Soupe has also created the Nourish program, led by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who develops DASH-focused meals tailored to prevent and reduce the prevalence of chronic disease. The staff and volunteers are eager to educate.
Behind the Scenes
Walking through the doors of La Soupe, the welcoming staff and volunteers express kindness and unity. The kitchen staff is prestigious and highly creative, forming immaculate dishes using various ingredients found on hand. Every day brings new challenges, but their innovative minds continue to amaze the staff and community alike.
Downstairs in the packaging center is an upbeat environment filled with music and conversation. Their work is efficient yet light-hearted, creating an ideal space for everyone involved. At the loading dock donations are sorted to ensure top-notch quality is preserved for restoration and distribution to the community. Since volunteers and newcomers often participate, the staff are experts in sharing insight, practicing patience, and showing gratitude. The volunteers quickly become family on the La Soupe crew.
Driven by Passion and Purpose
La Soupe’s attitude represents their passion, purpose, and partnership. The entirety of their work is to Rescue, Transform, and Share to Educate, Inspire, and Nourish. The desire for change and the ability to collaborate directly within the community are the reasons for La Soupe's undeniable success. A great joy comes from this selfless vocation of reducing food waste, lowering chronic disease risk, minimizing the prevalence of food-insecure individuals, and improving the health of local families.
The Nourish Program: Bringing Health and Flavor to the Community
The resources, innovation, and health-promoting techniques in La Soupe's Nourish Program are like none I've seen before. The growth of the program and community interest signifies its continuing impact.
Working with La Soupe, I am actively gathering information to understand the needs of the community to enhance the Nourish program. We bring awareness to common chronic diseases and collaborate to create DASH-focused meals. The DASH Diet highlights whole grains, low sodium, low-fat dairy, lean meat, reduced added sugars, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Following these guidelines supports gut health and digestion, regulates blood glucose levels, reduces blood pressure, and improves overall cardiovascular health — leading to a lower prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Taking action by creating educational materials, teaching cooking classes, and conversing with partners will benefit the program for years to come.
My Experience as a UC Intern
As a University of Cincinnati student, I am grateful to be close to home, working to make a positive impact in my community. La Soupe's goal is exactly what I advocate for in my role as a student dietitian. Throughout my first internship, I am filled with curiosity and am motivated to gain insight into our community's current health-related needs, identifying areas of strength and where more attention is required.
I had the opportunity to speak with Share partners, allowing the community's voice to be our guide for creating educational handouts. Listening to the nutritional needs is most impactful for reaching success, enabling our team to tailor informational guides and programs to those seeking advice.
Throughout my time here, I have worked in the packing center to prepare and organize Nourish meals, educated Share partners off-site on the Nourish meal benefits, connected with community members at Friday Markets, and shared Nourish information during cooking sessions. My intern partner, Ty, and I worked with Chef Eddie to prepare a Nourish soupe — Chicken and Veggies. Shadowing Eddie illuminated the process of meal preparation at La Soupe: gathering ingredients from the walk-in fridge, selecting donated seasonings, and creating a delicious DASH-inspired soupe.
Overall, my experience at La Soupe has been deeply impactful for my future career as a UC Nutrition & Dietetics student. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience in my future practices, mastering my work of inspiring, educating, and nourishing the community.
