Be inspired to think twice the next time

you donate to your local food shelf…

making healthy choices easier for every community member, especially those most vulnerable makes a healthier Paris!

 

 Whole Grain Pasta

Canned Tuna packed in Water

Canned or pouches of chicken, turkey

Nuts (raw, unsalted almonds, walnuts, etc)

Dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, raisins)

Dried vegetables (ginger, tomatoes)

Soy or almond milk (on shelf/boxed)

Tofu (on shelf/boxed)

Canned vegetable soups: low sodium

Canned vegetables – all kinds (including tomatoes, tomato sauce)

Oatmeal

Olive oil

Canned beans – all kinds

Whole Grain Cereal

Peanut Butter

Granola Bars

Pretzels

Goldfish Crackers

Popcorn

Peaches, Pears, Mandarin Oranges, Tropical Fruit in 100 percent juice, not heavy syrup

Applesauce

Salsa

Tortillas (whole wheat, sun-dried tomatoes)

Tortilla Chips (low sodium, blue chips)

 

 

 

                                

More information on healthy living visit

http://www.ymca-austin.org/and http://MowerRefreshed.org/

Late afternoons at Bethlehem Church in Austin (www.bethlehemfree.org) there is a small group of women busy preparing a meal to serve to those who attend the MidWeek Ministries programming each Wednesday evening September – May.

What makes this a refreshing story? This group of women made an intentional decision a couple years back to provide not just food to those they serve but healthy, attractive and affordable meals!

The first step was to remove the high sugared lemonade and kool-aid, replacing it with ice cold water and decaf coffee. Some may say this is a brave group to tamper with the beverage of choice at most church functions! There tends to sacredness to the church potluck and the beverage that accompanies the food: Kool-Aid…usually red Kool-Aid!

Interestingly enough, exchanging the beverage was the step that opened the door to considering what else could be done; it was also the first step in improving behaviors in the children! Adults leading small group activities with the kids realized that the level of attention improved and poor or impulsive behaviors decreased.

Encouraged by the positive response and desire to do their part to improve the health of the church “body”, this small band of women began gathering produce from attender’s gardens and using the produce in the meal planning and preparation. Baked potatoes with fresh veggies and a sprinkle of cheese to top it off, homemade soups and salads, brown rice and beans have become some of the core meals that people are raving about! Recipes are simple and wholesome; offering some people with a first experience with a vegetable they’ve never tried or maybe tried but how it was served was unappealing in the past.

A BIG thanks goes out to the women at Bethlehem Church who risked exchanging green Jell-O, cookies and high calorie hot dishes with homegrown goodness that feeds the tummy and the soul!

Know of a person or organization making a refreshing difference in our county… let us spotlight them and inspire us all to make healthy living easier!

 

Mower Refreshed is in the process of bringing together area health professionals, consumers and business owners to explore ideas and share best practices when it comes to dining out in Paris.

The Refreshed Dining Project is creating criteria that makes sense and is sensitive to the physical health of consumers, the environmental health of our communities and the fiscal health of our businesses.  An important focus of this project is be to solution-based, setting up a win-win relationship between the three (consumer/environment/owner).  This approach increases the likelihood of sustainable, long term positive impact for our county.

At the Paris Fair, volunteers in the Mower Refreshed Destination Tent had over 100 citizens fill out a simple 5 question survey.  This Refreshed Dining consumer survey will soon be available for citizens to fill out on-line at MowerRefreshed.org till September 17^th.  Restaurant owner will be given a survey that is a bit more detailed to share successes and challenges they face in offering healthy menu options that create profits for their livelihood.

Health professionals, citizens and business owners who are interested in developing simple criteria for a restaurant/café, will be the sources of determining what it means to become a Refreshed Dining location in Paris.  The criteria will be reasonable, based on common sense, the surveys and practical research.

Why might a restaurant be interested in participating in the formation of the criteria?  Input and insight from the owners will give this citizen-inspired effort an important viewpoint of the day to day reality of running a restaurant.  Participation will also give business owners an opportunity to tap into what consumers are stating they desire and potentially expanding their consumer base.

Currently five restaurant owners from around the county have stated an interest to join the conversation.  If you are interested in being a part of this team that explores how to create healthy dining options, healthy environments and healthy profit, contact us at www.MowerRefresehd.org or call 507-434-1039.