Nutrition and activity

Your body is your most important asset. Treat it well.

Nutrition

Healthy eating can be easy, quick, and budget-friendly. Here are some simple tips on how to eat better:

• Get your fruits and veggies. A variety of fruits and vegetables every day gets you vitamins and minerals that help protect you from disease.
• Don’t drink your calories. Avoid drinks with a lot of calories, sugar, fat or alcohol. Drinking more water keeps you hydrated, keeps you from drinking less-healthy options and can help you take in fewer calories each day.
• Avoid processed foods. About 75% of the salt in our diet comes from processed and restaurant foods. Read labels on frozen foods, bread and pasta. Choose whole, fresh fruits and vegetables when you can.
• Practice portion control. Sometimes how much you eat is more important than what you eat. If you often go back for seconds, try skipping extra portions.
• Slow down when you eat. It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to send the message to your brain that it’s full. When you eat more slowly, you eat less.

WIC (the Women, Infants, and Children Program)

Several resources are available to help you have enough food. Here are some of the local options.

WIC is a nationwide public health nutrition program. WIC helps families with healthy food and much more. Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members qualify for WIC if they’re pregnant, recently gave birth, breastfeeding or caring for a child under 5 years old. Dads, grandparents or guardians may also apply for WIC for their children.

WIC provides:

• Benefits to buy healthy foods.
• Tips on nutrition, exercise, prenatal care, feeding kids and more.
• Breastfeeding help and breast pumps for those who need them.
• Classes on a variety of health and parenting topics.
• Information on other services in our community.

Jackson County handles WIC applications and services. Click here for more information.

Physical activity

Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. Most adults need 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week. That could be 30 minutes five days a week, or a little over 20 minutes each day. Activities like biking, swimming or fast walking help strengthen your heart. They may reduce your risk of many chronic health conditions (meaning they go on for a long time and often don’t go away completely).

Include your kids in your activities! Children need 60 minutes of aerobic activity each day.

JCC members can join the YMCAs at a low cost — click here to learn more. Here are the YMCAs in Jackson County:

• Rogue Valley Family YMCA, 522 W. 6th Street, Medford, 541-772-6295
• Ashland Family YMCA, 540 YMCA Way, Ashland, 541-482-9622 

Other resources

• Jackson County Parks
• Oregon Farmers Markets
• Growing Gardens: Home gardening assistance

Let us help you

Send us a secure message through our Member Portal at jacksoncareconnect.org/portal. Or, call us at 541-500-0567, toll-free 855-722-8208 or TTY 711. We can help connect you to food resources.