Food for Life: Healthy Basics

Nutrition can be confusing! Are carbs bad for you? Are you getting enough protein? How much fat is too much? This class is for you!

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and half of them are obese, increasing the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease and taking a disproportionate toll on under-served populations. Illness can even be the cause of people falling into poverty.

However, eating healthfully can be less expensive than diets fueled by seemingly cheap processed food or fast-food! The savings can happen in the short term and certainly in the long term, measured not only by dollars but also in quality of life.

In this four-class series, you'll learn the science behind good nutrition, and learn at least 12 new recipes that are easy and delicious!

March 19: Class 1: The Power of Your Plate

The first class in this series will focus on general concepts behind healthful eating habits by providing the knowledge and resources for trying out a new way of eating. The Power Plate is a diagram that illustrates the essential food groups: vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits. From these groups, you will be able to think about different foods and meals you can eat to best promote your health and the health of your family.

March 26: Class 2: How Foods Fight Diabetes

The road to diabetes does not have to be a one-way street. There is reason for hope! People who eat plant-based meals are less likely to ever develop diabetes, and for those who have diabetes, plant-based meals can help to improve blood sugar levels and prevent complications.

April 2: Class 3: Foods for a Healthy Weight

Eating plant-based is not a “diet” that leads to feeling hungry or deprived. Believe it or not, when you change the quality of your diet, you don’t need to think about counting calories or measuring portions.The focus is on quality not quantity!

April 9: Class 4: How Foods Fight Heart Disease

Certain diet patterns seem to have a major effect in helping people avoid heart disease, or if they already have heart disease, in reversing it. It takes a powerful diet to actually remove the hard plaque forming in the arterial walls after years of eating high-fat diets. But research has shown it can be done! This class will show you how.