Eat for the Earth Nutrition Programs
Providing Education and Practical Skills to Support Healthy Eating
Eat for the Earth provides nutrition education to support individuals and groups to take control of their health through the adoption and maintenance of healthy diets. Our food philosophy and nutrition programs are evidence-based. We share the benefits of a whole food plant-exclusive, oil-free diet. We also encourage people to reduce or eliminate added salts. We offer compelling reasons for dietary change and provide practical tools for implementation. Following are some of our current nutrition education offerings.
Salud en tu Plato/Community Rx
Eat for the Earth offers a very successful nutrition education and diet immersion program. We begin by administering tests to assess biomarkers for health such as cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure. We invite participants to try out a healthy plant-based diet for two weeks, and provide meal plans, recipes, and education to support their success. At the end of the two weeks, we repeat the testing and counsel participants about their results.
The program is open to everyone, but we have strategically chosen to primarily target marginalized communities in our outreach. We have made extensive customization to insure cultural relevancy, accessibility, and effectiveness with Latinos, the most marginalized communities within Santa Cruz County.
Results have been outstanding. Participants report feeling better shortly after they start the diet. For example, we hear from people who have more energy, reduced inflammation, and better sleep and digestion. Biometric data also reflect improvements over the short course of the program. Almost everyone who completes the program has improvements in at least one biomarker, and many people have multiple significant improvements. For example many people with diabetes have normal glucose levels at the end, and the majority of participants bring their cholesterol down into normal and optimal ranges.
For more information and to get on the interest list, check out our pages for Community Rx and Salud en tu Plato.
Food Preparation and Nutrition Classes
Our classes incorporate various combinations of elements including demonstration, hands-on-learning, nutrition information, preparation tips, tasty recipes, techniques for making over unhealthy recipes, and more. From 2020 through 2022, classes were exclusively held online. In 2023, in-person classes resumed in the Santa Cruz County area. Classes cover a variety of topics, often being centered around a certain type of dish, such as soups and stews or salads and dressings. Other classes may focus on a specific food tradition, such as Mexican food or Indian food, or on foods suited to a particular holiday or season of the year. Our whole food plant-based artisanal cheese class is especially popular, but all classes find resonance with participants who are delighted to learn how to make food that is good for them, good for the Earth, and good for all Lifekind. For upcoming classes, check out our Eventbrite page.
Plant-Powered Life
Eat for the Earth’s Plant-Powered Life program is a series of community events including presentations from experts, potlucks, and film screenings with discussions. Eating whole food plant-based is countercultural, and therefore requires support and community. The intention of this series is to ensure people who want to adopt and maintain a healthy diet can connect in community with like-minded people, get support and tools, and engage in continuing education for success.
Community Presentations
Eat for the Earth staff and volunteers are available to offer nutrition education presentations and healthy food preparation demos to schools, businesses, community groups, and others. Please contact us if you would like a powerful, fun, and informative presentation!
Contact Us!
If you are interested in learning more about our work, partnering with us, supporting our nutrition education programs, or finding out how you can start similar programs in your community, please fill out this contact form and we will respond as soon as possible.