Extension Matters

Volume 11 Number 2

Spicy Instruction

Extension provides church members nutrition, healthy living education 

Story by Leah Bowers | Photos by Kevin Hudson

Sure, medicines are great for preventing and addressing health problems, but one Brookhaven resident is using a different approach—eating healthier.

“A change of diet is what helps us in the long run,” says Debbie Corley, lifetime local resident, now a retiree. “I’ve seen people who were on medicine, and once they start to change their diet, then they start losing weight and get off their medication.

“When I started helping organizing the educational programs at church, I picked LaToya with the Extension Service to come do a lunch and learn with a program that relates to food. You go to the doctors, but they don’t really tell you how to change your diet, so we brought LaToya in.”

LaToya Evans, a Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in Lincoln County, specializes in family, health, and wellness education. Thirty church members signed up to attend her presentation when she came to St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, led by Pastor Patrick Hardy, in Brookhaven.

“You can’t change everything overnight, but with the right resources, we can change and make healthy eating a lifestyle,” Evans says. “We went through the ‘Extension Salt-Free Spice Blends’ publication; we have a variety of spices—something for each taste bud.”

Locals of all ages attended, and Evans provided an interactive presentation to ensure participants felt involved and comfortable asking questions.

“I showed them how to get away from the salt since a high sodium diet can lead to high blood pressure,” Evans emphasizes. “With the spice blends, they are able to add flavor to food without adding salt.”

That approach worked, according to both Corley and Evans. Since the presentation, several attendees mentioned that they tried some of the spice combinations at home, and the food tasted great. The ranch spice blend was the most popular, with church members reporting that their families wanted to make it regularly.

“We need to know how to change our diet,” Corley explains. “African American people my age deal with high blood pressure and the medicine they need to control it. But, if you can change your diet, maybe you won’t need that medicine the same way. We can’t continue to eat the foods the way we typically eat them; it’s not going to help us reduce or maintain.”

Everyone at the presentation received copies of MSU Extension publications “Salt-Free Spice Blends,” “Spice It Up!,” and “Sodium and Spices.” These research-based resources, available online, are produced by nutrition experts with Extension and are updated regularly.

The presentation was so popular that Corley is now working with her church advisory group so Evans can offer Extension’s Dining with Diabetes program this fall. Participants don’t have to be diabetic to attend; instead, the workshop series teaches attendees about healthy foods, nutrition in general, and how to cook healthier versions of well-loved recipes.

“Being consistent is the key because we can’t change everything overnight,” Corley says. “That’s the thing I have trouble with—consistency—and we all have trouble with it, really. But by bringing these programs and having them regularly, you can keep it—eating better, living healthier—on your mind.”

Corley is passionate about getting the word out about all the services Extension has to offer, especially those connected to family, health, and wellness programs.

“Extension offers so many programs; people just don’t realize it,” Corley says. “The presentations at our church are open to everyone, and anybody in Brookhaven can go to the Extension office and learn more. Extension is for everybody, and they’re giving us an opportunity to be able to change.”

Evans emphasizes that when people put their minds to it, they can develop the knowledge and skillsets they need to eat healthier.

“We have resources with Extension to help with nutrition and health,” she explains. “It is important to be proactive with your health.”