Nutrition is undoubtedly a vital component of WELLNESS. As such, this is one of the more educational stations in the Health Fair. It would be good if the individual(s) running this station had some background in nutrition or nutritious cooking in their own experience. It is best when you can talk with the participants about the plant-based diet that you live by and the challenges you faced changing your diet, how you met those challenges, and what personal benefits you experienced when changing your diet.

This station should be visually appealing and engaging. The display items listed to the left will help with engaging participants in a discussion about healthy diets. It should be emphasized that a plant-based diet (the Eden diet)is the best diet for health, and that as one moves away from an animal-based diet there are numerous health benefits that attend that change.

Many individuals have issues with overweight & obesity, and at this station, we will be counseling with individuals about their ideal weight and giving them some pointers on how to lose weight effectively and remain healthy at the same time. It should be noted that the ideal body weight is dependent upon a number of things, including muscle mass. So if there is a muscular participant who has little fat, but they weigh more than their calculated ideal body weight, that is okay. Very muscular men (body builders) may have a BMI (Body Mass Index) that is in the obese range. This is okay. Let participants know that as they get closer to their ideal body weight, their risk for developing weight-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, etc. decreases. Encourage them to move in the right direction through healthy nutrition and WELLNESS.

Engage the participants in the information listed on the various displays on the table, give them a sample of some healthy foods (i.e. Best Oat Burgers), and give them a recipe so that they can start changing their diet accordingly. Be encouraging and continue to point them to the fact that they can succeed if they are determined and consistent.

For children, follow the body mass index charts to see if they are within the necessary range. These charts take into account how tall the child is compared to their weight and gives ranges by which you can assess whether they are underweight, normal weight, or overweight. This can be conveyed to the parents and written in the back of the child’s Health Fair Booklet.

There are two basic principles that we operate by when it comes to nutrition:

• If it can run, swim, slither, or fly; if it has a face or a mother; or if it comes from one of these -- don’t eat it!
• The closer a plant food is to how it grows, the better it is for you.

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