Learning to make wise food choices in a SNAP

SNAP-Ed programs are offered throughout the state through Healthy Maine Partnerships and the University of New England and other local groups.
Most are designed to be taught as a series, while Cooking Matters at the Store, for example, is a single session.
• Eat Well, Play Hard is offered for two audiences.
For children, it’s a series of six to eight interactive lessons designed to get children to eat more fruits and vegetables and choose low-fat dairy, increase the time they are physically active and reduce the amount of time they spend watching television. Lessons include nutrition, cooking, mealtime behaviors and physical activity.
The program for parents and caregivers is an interactive four-lesson series that reinforces nutrition messages that children are learning. Classes provide tips for healthy eating and cooking, positive mealtime behaviors and daily physical activity.
• Pick a Better Snack is offered for students in grades K-3 and includes a series of eight lessons offered once a month. The focus is on eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for overall health. Each lesson includes nutrition education, a food tasting or a fruit or vegetable and a physical activity. Free classroom books support continued learning.
• Nutrition to Grow On is offered in a series of six to nine sessions designed to teach youth in grades 4-6 about nutrition, and is enhanced by garden education activities. Lessons are aligned with Maine Learning Results for health. The curriculum integrates multiple disciplines, including science, math, language arts, history, environmental studies and health.
• Eat Fit is a series of six to nine interactive lessons designed for grades 6-8 to improve nutrition and physical fitness with a focus on personal goal-setting. Teens are motivated to strive to reach their potential through a more fit body, healthy food choices, improved self-image and a stronger sense of independence. Students are engaged with interactive activities, including recipes and student workbooks. Lessons are aligned with Maine Learning Results for health.
• Cooking Matters for Kids is a series of six interactive cooking instruction classes with hands-on learning for children, and are led by a chef and a trained nutrition educator. Kids learn how to prepare simple healthy and affordable meals at home. Kids cook a meal and eat together in every class.
• Cooking Matters for Teens (and for Families, for Adults and for Parents, too) are four separate six-part series also taught by a chef and nutritionist while being tailored to the specific audience. Each class includes a meal, which is prepared by participants, and ingredients to make it again at home. Participants receive a recipe book upon completion of the class.
• Cooking Matters at the Store is an interactive grocery store tour where participants receive shopping tips, practice reading labels and compare pricing to learn how to buy healthy foods on a limited budget. Upon completion of the tour, participants receive a $10 gift card with a healthy challenge.
• Eat Smart, Live Strong: Nutrition Education for Older Adults is a series of four lessons to help older adults improve their health and well-being through nutrition and physical activity. Participants set goals, address challenges, modify favorite recipes and practice eating healthy on a budget.
• Teaching 10 Tips nutrition education series includes four lessons that may be instructed as individual, recurring sessions, following the theme of “Add a fruit or vegetable to every meal” or “Healthy eating on a budget.” Sessions engage participants with food tastings along with USDA’s tip sheet and recipes.