During February and March, Layne Langley with the LSU AgCenter conducted Small Changes, Healthy Habits Program at the East Feliciana Extension Office in Clinton. East Feliciana Parish and West Feliciana Parish residents looking to make modest, healthy, long-term changes in both diet and physical activity registered for the four-week program.

Participants learned how to set goals to make small, healthy changes in food and physical activity behaviors during the “Small Changes and Physical Activity Session. They reviewed what a habit is and how habits can be good, health promoting or bad, harmful, and unhealthy. The participants were taught the three-step series of events that lead to habit initiation and how to make/change a habit. The first session also included information on physical activity and the benefits of being physically active. The participants were reminded that the Physical Activity Guidelines recommends adults get 150 minutes-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. The participants worked on goal setting and habit planning. Before the session was over, they sampled two kinds of infused water.

At the “Pantry Makeover” Session, the participants learned how to read the nutrition facts label to make healthy food choices and how to stock their pantry, refrigerator, and freezer in a way that makes the healthier options the easier choices. The participants discovered the traffic light method for categorizing and placing foods and practiced identifying green-light, yellow-light, and red-light foods when shopping and eating. The group discussed food quality and reviewed the “sell by”, “use by”, and “best by” dates on products. At the end of the session, half the group assembled Waldorf Salad while the other half made a seasoning blend for all participants.

The “Grocery Store Tour” was the third session. Participants visited Sullivan’s Grocery Store in Clinton where Langley guided them through the aisles comparing and contrasting products. The tour was designed for them to learn how to make informed decisions on buying products to increase health and nutrition. While on the tour, the participants heard from Produce Manager, J’Sun who provided a wealth of information about the produce department. Ronald Byrd, Sullivan’s Grocery Store Butcher, met with the participants and answered questions about the meat department. Special thanks to Sullivan’s Grocery Store Manager, Joanna Reese, for allowing the LSU AgCenter to tour the store.

During the fourth session “Cooking & Knife Skills”, the participants identified how meals can be prepared more healthfully and economically using basic culinary skills. They were taught basic knife skills such as how to slice, dice, julienne, mince, and peel various types of vegetables. Participants reviewed cooking techniques including stewing, simmering, poaching, and braising. They also learned about different knives and which ones to use to improve cooking skills. At the end of the session, the participants practiced slicing, dicing, julienning, mincing, and chopping onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, parsley, and carrots. They made Homemade Ranch Seasoning Dip and sampled it using freshly chopped vegetables.

For more information about the Small Changes, Healthy Habits Program or other nutrition programs conducted by the LSU AgCenter, contact Layne Langley at 225-635-3614 or 225- 683-3101 or at lalangley@agcenter.lsu.edu