The Lenawee Health Network - Christine Buron

Dan Buron introduced his wife, Christine, representing the Lenawee Health Network who spoke to members about nutrition in Lenawee County and focused specifically on the recommendation to eat a combination of at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day. Christine admitted to eating processed food as she was growing up and that she liked eating Little Debbie’s and Captain Crunch! It was around the time she and Dan decided to start a family, she said, that she knew it was important to change her eating habits but had to develop a taste for veggies over time.

 

She shared with the audience the three primary initiatives of the Lenawee Health Network (LHN) that were the by-product of the Heath Needs Assessment conducted in 2011 through the local schools. The initiatives are: (1) To improve diet and exercise (2) To reduce risky behavior and (3) Access to health care. The “Eat 5 Campaign” was born out of initiative #1 she said but that the National Cancer Society originally recommended that people eat a combination of 5 fruits and veggies in order to lower the risk of cancer.

 

Some startling statistics Christine shared with  us were:

She said that a “serving” of, say, raisins is not that much at all. It’s only about a quarter of a cup. People who don’t think they could ever consume what is recommended daily should have no trouble at all complying with the recommendations.

 

She suggested everyone “avoid drive thru’s” even though McDonald’s restaurants now have healthier choices on their menu compared to the past. A good visual she shared was of the average dinner plate and said that healthy meals should consist of fruits and veggies consuming approximately half of the plate with the actual entrée occupying the rest.