A TAMWORTH medical centre is leading the way in promoting healthy choices in the community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Better Health South Tamworth, at the Robert St Shopping Village, is wrangling the obesity epidemic and arming community members with the knowledge to tackle the problem. With the help of a dietitian, Karen Szpitalak, free health and wellbeing classes will be held at the centre on demand.
Supermarket Carlo’s IGA has come on board and will allow the class groups to tour the aisles of the supermarket.
Practice manager John Hyde said Better Health South Tamworth aimed to make a difference in the health and wellbeing of residents.
“Our whole aim is to make a big difference to the health and wellbeing of people who otherwise don’t have access to consistent, quality care,” Mr Hyde said.
Miss Szpitalak said the idea behind the classes was to equip people with the knowledge to read labels on food packaging and make the right choices.
“It’s something we always thought would be a good idea because we are in the same complex as IGA,” she said.
“People often asked me what sort of bread they should be choosing or questions about types of food they should choose. We wanted to do these community activities as well, instead of just seeing a client.”
Karen’s top three tips for tackling the supermarket aisles
- You’ll find most of the fresh grocery items and unprocessed foods are on the outside of the supermarket.
If you can stick to mostly the outside of the supermarket (aisles) you’re doing pretty good.
- Karen Szpitalak
- Try and choose foods that come from one of the five main food groups instead of relying heavily on processed foods that don’t fit them.
- Look for fat-reduced dairy products but be mindful of the sugar content
“While you can tell someone which food is the better choice, they are much better off having the practical skills to read labels and make informed choices so they don’t have to rely on someone telling them what to choose.”
Ms Szpitalak said she believed people could find supermarkets confusing with tens of thousands of items on offer. “The other thing is, they’re finding more and more information in the media about nutrition and it is really important to go back to basics,” she said.
“If they choose mostly fresh food and avoid highly processed food, then if they need to buy something that is a little more processed they can know what to look for.” Those interested in the classes should contact Better Health South Tamworth on 6755 6755.
