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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 19 I was really nervous about cooking healthier food. Living in Houston, it is a lot easier to stop at a taco stand or pick up a burger for dinner. — APRIL FUENTES HE/AL Participant family of the mothers-to-be to participate. HE/AL also offers a program for new mothers and their infants that focuses on healthy goals and activities that can be incorporated into daily routines. Weekly meetings last 90 minutes. "When we first started HE/AL, I set two goals for myself," Fuentes said. "One was to eat three servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and the other was to make healthier choices for myself. So instead of the fried chicken, it's the salad or the chicken breast." During the weekly meeting, participants have a chance to share their stories and struggles, watch a cooking demonstration with fresh ingredients chosen by HE/AL dietitians, and exercise. Participants learn about the kinds of exercise that are safe during preg- nancy and beneficial after babies are born, including yoga, aerobics, and exercises with resistance bands. All participants are encouraged to try the movements and techniques at home. Esco Zepeda, HE/AL community health worker, helps HE/AL participants with day-to-day ques- tions—including fielding 10 p.m. phone calls about how to make whole-wheat tortillas—and also serves as the fitness instructor. During a recent class, Zepeda moved through different aerobic poses and made sure everyone understood the benefits of the movements and how to have fun doing them. "This is not a class, this is more of a facilitated conversation," Zepeda explained. "We believe that a community will make a change when the information is coming from them, not when it is coming from someone they don't know in the health industry. Little by little, we are just delivering information—like, try this new recipe, this new fruit, or this new vegetable." Each week the HE/AL program directors plan a healthy menu for the women, based on what is avail- able at the Houston Food Bank. "The first dish we had while I was in the class was the pink spaghetti," Fuentes said. "Instead of using noodles, they used beets. I rarely eat beets and I loved it. They used beets and diced tomatoes instead of a thick sauce so it was all fresh and really good." After each meeting, the women are given 10-15 pounds of food from the food bank, based on what was prepared in class. This has made a huge impact on grocery shopping for Fuentes. "I usually do my grocery shopping once a month because that is when I get paid, and then I don't have to make tons of trips back," she said. "Because of HE/AL, I really haven't had to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables, because we get them every week." On a recent shopping trip to the Fiesta Mart in downtown Houston, Fuentes examined the fresh pro- duce in the store before selecting her items. "I love making salads, but I don't buy iceberg let- tuce anymore," she said, pushing her cart slowly down the produce aisle. "I use spinach, because the iceberg lettuce doesn't have a lot of nutrients. I also put toma- toes, cucumber, bell pepper and a little bit of shredded cheese for protein." The changes that Fuentes and her family have made in the last few months have not only improved her health during pregnancy, but they have also improved her father's quality of life after his cancer diagnosis. He is currently finishing chemotherapy treatments in Austin and his doctors have said that the changes in his diet have helped his overall health. "After the class ends, I know I will continue to eat healthy, but it's sad the class has to end because I know there is so much more they can teach us," Fuentes said. "The women are positive, successful. They care about us and our babies and they want to help make us do better." HE/AL participants practicing aerobics at their weekly meeting. April Fuentes, a HE/AL participant, shopping for fresh produce.