Lunch and Learn Program: National Nutrition Month

Cypress Glen celebrated National Nutrition Month on Thursday, March 5, 2020!

March is National Nutrition Month, and Cypress Glen celebrated with a Lunch and Learn offered in conjunction with our Dietitian, Marilyn Williams, and our Wellness Coordinator, Rachel Schwager. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates this annually. As part of their campaign, they invite the public to focus on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

The Lunch and Learn was centered around a healthy menu put together by our dining staff that included a grilled melon and feta salad, a California bowl consisting of brown rice, shrimp, crab meat, cucumbers, avocados and topped with a sriracha aioli. This was followed by sautéed bananas with tangy sweet cream for dessert.

During the event both Rachel and Marilyn spoke about wellness and healthy eating opportunities available to residents here at Cypress Glen. This year’s theme is “Bite by Bite”. The concept behind the theme is everyone should take small steps, one at a time to work toward their goals. Rachel spoke about the different exercise classes offered weekly, one-on-one exercise assessments, our weekly steps challenge, and most recently the Wellness Support Group. This group has started meeting weekly and is open to any residents who want to have accountability and encouragement meeting their wellness goals. Marilyn spoke about appropriate serving sizes, what healthy items are offered at Cypress Glen, healthy substitutes for certain favorite foods, gluten free items, and the DASH diet.

Many residents said this was the most successful Lunch and Learn they’ve attended and were able to walk away with new information and many of their questions answered. We had close to 50 residents attend and several staff members participate to make it so successful! Door prizes were awarded to a few residents who attended and completed a crossword puzzle related to nutrition and everyone was able to walk away with helpful handouts on the information discussed. A big thank you to everyone who worked to make it happen! Happy Nutrition Month!