“When you fuel your body properly, you heal your body. When you heal your body, you heal your brain. When you heal your brain, you heal your mind.” – Brooke Bouwhuis, RDN, CD.
At Bridge House, we know that healing is a whole-body process. We can not expect our residents to start feeling better unless we address all elements of their emotional, physical and spiritual needs. Nutrition is of utmost importance to our people as they move forward in their lives. Through a combination of individualized counseling and consultation with our Clinical Dietitian, psycho-educational groups offered weekly, and a thoughtful approach to menu planning, we can help our residents learn about how food fuels their healing process.
In her weekly Nutrition group, Brooke Bouwhuis, Bridge House’s Clinical Dietician, teaches our residents about their gut microbiome and their immune system. 90% of our serotonin is made in our gut, so eating healthy is really where it all starts, she shares. When our residents are educated on their immune system and gut microbiome they are able to understand how important it is to eat whole real food and begin to connect their physical health and healing with their mental health journey. Brooke’s groups usually incorporate something tangible to touch, taste, and talk about. With those tangibles, we will do a lot of label-reading. We may taste and label-read a variety of chocolates, from Hershey’s chocolate to single-source organic chocolates. We try varieties of yogurts, kombucha, and foods from other cultures. Often residents are involved in hands-on activities with Brooke to help them learn new cooking techniques, recipes, and menu/meal planning Her goal is to help residents expand their tastebuds and interest.
Brooke teaches residents about snack foods from the grocery store “that won’t kill you” in her words. It’s a challenge for all of us to walk into a store and avoid foods that are bad for us because the labels are designed to draw us in. The snack food industry is a billion-dollar industry, making it really hard to compete against. We strive to help our residents understand healthier snack substitutes so they are able to make educated decisions while grocery shopping. Some residents may lack the skills and knowledge to prepare meals and make healthy choices. Others have come to us from places where they had little to no control over what they could eat. We aim to build on their skill-set and plant seeds of knowledge while shifting their whole mindset to “How do I improve my whole-body health?” Food is just one of the cogs on the wheel of healthy life. Every bite we take influences what happens in our gut, and subsequently, what happens in our mind.
Brooke collaborates with our two full-time Chefs in meal planning and supporting individualized dietary plans based on a whole-foods approach. Our meals are prepared fresh, onsite, and from scratch three meals a day. The culinary team runs two 6-week seasonal menus for fall/winter, and spring/summer. The meals are designed to easily accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, or kosher needs as well as other allergies or intolerances. They are given foods that are steamed, roasted, grilled, baked, and raw, to expose them to all types of preparations. We strive to fill their plates with as many different colored foods that are fresh, delicious, nutritious, and healing.
