Medical Students Stir Up a Healthy Lesson
Madeleine is so passionate about good health, she dedicates her few hours of free time to mentor high school students. And, she has little time for herself as a second-year medical student at Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS) in Oregon. For Madeleine, it’s all about connecting and sharing to make more lives better.
As a mentor with MIKE Program, Madeleine volunteers her time to help guide her fellow mentors through lesson plans for high school students at Sweet Home High School. The WUHS medical students develop activities focused on topics that the high school students find most interesting. MIKE surveyed the students and mentors to discover what they think is most important in health. From how the brain works to how to prevent addictions, the lessons bring together these two groups of students to discover and discuss issues that most concern them.
The students meet through Zoom, as lingering COVID-19 protocols are still in place for all medical facilities. To create more engagement, the WUHS medical students present a mix of professional and personal takes on health. Each lesson features one or two WUHS mentors hosting an informational discussion about a health topic, then they join the SHHS students in Zoom breakout rooms to further discuss the topic in smaller, more conversational groups. The sessions with the high school students help the WUHS students develop communication skills they’ll need in their profession.
One of their most fun activities is sharing tips on healthy eating through live demonstrations. Madeleine chose to feature her favorite go-to food, overnight oatmeal. She set her laptop camera up so she could show step-by-step how she prepares her oatmeal, as she provided nutrition facts. The students watched as she began with whole oats in a bowl, then poured in almond milk, some walnuts and blueberries and mixed all the ingredients together. Madeleine said she uses mason jars to store the mixture overnight, so in the morning she has a yummy and very nutritious breakfast to start off her day.
Madeleine shared that oats are a whole grain that helps lower blood sugar levels while providing antioxidants and promoting healthy gut bacteria. Almond milk is a good source of Vitamin E, which protects your cells and can help protect against heart disease. Walnuts are considered a superfood, because they offer a good source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, some protein, fiber and magnesium. And blueberries provide Vitamins C and K, and are also a good source of fiber. What a fun way to share a healthy breakfast. And, the students were so impressed, that they hosted an oatmeal breakfast buffet in the classroom the very next day.
Want to know more about the nutrition elements in your food? Click here for the USDA Food Data Central, click here for My Healthy Plate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and click here for the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health Nutrition Source for nutrition information and facts, recipes and much more.
As for what’s next on the agenda for the WUHS mentors? They’re busy preparing lessons on the benefits of physical activity, chronic disease prevention and how personal identity impacts your health. For these mentors, aspects of their medical careers has already begun—and it’s making a difference in the lives of the students at Sweet Home High School.
A version of this story appeared in MIKE’s Global Giving platform on March 21, 2022.