Knott County, KY tops the nation in drug abuse and also listed as the 4^th unhealthiest county in the state.  Most recovering addicts lack vital nutrients because they don’t eat enough and the food they do eat is not healthy options.  Learning to make healthy food choices is important to achieve a healthy lifestyle. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Nutrition Education Program (NEP) assistant and the Knott County Judicial System collaborated to allow the NEP assistant to come in twice a month and teach participants of the Drug Court program about nutrition. The NEP assistant taught lessons at the courthouse using the Healthy Choices for Everybody Curriculum. The curriculum is a series of lessons designed to provide participants with a basic understanding of how to recognize and prepare nutritious foods and emphasizes the importance of physical activity.There are seven required lessons participants must attend focusing on cooking skills, food safety, and budgeting food dollars.  

The NEP assistant recently graduated seven participants from the nutrition education program.  Data from pre and post evaluations showed that overall diet quality improved by almost seventy percent (70%).  An amazing 81% of participants reported eating fruit and vegetables more often while 71% of participants recorded drinking less sugary drinks.  Nearly half of all participants also reported choosing dark greens and red or orange vegetables more often as healthy options at meal time.  67% of participants began to take physical activity more importantly and make changes to their lifestyle to ensure they are meeting physical needs.  Food Safety improved within the group by 85% while food resource management saw an increase overall by nearly 75%.  

Proper nutrition and an understanding of healthy food choices is an essential part of recovery program because they keep the body and brain strong and functioning properly. Many of the participants have expressed gratitude towards the NEP assistant for helping them to improve how they feel physically and even said it helped them to have more confidence in themselves.