Lawrence Office

Learning by Choice

NEP’s bilingual nutrition program gives adult learners the knowledge and the power to change

Children aren’t the only ones who like a little fun with their lessons. In the spirit of NEP’s highly successful nutrition programs for schoolchildren, NEP’s CHOICES program motivates adults to bring healthy eating and movement into their lives through classes that are interactive, engaging—and in many cases life-changing.

With themes like “Moving to the Mambo” and “Kitchen Calypso,” it’s no wonder CHOICES workshops keep adult learners on their toes. Run by Lawrence-based Nutrition Educator Belkis Fermin, classes are offered in English, Spanish, and even somewhere in between for bilingual populations. And while the program’s emphasis is on educating parents of young children, adults from 17 to 70 and beyond have benefited from Fermin’s wealth of knowledge, obtained in part through her recent certification in nutrition from UMass Lowell.

Those students, tapped for the most part from area GED and ESL adult learning programs, enjoy a structured yet informal and welcoming environment that invites them to share challenges—their own particular barriers to exercise, for example—while learning how to decipher nutrition labels, fill a plate with a balance of healthy food groups, and measure out appropriate portions. Different learning styles are accommodated through a variety of activities from small group discussions to brain-boosting exercises to hands-on experiments, such as planning a healthy meal for four for under $15 using local supermarket flyers.

One new twist is the addition of nutrition training for students in area certified nursing assistant programs, as well as adult literacy programs, which help participants build on new skills by reinforcing the lessons throughout the week. Younger populations are included as well, through classes for low-income teen parents seeking their GED, and through “Fast Foods A-Go-Go,” a hands-on program that helps middle schoolers tweak their menu choices as they learn to limit their intakes of fat, sugar, and sodium.

Ultimately, the program works because its educators are “absolutely positive, energetic, and love what they’re doing,” says Program Supervisor Jeanne Baranek. That’s critical in areas like Lawrence, where diabetes and other chronic nutrition-related diseases are rampant. “If these students don’t master healthy eating and exercise now, they’re going to have a very hard time keeping their disease in control,” says Baranek. “Really what we’re teaching them is basic Nutrition 101. And for many, this is the first step.”

NEP’s CHOICES programs are also available in areas served by our Brockton, Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester offices.