Hospital to host Fit Food Fair
PRESQUE ISLE — March is National Nutrition Month and dietitians at The Aroostook Medical Center will mark the occasion with a Community Fit Food Fair Tuesday, March 19. The event, designed to help members of the public and TAMC employees learn about nutrition and make healthier food choices, will be held at the A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of The Aroostook Medical Center
TAMC REGISTERED DIETITIANS, from left: Angel Hebert, Kate Parsons, Nicole Doughty and Tina Stewart are planning a Fit Food Fair for the community Tuesday, March 19. The event is free and open to the public and will be held in the McCain Room at TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The Fit Food Fair will feature several interactive informational booths and demonstrations in the McCain room of the hospital’s conference center. Community members will also have the opportunity to enjoy a special healthy luncheon in TAMC’s cafeteria that day for a special price of $5.
“We want to let people know that we are here and are available to help them,” said Tina Stewart, TAMC registered dietitian. “Our event will allow community members to visit our different stations, learn about several topics, sample different healthy food options, and even enjoy a healthy, tasty meal in our cafeteria. More importantly, it will allow people to ask us any questions they may have about nutrition or the services we provide.”
Stewart and her colleagues, registered dietitians Nicole Doughty, clinical manager; Angel Hebert and Kate Parsons, are coordinating the day’s events. The team decided to expand the event and open it up to community members, in part, because 2013 marks the 40th anniversary the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates National Nutrition Month. The academy has set this year’s theme as “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day,” a message that the coordinators intend to deliver by providing information and education.
Among the informational booths at the Fit Food Fair will be one that educates consumers about reading food labels. Another, entitled Healthier Weight, Healthier You, will offer resources for weight management. The healthy eating station will provide information on eating healthy on a budget, tips for making healthier choices, and a number of related displays.
One of the informational booths will offer event attendees the opportunity to try free samples of some healthy snack ideas. The printed recipes of the food samples and many other healthy recipes will be available for the taking.
Members of the public will also have the opportunity to have some key body measurements taken. The TAMC dietitians will be on hand to help calculate body mass index (BMI), to take waist circumference measurements and measure percent of body fat.
Working with the dietitians on the Fit Food Fair are members of TAMC’s Food Services staff. Carla Haines, food services supervisor, and Joseph Carroll, TAMC chef, have planned a special meal that will include three winning entries from the recently held TAMC Top Chef Competition, which was part of the TAMC Winter Carnival held during the second week of February.
“We’ll be offering three different entrée options, several side dishes, two soups, and even a tasty dessert that all offer healthier ingredient selections,” said Carroll. “We really want to demonstrate that eating healthy doesn’t mean sacrificing taste or great flavor. For just $5, community members can try some of the menu items.”
For more information about TAMC’s Fit Food Fair or services offered by TAMC clinical dietitians, contact Doughty at 768-4358.
