Residents can learn to eat cheaper and healthier

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

Workshops are held at community center.

Wayne Grant

News Editor

An effort to help local residents eat healthier on a limited budget was not a big draw on its first night, June 23, but leader Rebecca Taylor hopes it will gain traction and attract more people in coming weeks.

One person showed up on the first night.

The workshop, which includes how to have a more active lifestyle, continues June 23 and 30; July 14, 21 and 28; and Aug. 4 and 11.

Presented by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office, the program is funded by a federal grant through SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The sessions are held 5:30-7 p.m. at the South Ormond Neighborhood Center, 176 Division Ave., and this is the first time they have been offered in Ormond Beach.

The lone attendee, Bobbie Emery, of Ormond Beach, said she wanted to learn more about how to shop for food and cook in a cheaper and healthier way.

“I’ve eaten healthy all my life,” she said. “My dad had a garden.”

Taylor said most Americans are not eating healthy.

“We eat at a fast pace,” she said. “We have fast food, packaged food. When you cook your own food, you have control over what’s in it.”

She said the workshop includes how to read labels so people can learn what they are eating.

She recalled an earlier class when a woman was surprised that a tuna sub had more fat than a Philly cheesesteak.

She said people think it’s expensive to eat healthy. In the workshop, she explains how to plan menus and shopping trips to both save money and eat healthier.

Portion size is very important, and in the workshop, she shows sample sizes of foods that a person should have at a meal.

“We can eat anything we want if we stay in the portion size,” she said.

Different topics are covered in each workshop. For those who attend each week, Taylor said she has documented changes, such as a woman who went down a dress size.

Getting a proper amount of exercise is also included in the workshop.

Taylor said we are lucky in the area, because there are a lot of farmers markets. Food that is shipped a long way loses some of its nutrition, and the markets are also more economical.

Energy Snack (cereals can be substituted)

—One cup Kix.

—One cup Chex.

—One cup Frosted Miniwheats

—One cup raisins.

Makes eight half-cup servings. Mix in bowl and then place in small plastic bags for snacks.