Busy American lifestyles sometimes limit attention to nutritional eating habits. The goals of a new Urban Extension Nutrition Education Program (Urban NEP) in Mobile will improve knowledge of the importance of good nutrition to encourage healthy families and communities. Bernadine Ransom, the newly assigned Urban NEP agent assistant, will soon begin a series of classes aimed at educating families and individuals on the American Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid to increase their knowledge and skills in food selection, food preparation, and safe food storage.
The program will focus on adult and youth audiences. The Mobile area Senior Assistance for Independent Living (SAIL) sites will be participating in the new classes along with residents at two Mobile Housing Authority communities. The adult curriculum called Wise Eating Approaches for a Life Time of Health (WEALTH) will provide skills such as reading food labels, shopping tips, meal planning, and much more.
Special classes designed for young people will be implemented through the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama (BGCSA). Classes will begin the early part of 2005 at one of the BGCSA clubs on Plaza Drive in Mobile. The after school programming at the Plaza Drive, Optimist Boys and Girls Club, will greatly benefit from The Power of Choice curriculum. Special topics from the curriculum will include assistance for young people in eating healthy. The youth audiences will especially benefit from specialized topics such as education on fast foods and portion control. A number of additional sites for presenting the nutrition classes will be added throughout 2005.
For more information, please contact Bernadine Ransom at 251-574-8445.