Published on March 22, 2021

Healthpark promotes National Nutrition Month

By Christie Netherton - Messenger-Inquirer

March is National Nutrition Month and Owensboro Health Healthpark is pushing a one-size does not fit all theme called “Personalize Your Plate” to help promote healthy habits, according to Beth Cecil, registered dietician, nutritionist and manager of community wellness.

Cecil said it is part of the health system’s mission to do what it can to improve the health of the communities it serves, and that includes encouraging healthy eating and lifestyle habits.

Healthy lifestyle and eating habits, she said, can help prevent certain conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

“We know that obesity is a problem, not only nationally, but in our state as well as in our area … poor eating habits over time can lead to a lot of different health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hear t disease, and we also know that by eating healthier and making good decisions for both eating and exercise can lead to better health and more longevity,” she said.

For the Personalize Your Plate theme, the Healthpark is encouraging the community to take steps toward living a healthy lifestyle, such as eating a variety of nutritious foods daily, planning meals each week, learning skills to create tasty meals at home and consulting with a registered dietician to help with the process, Cecil said.

The Healthpark, she said, has resources available to help residents in the community do this, as well.

OH has registered dieticians available for consultation to help improve eating habits, as well as a weight loss program called LifeSteps.

“LifeSteps really focuses on, not a special diet, and not fad diets, but more looking at your behaviors related to eating and then trying to build some skills that can help you change those habits that may be contributing to being overweight or overeating,” Cecil said.

The Healthpark also offers free virtual cooking classes, the next of which will take place on Thursday. The classes, she said, are free to anyone in the community and offer healthy cooking demonstrations.

Christie Netherton, cnetherton@ messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691- 7360

About Owensboro Health

Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.

On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.