To celebrate February as Heart Health Month, the Women’s Center, WellWorks and Live Healthy Appalachia are putting on an event focusing on plant-based diets.
The Women’s Heart Health Power Lunch will help women learn about the connection between what they eat and their heart health, focusing on the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet.
The event will feature guest speakers, cooking demonstration and a create your own “power bowl” activity where people are given the chance to mix vegetables, whole grains and a variety of toppings. It is open to all students, faculty and community members. The cost of attendance is $10, and people can apply through Live Healthy Appalachia.
Although technically a vegan lunch, Emily Dacquisto, program coordinator at the Women’s Center, said the focus of the lunch is not on the benefits of going vegan.
“The focus will really be on food that is completely all natural and plant based,” Dacquisto said.
Along with educating participants on plant-based living, the women from Live Healthy Appalachia will be speaking about the cost of their power bowls to show people eating healthy doesn’t always break the bank.
“The hope is to show people who attend that (it’s a myth) that eating a plant-based diet is more expensive,” Dacquisto said.
Sherri Oliver, the executive director at Live Healthy Appalachia, said the idea has been in the works since the end of last year, and everyone involved is excited to share their knowledge with the attendees.
“We just wanted to give people something healthy and easy to make (to eat),” she said. “We want to get people excited about healthy eating.”
Fior Tat, a freshman studying theater, has been a pescatarian for six years. Although she doesn’t follow a strictly plant-based diet, she said not eating meats other than fish has helped her eat more vegetables and rely more on plants in her diet. She said changing the way she eats has helped her overall health.
“(When I started being a pescatarian) six years ago, I started off really (unhealthy),” she said. “But later, I realized how much healthier I could eat.”
Fior said an event like this would be interesting, and she would consider attending, even though she eats some types of meat.
Although this is the first time for the event, Oliver said they plan to do it again if it is a success.
“If this goes well I can’t see why we wouldn’t do it again,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
