Students at Balderas and Winchell Elementary Schools receive no-cost nutrition education and food tastings throughout the school year if their teachers are enrolled in the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program. The aim is to instill healthy eating behaviors and physical activity habits at an early age!

The beauty of learning is that it is an ongoing feat for all people of all ages! Parents at Balderas and Winchell Elementary Schools joined in on the nutrition education fun as they explored how to make healthy eating the right and easy choice.

Parents were eager to learn about how they could plan, purchase, and prepare healthy food choices on a budget, and they agreed that eating healthy can sometimes be straining on the budget, but small changes can make a world of a difference!

Small steps are the key to success.

Here are some easy ways to save money when purchasing healthy foods for your family:

• Make a grocery list and stick to it! 
• Buy in bulk.
• Shop when you are not hungry.
• Plan your meals around sale food items and use coupons!
• Compare unit prices and try store brands!
• Visit your local Farmers Market for seasonal fruit and vegetable options. 
  • To find a Farmers Market near you, visit the Ecology Center.
    • Look for Market Match. Learn all about Market Match on our blog so that you can extend your fruit and vegetable dollars even more!

Do you have a thrifty tip or something that helps you buy healthier food, while on a budget? Comment below and share with us. We love hearing from you!

Preparing a healthy recipe is always the most anticipated class activity. Learning how to read a recipe and prepare healthy meals is a lifelong skill that can be used immediately to improve the eating behaviors of our participants. Our program participants are also encouraged to keep an active lifestyle, and move more! Does this mean parents got a little taste of physical activity in every class? You bet they did! 

Upon the successful completion of a four-week nutrition education series, parents received a University of California certificate that acknowledged their commitment to adopt healthier lifestyles. Additionally, they received a bag containing reinforcement items, such as cookbooks, measuring cups and spoons, scrub brush, grocery list, and much more!

Give it up for Balderas' Plan, Shop, $ave, and Cook class of 2017! 

Give it up for Winchell's Plan, Shop, $ave, and Cook class of 2017! 

Let's hear some of the parents' successes:

"I am more aware of what I buy, I take my [grocery list] notes when I shop so I don't overbuy. I am also reading the contents on cereal, I am saving money when I do my grocery shopping." - parent

"Estoy mas consiente de las compras, [h]echo mas apuntes para no comprar de mas. Tambien estoy leyendo el contenido de las cajitas de cereal, estoy...ahorrando dinero al [h]acer mis compras." - padre de familia

"I learned how to make healthy recipes (ranch dressing), to read food labels, and to [read] the percentages of sugar and salt that foods contain." - parent

"Aprendí a hacer recetas más saludables (ranch dressing), leer las etiquetas de los productos y [ha] saber el porcentaje de azúcar y sal que contiene [los alimentos]. " - padre de familia

Thank you to both Balderas and Winchell Elementary Schools for opening their doors and allowing us to help improve eating behaviors for families in Fresno County!

Would you would like to invite us to host a no-cost parent nutrition class at your school site?

Contact Javier Miramontes, UC CalFresh Program Supervisor, to get started! 

Javier Miramontes

Nutrition Program Supervisor

jfmiramontes@ucanr.edu

(559) 241-7539