Seniors get a taste of healthy meals
CALEXICO — Health is important to seniors and Wednesday received instruction on how to keep a healthy lifestyle from several organizations.
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District in partnership with Ventanilla de Salud, and Molina Healthcare, hosted here a cooking class aimed at senior health Wednesday.
Molina, a health care provider, began in Long Beach 37 years ago, now serves 250,000 members in four states.
Dr. Cleo’s Cooking Club taught three dozen seniors to prepare a “hearty smarty chicken salad” after their regular aerobics workout, noted Joann Flores, Molina community engagement advocate. “We want to teach seniors how to cook inexpensive, nutritious meals they can easily make at home,” she said.
Yet before seniors tossed their salad mix, Jennifer Middleton, Pioneers director of nutrition services explained about ideal caloric intake, typically 2,000 calories a day and to limit the amount of fat, saturated fat, trans-fat, cholesterol and sodium each day.
Also noted, a colorful mix of fruit and vegetables is best for good health.
She said nutrients that give fruits and vegetables their color protects them from insects and sun damage but also protects people from getting sick.
Georganna McBride, Molina senior Medicare representative stressed the importance of nutrition to seniors, since Imperial County reports one of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the state.
McBride suggested seniors include more fruit and vegetables and substitute chicken for red meat. She was pleased to see everybody pay attention to Middleton’s lecture about reading labels.
“The dressings we had today were a good selection but you have to be careful about Ranch dressing,” she said. “Ranch has 200 calories for two teaspoons. And most of us prefer Ranch, but it’s not a good choice. The best choice we had was apple cider dressing. It has a lot less calories and sugar.”
Enjoying the aerobics Wednesday was Jolanda Caldera. But she thought Dr. Cleo’s Cooking Club was very interesting. “I like the recreation center because it’s a good place for people to come,” said Caldera. “But it’s a good idea to check labels for calories. That way we can keep ourselves healthy.”
Admitting she eats salad only once in a while, Sandra Lee Cardoza vowed to eat more in the future. She had a blood pressure check at the rec center Wednesday and she was glad it was in the normal range.
“I take my blood pressure medication and vitamins every day,” said Cardoza. “That’s why I think I need more salad, to lower my cholesterol. Fried foods are the bad thing. It’s not good every day.”