Heart disease and diabetes are common health issues with many middle aged and older adults in Kentucky. Christian County is no exception. In 2017, 12% of adults had diabetes and 37% had hypertension. Many people in disadvantaged areas eat a diet high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium. Many times this is due to the lack of nutritional education.

     The Christian County SNAP-Ed assistant taught the Know the Limits lesson from the Healthy Choices for Every Body Curriculum to a neighborhood association in a limited resource area. This class covers what one needs to know about the negative effects of saturated fats, added sugars and sodium and how you can combat these issues to improve your health. The assistant also had demonstrative models of tubes showing the amount of sugar and salt in various foods and a model of arteries in different stages that are ‘clogged’ due to cholesterol. The lesson along with the models are eye opening to many people. 

     The neighborhood association which consists of middle aged and older women, responded very well to the class. A few especially that had high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels commented to the assistant about how helpful this information was. One lady remarked how the artery model “hit home” with her and that she was going to change her and her husbands’ diets as they both had heart problems. The assistant shared some healthy recipes and tips with all the ladies present. 

     On a follow up visit, the students reported that they had eaten healthier the month following the Know the Limits class and were reducing their unhealthy fats and sodium. The lady cooking for her husband mentioned that he “loved” the recipes.

       Comparing the exit tests to the entry tests given by the SNAP-Ed  assistant , 83% of the ladies had positive changes in their diets relating to their solid fats and added sugars, 83% ate vegetables more often including 50% eating more dark green vegetables. Also, 50% of the ladies made small changes to be more active.