March 6, 2019 - The first meeting of the Morale Boosters - Proactive Support Group hosted by the Shelby County Cancer Fund was held on the first Tuesday of March with guest speaker Jheri-Lynn McSwain addressing 'Do You Know What You Are Eating?'
McSwain is with Texas A&M AgriLife, Shelby County Extension Agent - Family and Community Health. She spoke about factors that impact the foods that we purchase and gave definitions or descriptions of common words found on food packages and what they really mean. McSwain's goal for the meeting was to help attendees know what they are buying when shopping for food.
Research shows for people in the United States who are shopping for food, they often times select based on convenience, price, taste, and healthfulness. Convenience being the number one factor can often leads to poor choices for your health.
McSwain finished by encouraging everyone not to just read the front of a products packaging but ask yourself what are you concerned with? Be sure to read the nutrition facts panel and the ingredients list. Do some research and understand the definition of a claim on the package.
A good online source for additional information is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension - https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/programs/family-community-health/. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Family and Community Health (FCH) unit helps Texans better their lives through science-based educational programs designed to improve the overall health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities. Programs featured on their website at this time include: Physical Activity, Nutrition, Diabetes Management, Weight Control, etc.
The next meeting of Morale Boosters is set for the first Tuesday in April which is April 2nd at 6pm. The meeting will be held at First Baptist Church in Center with a program about Gardening.
