March is National Nutrition Month®. The LSU AgCenter Nutrition and Community Health agents are celebrating across the state by hosting classes and events. In St. Tammany parish, LSU AgCenter Nutrition and Community Health agent, Valerie Vincent is working with numerous healthy community coalitions that she chairs on the Northshore to enhance awareness of healthy eating and provide opportunities to get moving through various physical activity options.

Covington Mayor Mark Johnson has strived to preserve and improve the quality of life in Covington. Since being elected, the Mayor has been an integral part of the Covington Mayors Council on Healthy Lifestyles Healthy Community Coalition. Mayor Mark Johnson stated, “The Mayors Council has made a significant impact in Covington.” The council is involved in numerous activities that promote healthy living including hosting Zumba with the Mayor, regular blood drives, helping to establish community gardens, offering educational workshops, and making park and sidewalk improvements. “The coalition has focused on improving local healthy food access, bike and pedestrian projects, community gardens, and other endeavors in Covington that promote healthy living” added Vincent.

The National Nutrition Month® started in 1973 as National Nutrition Week, and it became a month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing interest in nutrition. Dr. Elizabeth Gollub, Assistant Professor-School of Nutrition and Food Sciences stated that “diet is so closely linked to all types of chronic disease, and eating a healthy diet can just make you feel better -- But it takes a little effort. This month, make a start by eating a favorite vegetable at least one more time each week. Next month, think about adding a fruit…small changes like this are easy to keep up – and over time, they could make a difference.”

To celebrate National Nutrition Month® the Mayor worked with Mrs. Vincent to create and adopt a proclamation that supports the need for continuing nutrition education and wide-scale effort to enhance healthy eating practices and increase opportunities for physical activity. This year we are increasing opportunities for residents by adding walking clubs, bench exercise bootcamps, community garden workshops, nutrition education classes, and other occasions to promote healthy living.

The Covington Mayors Council on Healthy Lifestyles Healthy Community Coalition is continuing to expand their efforts to encourage residents to eat healthily and move more. “We have been working on promoting healthy eating and creating physical activity opportunities in St. Tammany in the hope of achieving optimum health for both today and tomorrow,” stated Vincent. For more information or to sign-up for an opportunity contact Valerie Vincent at vvincent@agcenter.lsu.edu.

Proclamation Photo of the Covington Mayors Council on Healthy Lifestyles Healthy Community Coalition members: Seated from Left, Marla Rabalais, Health Educator for the St. Tammany Parenting Center; Valerie Vincent, Nutrition & Community Health Agent for the LSU AgCenter; Mark Johnson, Mayor of Covington; Ginger Kunkle, Development Director for the Northshore Food Bank; Standing- Tim Ellzey, Director of the Covington Community Garden.