On October 12, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Chabot’s Nutrition Fest was held in front of Building 700, sponsored by Wellness Ambassadors and Dr. Porta. The event aimed to raise awareness among staff and students about healthy and unhealthy eating habits, and how a good diet can benefit you both physically and mentally.
“We want to raise awareness on what foods are healthy and what foods are not. We want to help students make the best decisions for their own health. There’s a lot of sugar in the food that people are unaware of that we put in our bodies.” says Janine Grillo, Instructor of Health and Nutrition.
The event witnessed the participation of many organizations and clubs that demonstrated their support, including Revolutionaries Advocating for Greener Ecosystem (RAGE), CalFresh, and Counseling Advocacy Resources Emotional Support (CARES). These entities set up information tables that provided essential details on balanced meals, nutrition facts, and mental health. The entire event was aimed at encouraging the attendees to understand the significance of the aspects in their daily lives.
Students playing the Nutrition Trivia Game
Staff Photographer: Michael Sykes
At the recently held Nutrition Fest, the Wellness Ambassadors devised a game titled Nutrition Trivia to promote mental health for students. The game entails spinning a wheel that presents a true or false statement, which the player is required to answer correctly. The event was aimed at raising awareness about the significance of proper nutrition in maintaining good mental health and educating students on various aspects of nutrition.
“This event is centered around Chabot, CARES, RAGE, CalFresh basically Wellness Ambassadors and Mental Health Advocates. We’re promoting Nutrition, Informing the students about picking healthier choices to eat. I’m here also helping promote the food pantry.” Said Maddie Ramos from CalFresh.
Some people are unaware of the unhealthy decisions that are put into their bodies whether it’s sodas, candy, chips or processed food. This event shed light on how eating unhealthy can lead to unhealthy lifestyles like obesity, and high blood pressure, and it can trigger mental health too.
“This is good for students like me who eat a lot of processed food, or we eat out a lot. I mean look at where this campus is surrounded by a lot of fast-food places. Being healthy leads us to make better choices.” Said student Judell Toles-Bey.
A good diet is one of the essential keys to life along with exercise. Eating greener and drinking water can help fight diseases and dehydration. Just because drinking and eating junk feels good doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
“With This event and the Food Pantry we are here for those students that don’t even have access to food so at least now they have a way through Chabot to get food. We also know how food affects health as well as their mind,” says Pia Jade, one of the helpers and creators of the event.
Not only did the event help students with facts about nutrition, but there was also free food. The event was catered by Panera Bread.