Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is the single most important dietary change a person can make to improve their health.
That’s why Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well partnered with several local churches and the Carrollton Housing Authority to host a month-long fruit and veggie challenge in October.
On Nov. 6, First Baptist Church of Bowdon hosted a celebration to recognize members who successfully completed the challenge. One of those members is Vivian Minnifield, who has been a member of the church for about 60 years.
When the signup sheet came around to join the “Go for 5” Fruit and Veggie Challenge, Minnifield wrote her name on the piece of paper just to see if she could do it. A self-described creature of habit, she previously participated in Get Healthy, Live Well’s Diabetes Prevention Program and didn’t miss a class.
“That’s my habit,” said Minnifield as she sat in the church sanctuary. “If I do something, I do it. I go to work every day. I come down here every Sunday. If I start anything, I continue it to the end.”
During the challenge, she included a fruit or veggie with every meal and snack.
“I eat vegetables all the time,” said Minnifield. “I prefer vegetables over meat so I always cook three or four vegetables like collards, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, cabbage and corn.”
As part of the challenge, participants tracked the servings of fruits and veggies they consumed. At the end of the month, they submitted tracking forms to earn raffle tickets and be entered into a drawing for prizes based on their activity totals. Prizes included juicers, water infusers, recipe books and FoodSavers.
The Nov. 6 celebration also included a produce stand that featured a variety of fruits and veggies, which was provided with the help of a Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC) Operation Roundup grant.
"Get Healthy, Live Well has taken an active role in educating the community about the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables,” said Phyllis Head, community liaison at Get Healthy, Live Well. “We live in the heart of the Bible Belt, so what better way to reach out to people in the community than to go through their churches?”
Pastor Aaron Kight thanked Get Healthy, Live Well for coming out into the community to help people learn how to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“We decided to join the fruit and vegetable challenge to learn how to eat healthier,” said Kight. “We’re trying to live healthier and live longer.”
And his congregation has had great success in incorporating more fruits and veggies in their diets.
“Everybody said they are enjoying it,” said Kight. “They feel better and they say they’re doing better”
For more information about the “Go for 5” Fruit and Veggie Challenge, visit www.GetHealthyLiveWell.org.