“DASH to Health” is a 4-part interactive cooking and nutritional health series. It is designed and taught by Deborah A. Richardson, MA, RD and focuses on improving your health through nutrition and lifestyle change. 

The DASH lifestyle plan is based on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s DASH diet and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  The DASH to Health workshop includes the following:

• Learning to reduce your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis through easy-to-follow DASH diet guidelines.
• How to make healthier food choices for your family to achieve a healthy weight and reduce their risk of disease.
• Tools to determine your “baseline” health status.
• Learning how to maintain a healthy weight or reduce weight as needed by following the DASH guidelines.     
• Teaching you how to recognize FAD diets and “junk” nutrition information.
• Learning how to work more activity routinely into your life.
• Hands-on experience in preparing 4 nutritious and good-tasting meals according to the DASH diet guidelines and then enjoying the fellowship of dining together.
• Opportunities to “taste test” healthy snacks and beverages.
• Learning how to read and understand food labels to make healthier choices.
• Learning how to eat healthier while dining out and creating awareness of pitfalls of calories, fat and sugar that may be hidden.

Cost includes 4 healthy and convenient meals, snacks, beverages, taste testing, and a wealth of materials to use as resources.

Meals prepared in class will include main entrées, salads, side dishes and desserts that use ingredients commonly found in our grocery stores.

DASH is also conducted in a “Lunch and Learn” or “Brown Bag” lunch setting in a business environment.  Snacks and taste testing are provided for this option.

Click here for the workshops currently scheduled.

Contact OptimalNutrition4U@cox.net for more information and scheduling.