Healthy for Life®
The Healthy for Life (HFL) community nutrition program was created by Aramark and the American Heart Association to help individuals discover, choose and prepare healthy food using science-based resources. The purpose of the Healthy for Life community nutrition engagement program is to provide food discovery experiences and nutrition education to community members. The primary target is individuals responsible for meal preparation in their homes.
Universal Design principles were applied to the Healthy for Life program to make lessons flexible, intuitive, equitable, and appropriate for all. Adaptations included adding emoticons and graphic representation of questions to the evaluation surveys. In addition, principles were applied to the program through the creation of supplemental resources such as PowerPoint presentations, visuals, videos, handouts, hands-on activities, redesigned recipes with images, and added participant-driven specific goals to help direct sustainable behavior change. The supplemental materials to this program market the community nutrition engagement program to an inclusive audience, intentionally including individuals with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.
You can become a Healthy for Life facilitator – for FREE! Sign up to access the presentations, workshops, and connect with other facilitators across the country. Detailed lesson plans, recipes, and videos are provided to those who register. Put this curriculum and these resources to good work in your community!
Once you become a registered Healthy for Life facilitator, be sure to check out LIVE: Live Inclusive Virtual Events & Programs to learn how to successfully plan, design, and implement a Universally Designed HFL program.
Mobile Kitchen Series
The Human Development Institute‘s Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative collaborated with American Heart Association Kentucky community impact director and local health department to offer an inclusive Mobile Kitchen Series based on the American Heart Association’s Simple Cooking with Heart Program.
Universal design strategies were implemented in the program planning and delivery of healthy cooking classes. Recipes and lessons were created with inclusive considerations. Staff were educated on adaptive and universal design strategies for teaching the classes. Recruitment for the series was widespread with targeted outreach to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and offered at a community public library. The class was offered free of charge and provided the opportunity to learn basic cooking skills while trying new foods and extra ingredients to prepare the meal at home. Twenty-two participants attended the pilot program with a 50:50 ratio of people with disabilities to those without. 89% of participants agreed that they were more confident in cooking and trying new recipes, confirmed that fruits and vegetables are part of a heart-healthy diet, and indicated they are more knowledgeable about cooking and kitchen safety. 79% reported that the series increased their advocacy skills. Graphic recipes for this effort can be found on the recipe page with links to short cooking videos on each of these recipes with Kentucky actors with a variety of ability levels. All resources are also housed in the resource library.
