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ForwardWebinar: Meeting Families Where They Are: Affordable, Culturally Responsive, Nutritious Eating
Many American families face multiple barriers in achieving nutrition recommendations, including food costs, limited access, time constraints, transportation challenges, cultural food preferences, and competing household priorities. This webinar will provide registered dietitians, WIC* professionals, and community nutrition practitioners with evidence-based, practical counseling strategies to help families navigate these barriers while promoting nutritious eating patterns that are realistic, culturally responsive, and sustainable.
Join Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN, and Jasmine Westbrooks-Figaro MS, RD, LDN, CDCES, on Tuesday, September 1, from 2-3 p.m. ET, as they draw on current nutrition research, public health principles, and 10 years of their own experience working within the WIC program. This complimentary session will explore approaches for addressing common misconceptions about the affordability of healthy eating, supporting behavior change through culturally relevant counseling, and helping families maximize their grocery budgets, including accessing and using government support programs such as WIC.
Participants will discover practical meal-building strategies and examine the nutritional role of yogurt, soy yogurt alternatives, and soymilk during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, and early childhood. Interactive case studies and counseling scenarios will provide opportunities to apply evidence-based recommendations to real-world situations commonly encountered in WIC-type programs and community nutrition practices.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, nutrition professionals will be better able to:
- Identify common barriers, including cost, food access, time, transportation, and cultural considerations that influence nutrition behaviors and why some may not seek out or participate in nutrition programs, such as WIC.
- Apply evidence-based counseling strategies that promote affordable, culturally responsive, and realistic nutrition recommendations for families participating in WIC.
- Describe the nutritional contributions of yogurt and soymilk as foods that help support nutrient needs during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, and early childhood.
- Develop practical meal-building strategies that help families maximize their grocery budgets, such as participating in programs like WIC, while supporting healthy eating patterns.
- Incorporate culturally responsive communication techniques that improve participant engagement, trust, and adherence during nutrition counseling.
Additional Information
Course summary
- 1.00 CDR
Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN, is a Registered Dietitian born and raised in the Liberty City neighborhood in Miami, Florida. She holds a Bachelor of Science in dietetics from Florida State University and a master’s in nutrition from the University of North Florida. She began her career working for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for 10 years. In 2017, combining her love for culture and nutrition, she co-founded EatWell Exchange Inc., a non-profit organization that helps teach communities how to eat healthier using cultural foods. Ashley is an adjunct professor at Florida A&M University, a children’s book author, and board member for various health and wellness initiatives.
Jasmine Westbrooks-Figaro, MS, RD, LDN, CDCES, is a registered dietitian residing in Raleigh, North Carolina. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nutrition dietetics from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and her master’s degree in nutrition education from Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago. She co-founded EatWell Exchange Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with fellow dietitian Ashley Carter. EatWell Exchange’s primary goal is to bridge the gap in health outcomes by guiding communities as they make positive lifelong changes while respectfully maintaining their culture. In 2026, Jasmine was named one of Today’s Dietitian Magazine’s “TD10, the 16th Annual Top 10 Dietitians Who Are Making a Difference.”
Disclosures:
Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN, has the following relevant disclosures to report: she is a speaker for and consultant to Danone North America.
Jasmine Westbrooks-Figaro, MS, RD, LDN, CDCES, has the following relevant disclosures to report: she is an event planner, partner, and dietitian to the Dairy Alliance. She is also speaker for and consultant to Danone North America.
Meeting Families Where They Are: Affordable, Culturally Responsive, Nutritious Eating, awards 1.0 CPEU in accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration's Prior Approval Program.
The responsible provider for this activity is Danone US.
Funding from non-CPE revenue for CPE planning, development, review, and/or presentation has been provided by Danone US.
Available Credit
- 1.00 CDR