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t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6 18 18 A Fresh Start HE/AL, a program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, helps expectant mothers eat, cook and live healthy It was not as easy as she had hoped. "I was really nervous about cooking healthier food," she said. "Living in Houston, it is a lot easier to stop at a taco stand or pick up a burger for dinner." At a routine check-up with her doctors, Darby learned about HE/AL. Healthy Eating, Active Living is a community health initiative started by Shreela Sharma, Ph.D., of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, in collaboration with Phil Nader, M.D., a pediatrician in San Diego, Calif. For three years, Sharma and Nader have been working to create a clinic and community dedicated to solving health-related issues facing the local low-income population, including obesity and diabetes. In addition to learning about nutrition and exercise, participants take home fresh food from the Houston Food Bank after each meeting. "Community health workers are sort of the bridge between the health care industry and the families, because they speak the language of the families and they are trained in health education," Sharma explained. "The program creates a feedback loop back to the clinic and provider about what is going on with the patient when they attend this program." The six-week program Fuentes attends is geared toward expectant mothers in their first and second trimesters, but also encourages partners, friends and B y B r i t n i N . R i l e y Community health workers are sort of the bridge between the healthcare industry and the families because they speak the language of the families and they are trained in health education. — SHREELA SHARMA, PH.D. Director of HE/AL at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health S pring was a bittersweet season for April Fuentes and her husband. When they found out they were expecting their second child—a girl, in November— they rejoiced. But in May, the couple learned that Fuentes' father had stage four colon cancer, a diagno- sis that would change more than one life. "After my father was diagnosed, my parents watched Forks Over Knives and they told me to watch it," Fuentes said. "It's really eye-opening because it shows people who have diabetes and high blood pres- sure, and these people start only eating plant-based foods and their problems start going away. They don't need to take diabetes medicine anymore." After watching the film, which explores the idea that many degenerative diseases can be controlled by rejecting processed and animal-based foods, Fuentes and her family decided to get healthy together. Top: Expectant mothers and their families meet at The University of Texas Heath Science Center at Houston School of Public Health to discuss healthy options for eating and exercise. Bottom: HE/AL nutritionists prepared a butternut squash macaroni and cheese with turkey bacon, and a salad for the weekly meeting.