Officials attempting to raise awareness on healthier eating

CLOVIS — As part of Eating Healthier Awareness Month, Curry County officials are imploring residents to arm themselves with sound facts and maintain a healthier eating regimen.

“This is part of an effort to remind everyone we can do our part to prevent a plethora of chronic and serious diseases, just by making better choices in what we eat,” said Curry County Retired Senior Volunteer and Foster Grandparent Program Assistant Susan Alman, who introduced the proclamation and is an advocate for educating the masses about eating right. “Changing what and how we eat is a choice to change our lifestyle. It is not only what we need to do for a little while, this is something we need to incorporate into our lives forever — and it needs to start at home.”

Alman said embracing a healthier eating lifestyle and the educational elements at consumers’ fingertips could be generationally impactful.

“Children learn by watching and listening,” she said. “If we want our children to grow strong and healthy, we need to become good role models to show them what they need to strive to be. Think about what this world would be like if everyone would slow down enough to have family sitdown dinners on a regular basis, if we taught our children how to cook — instead of opening up a box or popping something into the microwave and calling it a meal. We probably wouldn’t have 13 million overweight and obese children, as the American Heart Association has stated.”

Alman said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has produced a document that provides the three P’s of healthy eating on a budget:

• Planning: Try to plan meals and snacks for the weeks between grocery shopping trips, find recipes to stretch for more than one meal, use coupons when possible and make a grocery list and stick to it.

• Purchase: Do not grocery shop when hungry, try to eat a small meal or snack before going shopping in order to stick to your list and save money and stay out of aisles that contain items not on your grocery list. Buy store brands when able and stay away from pre-packaged fruits and vegetables, which are convenient, but cost more.

• Prepare: Pre-cook on days you have more time and freeze for days when you have less time. Incorporate leftovers into another meal and keep an on-going grocery list in your kitchen, so as you run out of things, you can put them on your list right away. Try taking cooking classes to learn to make more dishes from scratch, which will save more money and provide healthier meals in the long run.

Within the proclamation, Alman references, per the World Health Organization, at least 80 percent of all heart disease, stroke and Type-2 diabetes, as well as up to 40 percent of cancer could be prevented if people ate healthier, were more active and quit tobacco use. She added only 21 percent of adults eat the recommended amount of fruits daily and only one-third eat the recommended amount of vegetables.

Curry County Commission Chairman Wendell Bostwick offered support for the initiative.

“I’m kind of old school,” he said. “When dinner was on the table, you ate at the table. I’ve encouraged my children, with the grandchildren, to at least try to get, optimally, five to six days per week that you sit down with no cell phones and have conversation while eating. But if you can’t, start with one day and get up to as many days as you can.”