Healthy Families

All the recent talk of late about rising food costs has got me thinking more about the hidden costs to our poor and homeless neighbors. That is, as nutritious food becomes less accessible, people rely more and more on cheap food that is high in fat but low in nutritional value. But while that cheeseburger may be cheap, fast food continues to take an expensive toll on the health of our community. Each day, we see the repercussions of poor nutrition in the form of diabetes, obesity, and heart problems.

St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic takes a holistic approach to these issues. Through our recently implemented family nutrition classes, we engage families in a course of nutrition education, counseling, and support to improve their eating and lifestyle habits. Classes cover important topics such as food group basics, portion sizes, reading labels, and instruction on healthy cooking. We work collaboratively with each family to develop a plan for healthy living and exercise. At the end of each class, we provide incentives such as fresh fruit and vegetables from the local farmer’s market or a gift card to the supermarket.

As with all of the Clinic’s services, we strive to meet our patients where they are with education and support that makes sense within their life circumstances and cultural background. As most of the class participants are recent Latino immigrants, our bilingual staff provide the classes in Spanish and English. To work with participants’ limited budgets and schedules, we teach them techniques for shopping for foods that are both nutritious and affordable. We provide nutritious recipes and cooking lessons for meals that appeal to the whole family and are easy to prepare with limited cooking facilities.

This combination of education and empowerment helps our guests get on the right track towards eating better and improving their health and quality of life.