In 2019, the County Health Ranking conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation revealed that 12% of individuals in Jefferson County lacked a reliable food source. Additionally, 6% of low-income residents did not have convenient access to a grocery store, restricting their ability to obtain nutritious food. In response to this need, the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Education Program delivered the Healthy Choices for Every Body program to two groups at the Southwest Center for Developmentally Disabled. Due to the limited capacity of these groups to purchase food on their own, the main topics of focus included healthy and balanced MyPlate meals, healthy beverages, the importance of daily physical activity, and basic cooking skills. Suitable interactive activities were chosen for participants so everyone could engage in the lesson. Participants gained deep knowledge of building their MyPlate meals, a basic understanding of the Nutrition Facts label, and engaged in hands-on cooking.  

At the end of the seven sessions, out of the thirty-three participants: 

• 97% showed improved diet quality, specifically in eating fruits and vegetables more regularly and drinking less sugary drinks. 

• 70% of participants demonstrated positive change in one or more physical activity behaviors, such as exercising at least 30 minutes daily, strength training, and making minor changes to stay active.  
• One of the participants proudly approached the instructor, after the lesson on healthy beverages, and shared that they chose a diet Coke that day instead of a regular one.