Author: Omar Miralles
Planning Unit: Jefferson County CES
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
After being told by their doctors that in order to control their weight and blood pressure they needed to change the amount of food consumed, a group of women belonging to a local Jefferson County Latino Church contacted the Nutrition Education Program Assistant with the Cooperative Extension Service. They were interested in starting a nutrition education group at a nearby apartment complex where they could meet frequently and they were excited to start the Healthy Choices for Every Body Program. As the program continued, they learned how to control the limits of fat and sugar consumed in order to curb weight gain, how to read nutrition labels and the importance of portion control in their daily diets. As the program continued, they kept improving their cooking skills, especially when preparing protein foods. They learned the correct cooking temperature and the different safety measures to avoid food contamination A few participants completed the program, demonstrating a 100% improvement in thawing food at room temperature less often. They continue to attend the program and bring their friends to join the class. After several classes, they were happy because they realized that many things had already changed; they had lost weight and felt encouraged to help their families accept those little lifestyles changes that brought more happiness to their lives!
The problem was lack of access to land and not having access to farming and business classes.The edu... Read More
The problem found within community gardens is soil erosion and poor soil quality due to over product... Read More