Class Shows Seniors Ways With Veggies

As Susan Traeger packs up her cookbooks and utensils, members of her class at Valley Storefront, Jewish Family Service file past, many pausing for a kiss and a promise to return.

“It’s like I’m everybody’s daughter,” Traeger said.

The sprightly teacher has managed to attract a following by preaching a simple doctrine: healthy eating. Her Vegetarian Social Club meets once a month and includes those under a doctor’s dietary orders, others looking for better ways to keep kosher and plenty of curious souls who have never seen a lentil loaf.

Traeger, who makes her living as a vegetarian consultant, said her class has been a constant surprise.

“I feel like they’re a forgotten people,” she said. “But they are always coming up with wonderful ideas. They’re like encyclopedias because of their life experience.”

At a recent meeting, Traeger showed the class how to make cashew mayonnaise. One of the hurdles to persevering as a vegetarian, she pointed out, is the modern culture’s hurried pace. Eating out often seems like the easiest option.

The class, through demonstrations, handouts and videos, seeks to provide seniors with an economical, low-maintenance vegetarian plan. Some attendees who are longtime vegetarians offer helpful information to classmates.

Class member and veteran vegetarian Sylvia Morris, 83, is realistic about the chances of converting many seniors.

“Men and women who retire think they don’t have to do anything--even for themselves,” she said. “People are comfortable with what they’re already doing.”

Aware of the challenges, Traeger pushes on. “There are always people stopping by and going, ‘Hmmm . . . what’s that?’ ” she said, widening her eyes and imitating a passerby’s double-take. “And they get more interested when I tell them you can cure a lot of problems through nutrition. You just need someone to show you the ‘how-tos.’ ”

For information on the club, call (818) 984-1380.