At The Fortune Society, we recognize the numerous challenges our participants encounter during the reentry process, including the physical effects of incarceration on their bodies. Returning home after years in prison can make it challenging to learn or reestablish healthy habits and skills essential for leading a healthy lifestyle, such as meal planning, grocery shopping for nutritious foods and reading nutrition labels. Fortune’s Food and Nutrition program aims to address these challenges by educating participants on the importance of building healthy habits and maintaining a nutritious diet. Participants can also access daily meal services, fresh produce giveaways, cooking demonstrations, and other resources to help them succeed.   

The Food and Nutrition program offers medical nutrition therapy for participants seeking specialized advice or assistance. Carly, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and the Senior Director of Food and Nutrition, provides one-on-one counseling services for individuals interested in developing a healthier lifestyle while considering unique dietary restrictions or health conditions like diabetes.   

Upon intake at Fortune, incoming participants answer questions regarding their meal preferences, including any allergies, restrictions and health concerns. Anyone interested can reach out for counseling, and case managers refer participants to Carly directly after the intake process for a nutritional assessment based on these documented meal preferences. “

“If they decide to continue counseling, we decide together what the cadence will be,” Carly explained. “That might be every week, two weeks, or even daily. Every counseling session, we will revisit their goals to see where they are or decide if we need to tweak anything to work better within their lifestyle.”

During the nutritional assessment, Carly collaborates with her clients to establish realistic goals based on their knowledge and dietary needs. The following counseling sessions then focus on what the clients aim to achieve, whether that is becoming self-sufficient in the kitchen or establishing a more nutritious, health-conscious diet. 

After years of incarceration, individuals may become accustomed to eating highly processed and low-quality foods, which can contribute to illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. This presents additional challenges when they return home. During counseling sessions, Carly assists participants in managing their symptoms through specialty diets and healthy eating practices. 

Carly prioritizes her client’s unique concerns when leading her counseling sessions. For instance, the needs of someone with hypertension differ significantly from those of a person with diabetes, resulting in different ideal diets for each.

“Depending on the condition they have, their needs will be different,” Carly explained. “We start with general things like reading nutrition labels. But comparing someone with hypertension versus diabetes, my focus may not be on salt for the person with diabetes. We would focus more on carbohydrates because that is what impacts them the most.”  

Mr. Smallwood, a recent Fortune participant, is focused on prioritizing his health and learning how to best manage his current kidney concerns. Through counseling, he learned what foods to avoid and recipes supporting his kidney health.  

“We talked about low sodium foods, things I should eat like broccoli and carrots,” Mr. Smallwood said. “I learned that I should avoid eating too much meat or pork, which is important.” 

Karina, a Nutrition Educator, travels to Fortune’s housing to offer group Nutrition Education workshops for participants interested in improving their eating habits. These group workshops help participants understand nutrition recommendations, find healthier alternatives to their favorite meals, prepare nutritious, culturally relevant meals and more. Participants can also attend specialized workshops for people living with HIV/AIDS, hypertension and diabetes.

Fortune’s Food and Nutrition program assists participants in adjusting to life after incarceration by equipping them with the tools needed to make healthier choices. The program offers various workshops and services aimed at improving participants’ lives. It teaches essential cooking skills, provides fundamental resources, and prepares them for future success.