Louisville Medicine Volume 66, Issue 6 | Page 22

FOOD INSECURITY USING DIET AND EDUCATION to Change Lives Tracy Monks, AHA & Dawn Wigginton, AHA T he American Heart Association (AHA) is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization, and we’re committed to our mission as a relentless force of living longer, healthier lives. Heart disease remains the nation’s number one killer. Stroke ranks number five and is the leading cause of severe disability. However, 80 percent of heart disease and strokes are preventable through small, positive lifestyle choices such as eating healthier, regular physical activity and stress management. The AHA’s mission is to serve as a catalyst in the Louisville com- munity, transforming the decisions residents make regarding healthy lifestyle choices. We know social determinants of health (where a person is born, lives, works and grows) often impact one’s ability to live a healthy and active lifestyle. But, those social determinants don’t have to define how healthy any one of us may be. To help prove this, the AHA has introduced programs such as Simple Cooking with Heart Mobile Kitchen, Check Change and Control, and Target BP. Through these endeavors, we’ll assist Louisville residents in making small lifestyle changes and prevent negative health issues stemming from a lack of education and planning. The programs listed below will continue to evolve, and we’re 20 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE always looking for input from volunteers and health care officials who would like to partner with us and make a difference. SIMPLE COOKING WITH HEART MOBILE KITCHEN Riska Platt, RD, a nutri- tion consultant and vol- unteer for the AHA, said, “They say `You are what you eat,’ and research is showing that to be true. More and more diseases, and the medications that follow, are tied to foods that we eat.” There is a simple disconnect that takes place between meal selections and making healthier decisions; both are often a learned behav- ior. Diet and meal preparation can be taught and adopted for long- term, healthier outcomes. The AHA is teaching these skills to our at-risk families throughout the Louisville community with Simple