(01/14/26) CROWVILLE, La. — After the feasting that happens in November and December, many people resolve to eat healthier in January.

The LSU AgCenter partnered with a rural restaurant in northeast Louisiana to help locals make healthy choices when dining out.

The Magnolia Cafe and Coffee Shop in Crowville is the first rural restaurant in the northern part of the state to have menu items that have the Eat Fit seal of approval.

The Ochsner Eat Fit program provides heathy standards that menu items must conform to, so when diners see the seal, they know they are getting a meal low in sodium and fat and higher in nutrients.

Quincy Vidrine, LSU AgCenter nutrition and community health agent, worked with Magnolia Cafe and Coffee Shop owner Jessica Sinclair to help develop menu items that met the criteria. Vidrine received training to help certify menu items. She looked at Sinclair’s menu and offered advice to reduce salt, fat and calories but keep the flavor.

“We looked, for example, at swapping out tortillas in wraps for whole wheat,” Vidrine said. “We want to get it as close to what she was already serving.”

When Sinclair opened her restaurant, she offered fresh options like homemade soups, sandwiches and salads but sodium was still high in her menu options. Working with Vidrine and an Eat Fit dietitian, she was able to lower sodium and improve the health benefits for the food she serves. She said getting Eat Fit designation is a win for her community.

“There is not anyone around here that does this,” she said, about offering healthy menu items. She added that people from surrounding communities craving something healthy are coming in to try out the cafe.

Now, Sinclair’s menu has the orange Eat Fit seal next to items that have been certified.

Vidrine worked with Sinclair to name the menu items and craft their descriptions. She also worked with the staff to explain the menu items and the Eat Fit designation to customers.

Ochsner Eat Fit has partnered with restaurants across the state to ensure diners have healthy options. The Eat Fit app lists restaurants and menu items that have been certified.

Vidrine also provides other tips to help with healthy eating in the new year.

She said to read nutrition labels.

“Train yourself to look at those labels and know what you’re looking for as far as how many calories, how much fat, how many added sugars,” she said.

She also suggests swapping out salt in cooking for onion and garlic powder.

“When you look at the numbers of how much sodium you’re omitting just by omitting a teaspoon of salt, it really does make a difference,” she said.

She recommends adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet and removing some processed foods.

Quincy Vidrine, LSU AgCenter nutrition and community health agent, right, worked with Jessica Sinclaire, owner of the Magnolia Cafe and Coffee Shop in Crowville, to get menu items at the restaurant Eat Fit certified. Photo by Tobie Blanchard/LSU AgCenter