Nutrition for the Northshore
Family and Consumer Sciences students instrumental in bringing healthier options to the local region
Friday, September 4, 2015
Southeastern students are playing a key role in promoting wellness and bringing healthier options to our region, thanks to a field study program with St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s Community Wellness Center.
Students in Southeastern’s Family and Consumer Sciences program’s nutrition concentration are educating and enabling local residents to make healthy choices while gaining hands-on experience through projects like the Center’s “Cooking Matters” store tours, “Eat Fit Northshore” initiative and more.
As part of the “Cooking Matters” program, field study students help WIC participants learn about healthy eating and grocery shopping, such as the pros and cons of different forms of fruits and vegetables, shopping within a budget and reading food labels.
“Eat Fit Northshore” teams the field study students with local chefs to convert menu choices to healthier options. A dietician and two hospital staff members with nutritional backgrounds also work with the team.
These and other projects are part of a National WIC Association grant awarded to St. Tammany Parish Hospital and are led by a hospital representative. The students also participate in the hospital’s Well-Ahead Louisiana WellSpot outreach initiative where they meet with local schools and daycare centers to explain the criteria for the program, as well as the Community Gardens project, where the students assist in the Center’s new outdoor garden created to teach WIC participants how to plant, maintain and harvest a garden.
Family and Consumer Sciences students Holly Hudson and Caroline Stevens participated in the field study at the Center during the spring 2015 semester, while Rachel Frierson, Kristen Crawford, Meghan Matherne and Grant Schoultz are beginning field studies at the Center this fall. The field study program is expected to continue in the future as the partnership between St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s Wellness Center and Southeastern continues to be successful.
