Creating a Healthy Shelf Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables Program Long Island Agency Conference Day-September 12 th, 2014 Presented by: Dana John-Goodrich MPH,RD JSY Nutrition Manager

Background  Diet and body weight are related to health status  A healthy diet helps reduce the risks for many health conditions including but not limited to:  High blood pressure *  Type 2 diabetes * *specifically noted for the purposes of this presentation

According to the USDA  Current dietary concerns include: the overconsumption of  calories  added sugars  saturated fats  Under consumption of:  whole grains  fruits  vegetables  And health conditions such as obesity

Healthy People 2020  One goal is to:  Promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption of healthful diets and achievement and maintenance of healthy body weights  One recommendation is to limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, sodium (salt), and alcohol

What Should We Be Doing?  According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:  Avoid oversized portions  Making at least half one’s grain intake whole grains  Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk  Compare sodium levels in foods and choose those with the least amount of sodium  Opt for water over sugary drinks

Motivation to Take Action  Poor neighborhoods have higher rates of overweight and obesity and more deaths due to diabetes and heart disease than more affluent neighborhoods  People in poorer neighborhoods, often rely on food pantries and soup kitchens for food  Donated food tends to be items which are extremely high in sodium and sugar  Canned vegetables  Fruits packed in syrup  Soup  Stews, Chili  This causes a dilemma for people who have hypertension and diabetes and are accessing the emergency feeding sites

You Can Help Set Up a Healthy ShelfInvite JSY to Your Agency

Setting Up a Healthy Shelf is Easy!  Set aside one shelf -Designate it a “Healthy Shelf”  Stock the shelf- Use canned fruits and vegetables with labels that match those discussed  Listen and observe -Many clients will share with you or volunteers their health concerns; specifically high blood pressure and/or diabetes  Let clients know- you have these items available  Substitute-regular canned fruit and vegetable selections with the low sodium/ low sugar varieties

Benefit of Creating a Healthy Shelf  Increase the availability of low sodium/no sodium vegetables and low sugar/no sugar added fruit choices to individuals accessing emergency feeding sites  Allows clients to have a choice to select low sodium/low sugar items  Potentially improve the health of the clients visiting your agency

Look for These Labels  Look for Canned Fruits with Labels:  No Sugar Added  Lite  100% Fruit Juice  Unsweetened  In Pear Juice  In 100% Pineapple Juice  Look for Canned Vegetables with Labels:  Low Sodium  No Sodium  No Salt Added  Reduced Sodium  50% Less Salt

Fruit Flyer

Vegetable Flyer

 In the Warehouse

Healthy Shelf Boxes

Flyer for Your Agency

Future plans  Use Healthy Shelf Guidelines for future food drives  Possibly Expand Healthy Shelf items  Healthy beverage box  Reduced fat items  Whole grains  Gluten free  Healthy breakfast box

Resources  Seligman, Bindman, Vittinghoff, Kanaya, and Kushel (2007) Food Insecurity is Associated with Diabetes Mellitus: Results from the National Health Examination and Nutritional Examination Survey Journal of General Internal Medicine, 22, Retrieved from america/impact-of-hunger/physical-and-mental-health.aspx#_edn9  Seligman, Laraia, and Kushel (2009) Food Insecurity Is Associated with Chronic Disease among Low-Income NHANES Participants. Journal of Nutrition, 140,  Dietary Guidelines for Americans Retrieved from  USDA. Retrieved from: quality-nutrition.aspx  Gordon C, G. N. (2007). Eating Well in Harlem: How Available is Healthy Food? New York: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Questions?