This year’s HMG Health & Fitness Expo will be a great place to find tips for cooking healthy.
As a matter of fact there will be lots of cooking going on in the Expo’s Healthy Cooking Kitchen, a facility assembled especially for Expo by Gilmore’s Custom Kitchens. Seven different demonstrations will be held over the weekend, with the featured cooks focusing on foods that are good for us … have wide appeal … are kid friendly … are easy to prepare … are in line with “better choices” … and provide the energy our bodies need without excess calories.
It’s no secret that obesity is a growing problem in this country … a problem that is directly tied to long term health problems like coronary artery disease, diabetes, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, stroke and more. But there are things we can do to reduce our risk of these health issues by adopting better dietary habits.
All of us can see improvements in health when we pay attention to our diets. On a very simple level, we can make better choices – opt for whole grain foods and fresh fruit and vegetables rather than fried and sugar-laden side dishes and/or desserts. This year’s cooks will show us how to do things that help us build good dietary habits … and work toward better health.
A total of four demonstrations will be held Saturday … and three are on the schedule for Sunday. They include:
Saturday
9:30 a.m. – Sookie’s Downtown Deli & Gluten Free Bakery (322 South Main Street, Jonesboro) – Owner/operator Sara Trimarchi will show Expo goers how to create easy gluten-free meals that are tasty, inviting and filling.
11:15 – Sai Thai Cuisine (211 South Main Street, Jonesboro) – Owner/operator Sai Kattaviravong will prepare some easy but tasty foods you can incorporate into your meal planning.
2 p.m. – Loretta’s Catering To Your Needs (2013 Grant Avenue) – Owner/operator Kathy Cardwell will lure you to her demonstrations with the enticing aroma of well seasoned healthy dishes made with fresh fruits and vegetables. She advocates avoiding sugar, processed foods and caffeine in a presentation she calls “Healthy Creations Causing Sensations.”
4 p.m. – Lisa Tedder is a Jonesboro healthy living advocate who writes a blog called “The Cardiologist’s Wife” on www.jonesboro.com. She promotes good health through proper eating and exercise and will focus her presentation on preparing family meals with plenty of fiber and vegetables. She will show residents how to “put something on your table that’s really good ... and that the kids will eat!”
Sunday
11 a.m. – Health, Wellness & Environmental Studies Magnet School (1001 Rosemond Avenue, Jonesboro) – Melinda Smith, magnet school coordinator and gifted and talented instructor, and her students will prepare foods using a variety of mint grown in the school garden. Recipes will include Fresh Fruit Minty Dip and Strawberry-Mint Spring Rolls.
12:15 p.m. – St. Bernards Center for Weight Loss (on the Matthews Medical Mile at 505 East Matthews, Suite 105, Jonesboro) – Karan Summitt, health educator who works with patients in the HMR medically supervised weight loss program, will present a program she calls “Easy Wins.” She and her team will share samples of HMR products and will show residents how to make smoothies that fit into a well-balanced diet. She also will talk about making healthy dietary choices, looking specifically at things that represent “better” food choices.
2 p.m. – Meals for Moms (911 East Parker Road, Jonesboro) – Owner/operator Lindley Pipkins will incorporate low-fat foods in her presentation. In her business she specializes in meals she puts together that are ready to be baked in the kitchens of her clients. She will share ideas for easy meals for the whole family.