St. John’s provides hundreds of opportunities for guests to move forward with programming, workshops and support groups. Of those opportunities offered throughout the year, FoodWIse is an important program for those learning about how to eat healthy and grocery shopping on a budget.
FoodWIse is a program taught by staff from the UW-Extension and federally funded by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Each year FoodWIse delivers nutrition education to more than 50,000 participants statewide. Partnering with community-based organizations, the program uses a combination of evidence-based strategies designed to promote change for individuals, families and communities and help make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Recently FoodWIse was taught at Wellspring to guests and community members to learn more about healthy snacks. Each participant discussed their favorite snack, reasons for choosing to eat healthy and health difficulties that make healthy eating a challenge. Along with balancing snacks, the discussion included different ways to add protein to snacks, such as nuts, cottage cheese, eggs, milk and other forms of protein.
Along with goal setting and talking about snacking healthy and in proper quantities, the participants were challenged through a game of Jeopardy and word association. Guests were given a clue about a fruit or vegetable and its color and had to guess correctly to win prizes.
FoodWIse provides guests of St. John’s with the knowledge to improve their health through food, budgeting and overcoming health limitations.
